Element is a system for running recruitment. If you are just starting, three concepts and their order are enough.
Project, stage, candidate
A project is one recruitment — say "Backend Developer". Each project has its own process made of stages: CV screening, HR interview, technical task, decision. You define the stages yourself and they can differ between projects.
A candidate moves through those stages. Importantly, a candidate exists in the system once, independently of projects. The same person can take part in several recruitments at the same time, sharing one profile, one CV and one contact history.
The three places you work in
The dashboard opens after you log in. On your first login it is empty, and that is expected. Three columns are waiting for data: your projects, recently active candidates, and notifications.
The dashboard right after your account is created — nothing to show yet
Once you join your first recruitments those same three columns fill up. The bar at the top splits candidates by how many days they have spent on their current stage — the red section is the people who have waited longest and probably need you to act.
The same dashboard after a few weeks of work
The project list holds every recruitment you have access to. By default you see only active ones; the filter at the top changes that.
Project list with the status filter and selectable columns
The board is where the daily work on a single project happens. Each column is a stage, each card is a candidate. You move candidates between stages by dragging their card.
The recruitment board — columns are the stages of your process
What you see depends on your role
Element has three roles, and they differ a great deal:
Admin — sees everything: all projects, all candidates and the whole of Settings. Admins add users and configure the system.
Recruiter — works on the recruitments they have been added to as a participant. Cannot manage users or GDPR settings.
External user — usually a hiring manager on the client side. Sees only the candidates shared with them and can rate those. No access to the candidate database, reports or settings.
If a colleague can see something you cannot, role and project access are the first things to check.
What next
Where you go next depends on why you were given an account:
Your first week: administrator — if you are setting the system up for a team.
Your first week: recruiter — if you are going to run recruitments.
Your first week: hiring manager — if you only review and rate candidates.
If you hit a term you do not recognise, the glossary explains them.