Message Templates

A message template is an e-mail that is sent to one or more recipients in a process.

Message templates are available via the Configuration menu:

Message templates under Configuration > Security are messages relating to the security of Taleo Enterprise products. They are system-generated messages provided by Taleo. For details, see Security Message Templates.
Message templates under Onboarding (Transitions) Administration > Message Templates are messages specific to the Onboarding (Transitions) product. In Onboarding (Transitions), almost all emails sent to recipients are based on predefined message templates. In the Onboarding (Transitions) Center, there is one mechanism for sending a free-text email to the candidate/new hire whose process is running. Other than this, all communication emails, task reminders, or completion notifications sent to any task assignee are based on the message templates. They can be personalized to each situation by the use of variables placed within the paragraphs. When sent at runtime, the variables within these message templates get replaced with the most up-to-date values from the Taleo database. In this way, the same message template can be used several times, to invite several different participants to complete several different tasks with different due dates, throughout the course of a single process. Message templates can be associated with tasks within an Onboarding (Transitions) process, they can be sent to indicate when a task has gotten assigned or gotten completed, and they can be used as reminders before or after a task's due date.

The Message Templates list displays information in the following columns:

Code
Name
Status: Active, Inactive, Draft.
Creation Date
Last Modification Date
Actions

All columns (except the Actions column) can be sorted by clicking on the column header. The list can also be filtered using the Refine by tool.

Onboarding (Transitions) Message Template - Key Concepts

Several elements are configured when creating a message template.

Properties: In the Properties section of a message template, the following elements are defined:

Code
Name
Description
Status
Message Format: 1) HTML: Select this format if you want the custom content to be seen directly in the email. 2) Read only attach: Select this format if you want the custom content to be delivered as a PDF attachment. 3) Text: Select this format if you want to send an email which contains the custom content in an HTML attachment.

To, Reply To, Cc, Bcc: Email-type variables can be copied and then pasted into these fields. Afterward, whenever a message based on the template is sent to the task assignees, the message will also be sent to the individuals who correspond to the email-type variables. You can also enter specific email addresses in these fields.
Subject: Variables can be copied and then pasted into the Subject field.

Content: There are two types of content:

Custom content: It is built by adding text and rich text formatting to the message. Variables can also be used to personalize parts of the message. You can pull in user-defined fields in these messages as well which can contain values that were previously filled out in a user-defined form.
Document-based content: It is built by selecting one of the documents that is active and available in your system. This method is not typically used with most message templates.

Attachments: Files can be attached to message templates. By default, the attached file maximum size is 0.1 Mb, and the attached files maximum total size is 500 Mb. The maximum number of attachments allowed is by default 5. These attached documents can be files of any type, including checklists in Word, spreadsheets in Excel, documents in PDF, or materials in any format. These attached files cannot contain personalized variables or fields from the Onboarding (Transitions) database, unlike the PDF documents which the Onboarding (Transitions) administrator uploads into the Documents feature.

Variables: Variables are strings of text that automatically call information from the system and display it in the message. Variables are very useful in the creation of text-based messages. Variables are most often used in the body of a text-based message but email-type variables can also be inserted in the To, Cc, Bcc, and Subject fields. Standard variables are provided with the system and represent a specific value in the database. For example, a message template contains the standard variable {PersonalInfo_Para.LastName}. Just before sending the message to the new hire, the system will replace the variable by the new hire's last name.

By default, all variables are listed in the Available Variables list. However, a shorter list of variables can be displayed by entering a few letters contained in a variable. The system then automatically suggests variables containing these letters. For example, if entering the letters “add”, the system could suggest the following variables: “Candidate.Address”, “Candidate.Address2”, “ElectronicSignature.IpAddress”. Once the right variables are displayed, you can drag and drop the desired variables in the paragraph. To return to the default list of variables, you just need to remove the letters you entered.

The following table presents useful information regarding specific variables:

Variable	Description
{TransitionsURLs_Para.TaskAccessURL}	Can be used for any assignee. The variable is resolved as follows: Candidates and new hires are directed to the Career Section. Managers and recruiters (and other SmartOrg users) are directed to the Onboarding (Transitions) Center. Users who only have “External User” permissions are directed to the Response Center. Email messages do not require a specific variable to direct users to the Response Center. The “{TransitionsURLs_Para.TaskAccessURL}” field brings each assignee to the appropriate place where he/she can complete the assigned task. This means that a single message template can be used for a task assigned to different people: a candidate or a new hire, a Response Center user and an Onboarding (Transitions) Center user. Clicking the link displays the right page and the right task to each type of user. Alternatively, a specific message template can contain the “{TransitionsURLs_Para.ResponseCenterURL}” field to ensure that people are directed to the Response Center only. The people must have Response Center permissions.
{TransitionsURLs_Para.ResponseCenterURL}	The assignee is directed to the Response Center.
{TransitionsURLs_Para.TransitionsCenterURL}	The assignee is directed to the Onboarding (Transitions) Center.
{Requisition_Para.ExpectedStartDate}	Used to display a new hire's start date in a message template. The date is to be displayed with the time.
{Requisition_Para.ExpectedStartDateNoTime}	Used to display a new hire's start date in a message template. The date is to be displayed without the time.
{TaskParticipant.FirstName}	This variable is useful if you want to say “Dear [Fred]” in a correspondence. It is also useful if there are multiple assignees and you want to say “Dear [Mary]” to the other recipient who isn't Fred.
{Task.AssigneesNames}	This variable is useful if you want to tell the recipient who are ALL the assignees of the step: they all are listed.
{Task.OwnerFullName}	This variable is useful to tell candidates/new hires who to contact should they have any questions. This works if the process owner is the manager, recruiter, or a specific person like Bob@company.com. It also works when the process owner is a functional role – as long as the role resolves to a single person. If the functional role for this requisition's OLF is assigned to more than one person, then only one person's contact information will be shown.

Creating Message Templates for Onboarding (Transitions)

The creation of a message template consists of the following steps.

Defining the properties of the message template.
Creating the content of the message template.
Adding attachments to the message template (optional).
Previewing the message template to see how it will look (optional).
Enabling the message template.

Defining the Properties of the Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click Create.
Enter a code, name, and description.
Select the message template format.
Complete the To, Cc, Bcc fields.

Email-type variables can be copied and then pasted into these fields. Afterward, whenever a message based on the template is sent to the task assignees, the message will also be sent to the individuals who correspond to the email-type variables. You can also enter specific email addresses in these fields.
Complete the Subject field. Variables can be dragged and dropped in the field.
Click Save.

Creating the Content of the Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Open the message template.
Click Custom Content.
Type the content of the message in the text box. You can format the text using the Rich Text Editor options. You can also use variables. Simply select a variable, then drag and drop it in the desired area.
Click Save.

Adding an Attachment to the Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

By default, the attached file maximum size is 0.1 Mb, and the attached files maximum total size is 500 Mb. The maximum number of attachments allowed is 5.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Open the message template.
Click Add next to Attachments.
Enter a code.
Click Browse to select a file.
Click Save.

The attachment appears in the Attachments section of the message template if the size is below or equal to the maximum size allowed for attachments.

Previewing the Content of the Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

You must be in the active language of the message template.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click a message template.
Click Preview.

Enabling the Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

The message template must have an Inactive or Draft status.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Open the message template.
Click Activate.

The message template status is Active. It can be configured into a task by the system administrator, or into a notification before and after a task, or sent ad-hoc as correspondence from Onboarding (Transitions).

Message Templates for Onboarding (Transitions) - Other Configuration Tasks

Duplicating a Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

Editing of system generated message templates is limited to optimize system performance. In several cases, such templates may not be duplicated, and often the context cannot be modified.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click a message template.
Click Duplicate.
Make changes.
Click Save.

The message template is in Draft status and appears in the Message Templates page.

Enabling a Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

The message template must have the Active status.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click a message template.
Click Deactivate.

The status of the message template is Inactive. After the message template is disabled, it cannot be used. However, the message will continue to be displayed as configured to everyone whose process is already using the message template.

Deleting a Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

The message template must have the Draft status.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click Delete next to the message template to delete.
Click Yes in the message.

The message template is permanently deleted from the database.

Removing an Attachment from a Message Template

The Manage message templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required.

Configuration > [Onboarding (Transitions)] Administration > Message Templates

Click a message template.
Click Remove.

The attachment no longer appears in the Attachments section of the message template.

Security Message Templates

Security message templates are messages relating to the security of Oracle Talent Acquisition Cloud (OTAC) products. They are provided by Oracle.

Security message templates are located in the Configuration menu, under Security. For a list of message templates, see Message Templates Related to Security. System administrators can change the languages available and the wording of messages. They cannot create new message templates.

To edit security message templates, the Manage Message Templates for email correspondence and reminders permission is required (SmartOrg Administration > User Types > Configuration > Security Management).

Message Templates Related to Security

Message templates related to security are located in the Configuration menu, under Security.

Message Template	Description	Recipient	To Field Content
Forgot Password	Indicates that the password change request was received and provides the user the access code needed to change his/her password.	User account email address (user trying to do a forgot password).	{Other.UserEmail}
Password Change Instructions	Indicates that the password change request was received and provides a step-by-step procedure on how to change the password.	User account email address (user trying to do a forgot password).	{Other.UserEmail}
Password Change Request	Indicates to send a new password to a user that was unable to answer his/her password change questions, or did not remember his/her password and had not yet specified questions.	Not define by default. Define by the customer. (Email probably sent to an administrator).	PLEASE ENTER A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS
Standard Notification for a Successful Network Data Synchronization	Indicates that the synchronization of a specific element with the network database was successfully completed.	Logged user email address (user who requested the synchronization task).	{NdaSynchronizationInfoFields.emailAddress}
Standard Notification for an Unsuccessful Network Data Synchronization	Indicates that the communication with the network database could not be established and that the synchronization of a specific element could not be executed.	Logged user email address (user who requested the synchronization task).	{NdaSynchronizationInfoFields.emailAddress}
Standard notification - User Account Information	Provides information on how to log into the application (user name, access code, URL address).	User account email address (user on which the action is done).	{AccountCreationFields.EmailAddress}
Standard notification for a candidate account confirmation	Indicates that a candidate account was created and how to log into the application (user name, access code, URL address).	User account email address (user on which the action is done).	{AccountCreationFields.EmailAddress}
Standard notification for a Password Reset	Indicates that the user password was reset and how to specify a new password.	User account email address (user on which the action is done).	{PasswordResetInfoFields.EmailAddress}
Standard notification for a registration	Indicates that an account was created and how to access it using a user name and access code.	User account email address (user on which the action is done).	{AccountCreationFields.EmailAddress}

Email Addresses Used for Correspondence Tasks

When an email message to a candidate is part of a correspondence task, Taleo Onboarding (Transitions) chooses the "best" email address for the assignee and sends the email to that address.

The user account type is Onboarding (Transitions) rather than Operator or Employee. (See SmartOrg User Account Creation When Process Started.)

This SmartOrg account includes three email address fields of which only one, Email Address, is a requirement. This differs from the candidate account, which has only one Email Address field and it can be configured to be mandatory or not for each zone.

User addresses in SmartOrg:

Email address (displayed as "Correspondence Address" in Onboarding (Transitions) forms and message templates)
Personal Email address
Corporate Email address

	Name of User Field as Displayed in SmartOrg	Name of Candidate Field as Displayed in Recruiting Center	Name of New Hire Field as Displayed in Onboarding (Transitions)
1	Email Address	Email Address	Correspondence Address
2	Personal Email Address	not applicable	Personal Email Address
3	Corporate Email Address	not applicable	Corporate Email Address

Candidates make a job submission or are "captured" by a Recruiting Center user. A single email address can be provided for the candidate at that time. When Onboarding (Transitions)-type user account is created in SmartOrg for the candidate, the email address is copied to two SmartOrg fields:

Email Address
Personal Email Address

In cases where no email address was provided by candidates or the Recruiting Center users, see Launching an Onboarding (Transitions) Process for Candidates/Employees with no Email Address.

The Onboarding (Transitions) email fields can be updated by way of Onboarding (Transitions) forms assigned to the manager, the new hire or any user. Updates can be imported using Taleo Connect, for instance, in a batch as new information from an HRIS is received.

Regardless of whether additional email addresses and variables are placed on the "TO" line of an Onboarding (Transitions) message template, the corresponding message is always sent to the assignee of a task that includes the template. Taleo Onboarding (Transitions) chooses the "best" email address for the assignee and sends the email to that address.

If the assignee is a candidate, the system selects the first address it finds while searching in the following order:

The personal email address
The correspondence email address
The corporate email address

an Onboarding (Transitions)-only user can become an Employee-type user in SmartOrg) in various ways. For instance, when an Organization, Location, or Job Function is added to an Onboarding (Transitions)-type user account, the user is transformed automatically into an Employee-type user. (See SmartOrg User Account Creation When Process Started.)

If the assignee is an employee, the system selects the first address it finds while searching in the following order:

The corporate email address
The correspondence email address
The personal email address