# Candidate portal > Share your interview process and let candidates track where they are with a public status page. ## Overview The candidate portal helps candidates understand where they are in your interview process. Choose which interview stages to share, write a short description for each, and send candidates a link to their own status page. Stages are hidden by default. --- ## Share interview stages Each stage on a job's interview plan has its own visibility setting. Visible stages appear on the job's application page and in the candidate portal, in the same order as your interview plan. ### Make a stage visible 1. Open the job and click its **Interview Plan** tab. 2. Click the pencil icon on the stage. 3. Turn on **Show this stage to candidates on their application and status page**. 4. Write a **Public description** of what candidates can expect. For example: "You will meet with members of the engineering team in a live coding exercise." Click **Generate with AI** to draft one. 5. Click **Save & preview** to see how it looks, or save the stage. ### Hide a stage Open the stage and turn off **Show this stage to candidates on their application and status page**, then save. A hidden stage doesn't appear on the job posting or in the candidate portal. --- ## Who can edit the candidate portal What candidates see comes from the job's interview plan, so you need the **Edit job** job permission to change it. It covers the job posting, the interview plan, and job settings. **Job Admin** includes it, and **Job Basic** doesn't. See [Permissions](https://docs.dover.com/settings/permissions/). --- ## Send a candidate their status link Give an active candidate a link to a public status page where they can follow their progress through the visible stages. 1. Open the candidate's profile. 2. Click **Generate + copy link**. The link is copied. 3. Send it to the candidate. To copy it again later, click **Copy link**. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### Are interview stages visible to candidates by default? No. Every stage is hidden until you turn on visibility for it. ### Who can change what candidates see? Members with the **Edit job** permission for the job. Job Admin includes it. Add someone to the job's hiring team, or assign them a permission set that includes it, to let them edit. ### Can I choose which stages candidates see? Yes. Visibility is set per stage, so you can share only the steps you want. ### How can I check what candidates will see? In the stage editor, click **Save & preview** to see your visible steps and descriptions as candidates do. ### Do candidates need an account to see their status? No. The status link is public, so anyone with the link can see that candidate's progress. Send it only to the candidate. ### Why can't I use Generate with AI for a stage description? AI-generated stage descriptions are part of ATS Premium. On the free plan, Dover shows an upgrade message, and you can still write the description yourself. See [dover.com/pricing](https://www.dover.com/pricing) for what each plan includes.