# Text Indeed applicants automatically

Indeed emails you when someone applies to a job you posted there. Forward that email to TextWork, and TextWork texts the applicant and runs the screening script you picked. No applicant tracking system needed.

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Of 348 applications at one Ohio cleaning company in October 2026, 266 came from Indeed. When applicants get a text right after applying, [4 in 5 reply, with a median reply of 42 seconds](/blog/hiring-follow-up-statistics).

## Set up Indeed texting in three steps

1. Open Company Settings, then Integrations, and activate Indeed. Pick the script. TextWork shows an address ending in `@textwork.co`.
2. Forward Indeed's application email to that address. Indeed sends it from `@indeedemail.com`, and the subject contains `New application for`. A rule on either of those matches the mail.
3. Gmail asks you to confirm a new forwarding address. The confirmation code shows on the Indeed card. Enter it in Gmail, and the forwards start.

## Get the applicant's phone number from Indeed

Indeed's email names the applicant, the job, and the city, and it lists the answers to your screener questions. Add a screener question that asks for a phone number, with the area code, so the number is in the email. TextWork reads that answer.

A resume attached to the email is saved with the application.

## What happens when someone applies on Indeed

With a phone number and a script, TextWork texts the applicant and runs that script. The report is tagged Indeed.

- No phone number, or no script selected: the application is saved, and nobody is texted.
- The person already has an open conversation: TextWork adds the new application to it.
- The same email arrives twice: it is skipped.

The Indeed card lists recent applications and whether a conversation started.

## Script placeholders

A script can use these placeholders. TextWork fills them from the email:

- `[applicant_name]`
- `[applicant_email]`
- `[applicant_phone]`
- `[job_title]`
- `[job_location]`
- `[job_url]`
- `[booking_link]` — when a meeting page is selected on the Indeed card

`[source]` is `indeed`.

To put a meeting link in the first text, connect a calendar, create a meeting page, pick it under Booking page for `[booking_link]` on the Indeed card, and include `[booking_link]` in the script's opener. See [Schedule meetings](/docs/schedule-meetings).

## Common questions

**Does Indeed have an API for applicants?**

Not for a job you post by hand. Indeed sends applicants to the system that posted the job, so forwarding the application email is how you reach them. The details are on [266 of 348 applications came from Indeed](/blog/indeed-applicant-data).

**Do I need an applicant tracking system?**

No. If you do post through one, applications arrive through that system instead. [SmartRecruiters](/docs/smartrecruiters) covers that path, and [Listing sites](/docs/listing-sites) explains the difference between a board and the system that receives the application.

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