During the screening process, a mentor applicant may have to take a pause before completing screening. The mentor applicant is then put "on hold" for a pre-determined amount of time. 

How do I put a mentor applicant on hold?

• Discuss the applicant’s capacity to complete the screening process and start the program for the upcoming school year. This discussion will help determine whether the applicant should go on hold for a time or be withdrawn from the program. 
• Once it’s determined that putting the applicant on-hold is the best next step, update the applicant's status to "On Hold" in Salesforce.

• In the "On Hold Summary" portion of the mentor application, save a "Follow-up Action" note and date in Salesforce. Please continue to update on follow-up action and details as applicable and include most recent edit date. You must also note the date the applicant went on hold in the appropriate field, and the applicant’s status (SAI, SAC etc.) prior to being placed on hold.

• Salesforce will automatically notify screeners by email when an applicant’s on hold follow up date is approaching. Screeners may also refer to the Screening On Hold report in the Screening Dashboard or this On Hold report as needed. There are pre-written email templates in the Salesforce widget which allow for screeners to quickly and easily check-in regarding an applicant’s ability to re-engage with screening.  
• Seasonal staff should review any on hold applications in their ownership before their last workday, and work with their manager to reassign ownership of all remaining applications to a permanent staff member. 
• Ensure all email communications or phone calls related to putting an applicant on hold or re-engaging them in screening are properly logged. 

Considerations

• The Follow-Up Date must be no more than 12 months from the time that the mentor applicant was placed on hold. It is important to also consider where in the recruitment season this falls. The screener may choose to contact the applicant earlier than requested to increase that applicant's chance of getting matched next program year.
• Another consideration when putting someone on hold is the applicant's current status in Salesforce. If the applicant is currently in screening (Walk-in, SAI, SAC, RS), proceed as usual. If the applicant is reaching out to you post-RTBM, loop in the respective Mentor Engagement team, who will follow up with the mentor. 
• The final check for screeners when an applicant is put on hold is to see if they're in a match pool or on a site list. If so, chatter whomever is leading matching for that region to let them know the applicant will not be available for matching this season.

How do I put an applicant back in screening after they’ve been on hold?

• Before an on hold applicant can resume screening, screeners must send a check-in email to gauge interest and capacity. This process may take some time depending on how quickly the applicant replies- a second check-in email will be sent after 1 week if there’s no response to the initial outreach. If the mentor applicant doesn’t reply within 2 weeks, the application owner will assume that they can no longer continue the process and the application will be staff-withdrawn.
• If the applicant indicates that they’d like to resume screening, their application status is changed from On Hold to whatever it was previously, either SAC, SAI, RS or Walk-in. Screeners will then go over the applicant’s remaining screening steps and proceed as normal. 
• If the mentor applicant says that they are no longer able to continue, update the applicant's status to "Self-withdrawal." 

How will the Mentor Screening team Track on hold mentors?

• The Screening On Hold report allows screeners to check in on on-hold mentor applicants. At least once a week, screeners should check the report for any upcoming follow-up dates. 
• For on hold RTBM mentors, a member of the regional team manages that follow-up. This is important to note as occasionally, RTBM’d mentors’ will email their former screener. In those cases, chatter notify the relevant regional team member. 

On-Hold versus Self-Withdrawal

It can be difficult to distinguish whether an applicant should go on hold or be withdrawn. Here are some points to consider. 

• A key difference between placing an applicant on hold and withdrawing them is who initiates re-engaging with the program. For on hold applicants, someone at iMentor will reach out at the agreed upon date to see if that applicant would like to re-engage. If an applicant is withdrawn, iMentor will not reach out- it is incumbent on the applicant to reach out again to iMentor at which point we’ll reactivate their application and move them through screening. 
• If an applicant is unsure of their availability for 1+ years, it is likely that their best option is to withdraw from the program and return once their capacity to commit to the program is more certain. 
• If an applicant is unsure of their capacity to commit but intends to have more clarity in the next 6-12 months, that applicant should be put on hold and the screener will reach out again on the agreed upon follow up date. 
• It is recommended to agree on the follow-up date (or date range) with the applicant before placing the application on hold. If the applicant is unable to determine when they will know more about their situation/availability, this indicates it would likely be better for them to withdraw and re-engage when they know more. 
• Screeners want to make sure that applicants who are put on hold are enthusiastic and willing to continue with iMentor in a few months. If an applicant seems disinterested, this may be an indication they would actually prefer to withdraw from the program. In such cases, the screener can outline the options to the applicant and gently suggest that they withdraw for the time being. Withdrawals are not permanent and it’s very easy to reinstate someone’s candidacy if they reach back out to us.