How to Navigate Instaffo with the Sidebar

Every page in Instaffo displays the same left sidebar, giving you constant access to your job postings, applications, and account settings no matter where you are on the platform. The active area is always highlighted, so you can get your bearings at a glance. On mobile, you can access the sidebar through the hamburger menu at the top of the screen, where it slides in as a drawer and offers the same features as on desktop.

Main Menu Items

The top section of the sidebar contains five key navigation destinations:

• Dashboard - your starting point with a summary of current activity across all your job postings.
• Jobs - a complete overview of every job posting you've created with your account.
• Talent Feed - discover candidates who match your open positions and send them direct messages.
• Applications - all incoming applications for your job postings. New applications land in Screening, while already-screened applications appear in the In Progress tab.

Job Posting Status at a Glance

Right in the sidebar, each job posting displays a colored status dot so you can see the status of a position without opening it:

• 🟢 Green - active job posting. The number next to it shows how many active applications are waiting for you.
• 🟡 Yellow - hidden job posting (talent feed only). The posting isn't listed publicly, but it's still visible to candidates through the talent feed. The number shows remaining open applications.
• ⚪ Gray - deactivated job posting or draft. For deactivated postings, the application count remains visible as long as there are still open applications to review.

Clicking on an active, hidden, or deactivated posting opens its applications list directly. Clicking on a draft takes you to the job cockpit so you can pick up right where you left off.

Create a New Job Posting

The Create Job Posting button is located above the user section at the bottom of the sidebar. Click it anytime to start the job creation workflow - you don't need to leave what you're currently doing.

Quick Search

Press Cmd K on Mac or Ctrl K on Windows to open global search from anywhere on the platform. You can also click directly into the search field in the sidebar. Results show up to five matching job postings and up to five matching application processes, each sorted by recency. The dropdown is scrollable so all results remain accessible.

Collapse and Expand the Sidebar

Click the arrow icon at the top of the sidebar to collapse it into a compact icon bar. This creates more horizontal space for content-rich views like the application board or talent feed. All navigation areas remain accessible through their icons even when the sidebar is collapsed. Click the arrow again to restore the full sidebar.

Profile Menu and Quick Access Icons

At the bottom of the sidebar, you'll find your user card. Click your avatar to open the profile menu, which gives you access to:

• Personal Settings - update your name, email, and notification settings.
• Company Settings - opens the settings page where you can access company and personal settings.
• Add Members - invite other recruiters or hiring managers to your account.
• Out of Office - set an out-of-office period so candidates and team members know you're unavailable.
• Sign Out - log out of your account.

Right next to your avatar are three quick access icons:

• ⚙️ Settings - jump directly to your account and company settings.
• ❓ Help Center - open the Instaffo Help Center without leaving the platform.
• 🎉 What's New? - browse the latest product releases and feature updates.

The settings page shows an anchor navigation on the left; click an entry to jump to that section. As you scroll, the active section is automatically highlighted.

Mobile Navigation

On mobile, the sidebar is hidden by default to save screen space. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top bar to reveal the sidebar as a full-height drawer. It contains the same areas and features as on desktop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do the jobs in the sidebar look different from those in the applications dropdown?

The sidebar shows all your job postings - active, hidden, deactivated, and drafts. The filter dropdown under Applications also shows all your job postings. If you notice a difference, check whether the missing posting is a draft or has been deactivated.

Which drafts appear in my sidebar?

As a team member, you see drafts from the last 14 days where you're either the creator or part of the hiring team. As a company admin, you see all drafts from your entire company - regardless of who created them or when.