Why Approval Processes Break in Recruitment
Let’s get real – recruitment agencies live in a constant state of triage. Between candidate exports, client communications, and compliance checks, there's always someone waiting on a "quick approval" that inevitably gets buried under 47 unread Slack messages. Firefish handles the CRM heavy lifting, but when it comes to approvals? You’re still playing email tag with hiring managers who can’t remember how to open a PDF.
ApproveThis cuts through that noise by adding structure to the chaos. Think of it as bouncer for your decision-making processes – it routes requests to the right people, chases them down when they’re late, and keeps a paper trail so you’re not scrambling during audit season. And when you connect it to Firefish via Zapier? That’s when you start reclaiming hours lost to administrative limbo.
How This Combo Works (Without the Tech Jargon)
Here’s the simple version: Firefish manages your candidates and clients. ApproveThis manages your team’s decisions. Zapier acts as the messenger between them. No API development required – just point-and-click automation that does the grunt work for you.
Three reasons this matters:
- Approvers don’t need Firefish access – External clients or execs can approve/reject requests directly via email without needing a Firefish license
- Decisions trigger actions – Approved candidate exports automatically progress to next steps; denied requests loop back with comments
- Full visibility – See every pending decision across clients, roles, and teams in one dashboard instead of 14 different inboxes
Real-World Use Cases That Don’t Suck
1. Candidate Exports That Don’t Leak Sensitive Data
Scenario: Your recruiters constantly export candidate lists from Firefish saved searches. Problem is, junior staff sometimes shares profiles without checking non-competes or GDPR consent.
The Fix: Set up a Zap that triggers an ApproveThis workflow every time someone exports candidates. Requires team leads to approve exports containing:
- Candidates from competing clients
- Profiles with sensitive personal data
- Any role paying $150k+ (using ApproveThis’ calculated fields)
Real Impact: A London tech agency reduced accidental data shares by 82% in 3 months by adding this approval layer. Bonus: They used ApproveThis’ approval thresholds to auto-approve junior role exports under £45k.
2. Email List Hygiene That Actually Works
Scenario: Your marketing team blasts campaigns through Firefish, but unsubscribes get ignored. Now you’re risking spam complaints every time a candidate gets rejected.
The Fix: When ApproveThis kicks off a "rejection approval" workflow (like denying a candidate), Zapier automatically unsubscribes their email from Firefish comms. No more awkward "Sorry we rejected you... here’s our newsletter!"
Setup That Takes Less Time Than Your Morning Coffee
1. Connect the Apps: Create a Zapier account if you don’t have one (it’s the duct tape of tech integrations)
2. Choose Your Trigger: - For candidate approvals: Use Firefish’s "Saved Search Candidate Exported" trigger - For email cleanups: Use ApproveThis’ "New Request" trigger
3. Map the Fields: Tell Zapier which Firefish data points to send to ApproveThis (candidate name, role, export reason)
4. Add Approval Logic: In ApproveThis, set up rules like: - Require 2 approvals for C-level roles - Auto-approve internships under 20 hours/week - Escalate approvals that sit untouched for 24hrs
5. Test With Real Data: Export a test candidate in Firefish – you should see the approval request pop up in ApproveThis within minutes
Department-Specific Wins
Recruitment Teams
Stop playing phone tag with clients. When a hiring manager needs to approve a shortlist, ApproveThis sends them an email with one-click approve/reject buttons. If they don’t respond? The request escalates to their VP automatically. All without them needing Firefish access.
Finance & Legal
Contract approvals that don’t make you want to scream. When a recruiter finalizes a placement in Firefish, ApproveThis:
- Routes the contract to legal for compliance checks
- Sends fee agreements to finance for budget approval
- Only notifies the recruiter when all parties have signed off
Marketing/Operations
Automate the busywork that kills campaign velocity. Example: ApproveThis can require team approval before sending bulk emails to high-value client lists in Firefish. Approved? Zapier triggers the send. Denied? It automatically scrubs the list and notifies the requestor why.
Features You’ll Actually Use (No Bloat)
While testing this integration, three ApproveThis features stood out:
Vacation Delegation: Your HR manager is OOO? ApproveThis automatically reroutes their approvals to the acting manager without missing a beat.
Approval Thresholds: Auto-approve routine requests (like background check renewals) but flag anomalies – like a candidate’s requested rate being 30% above role budget.
Calculated Fields: Automatically flag contracts that exceed client budgets by calculating placement fees in real-time during approval.
Why This Isn’t Just Another Integration
Most Zapier integrations just move data from A to B. This combo actually changes how teams operate:
For Leadership: Finally get visibility into approval bottlenecks. The ApproveThis dashboard shows exactly which clients/roles cause delays.
For Admins: Ditch the spreadsheets. Approval history logs in ApproveThis auto-sync with Firefish candidate records.
For External Partners: Clients approve contracts faster when they don’t have to log into yet another portal. Email approvals mean they can review terms while waiting for their latte.
Getting Started Without the Overwhelm
Pick one process that currently gives you migraines – maybe candidate exports or contract approvals. Connect it through Zapier, then expand once you’ve got a win. Most teams see ROI in under 3 weeks.
Ready to stop being a human routing bot? Register for ApproveThis or schedule a demo that’s actually tailored to recruitment workflows.
P.S. If you’re using Firefish for client management, ask our team about the pre-built approval templates for common recruitment scenarios. We’ve done the heavy lifting so you don’t have to.
Integrate with Firefish Integration and get 90 days of ApproveThis for free.
After you create a Zapier integration, please email us at support@approve-this.com with your account name and we'll add 3 months of ApproveThis to your account. Limit one redemption per account.
Learn More
Best Approval Workflows for Firefish
Suggested workflows (and their Zapier components) for Firefish
Create approval requests for new candidate exports
When a candidate is exported from a saved search in Firefish, this integration creates a new approval request in ApproveThis. It streamlines candidate evaluation by ensuring each export undergoes a structured approval process. *Note: Ensure applicant data meets approval criteria before creating requests.*
Zapier Components

Trigger
Saved Search Candidate Exported
Triggers when a candidate is exported as part of a search result list.
Action
Create Request
Creates a new request, probably with input from previous steps.
Unsubscribe emails for new approval requests
When a new approval request workflow begins in ApproveThis, this automation unsubscribes the associated email from Firefish communications. It ensures that email preferences are maintained automatically based on approval-related criteria. *Note: Verify that email address mapping is configured correctly in your integration settings.*
Zapier Components
Trigger
New Request
Triggers when a new approval request workflow is initiated.

Action
Unsubscribe Email
Unsubscribes contacts/candidates from all firefish emails.
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