Inbound email

Applications by email, turned into candidates automatically

Share one address per workspace or per job. Otter reads each email and attachment, creates or updates the candidate, and files them into the right pipeline.

Free during early access · No credit card

An address for every job

Use your workspace inbox, or a job-specific address like northwind+eng-001@applications.otter.diy.

Resumes parsed

PDF and Word files, resumes pasted into the body, and scanned PDFs or photos (read with OCR).

No duplicates

People are matched by email and phone, so a second application updates the same profile.

Works with the inbox you already have

Point a job board's “apply by email” at your Otter address, or forward applications from your own mailbox — forwarded emails are filed under the original sender, not you.

  • Workspace and job-routed addresses
  • Resume-in-body and link-only emails handled
  • Closed or unknown job codes still land safely
  • Failed mail can be replayed from Settings

One conversation per candidate

Write to candidates from their profile and their replies thread back to the same conversation, with quoted text trimmed, unread state and a notification when they answer.

  • Email templates with placeholders like {{first_name}}
  • Replies captured with a per-thread reply address
  • Unsubscribe link on bulk email

Careful with suspicious mail

Incoming mail is checked with SPF, DKIM and DMARC. A message that claims to be from an existing candidate but fails those checks is held for a teammate to review instead of being added to the conversation. Auto-replies and bounces are recognised and kept out of the way.

Questions

Inbound email, answered

Something else on your mind? Get in touch.

Inbound & outbound email docs
Do I need to change email providers?

No. You share or forward to your Otter address; your own mailbox stays exactly as it is.

Which resume files can Otter read?

PDF, Word (.doc and .docx), and images (JPEG, PNG, WebP). Scanned PDFs and photos are read with OCR, and resumes pasted into the email body work too.

What happens if someone applies twice?

Otter matches people by email address and phone number, so the new application is added to the existing candidate instead of creating a duplicate.

Can candidates reply to emails we send from Otter?

Yes. Replies come back into the same conversation on the candidate's profile, and the sender gets a notification.

Keep exploring

More of what Otter does

Your next great hire is already in your inbox

Connect an address, forward a resume, and watch it land in your pipeline — parsed.

Free during early access · No credit card