Preventing candidates from exiting automations prematurely
If you're using date-based criteria in your automations, candidates can sometimes exit before completing all the steps. This happens when Exit Strategy is enabled and a candidate no longer matches the search criteria during a wait step so they're removed from the automation and marked as Exited, meaning subsequent actions like email sends won't fire. This article explains why it happens and what you can do about it.
Why candidates exit early
When Exit Strategy is enabled, the automation continuously checks whether each candidate still meets the search criteria. If your automation includes a wait step - say, 1â3 days - and uses a filter like "placed stage date = 1 day before today," a candidate may no longer match by the time the wait ends. At that point, they're exited before reaching the next step. This is most common with date-based criteria that only apply for a narrow time window.
How to prevent premature exits
There are three approaches depending on how your automation is set up:
Turn off Exit Strategy. Disabling Exit Strategy lets candidates already in the automation continue through all steps, even if they later fall outside the search criteria. This is the simplest way to ensure every intended action including email sends is completed.
Use a bounded date range. Instead of open-ended criteria like "before today," set a defined range - for example, a "Days before (range)" condition of 1â5 days. This keeps candidates in the search for long enough to complete the automation. Keep in mind that candidates will still exit once they fall outside the range.
Align your automation timeline with your date window. Make sure the total duration of your automation steps fits within the time window your date criteria covers. If the automation takes longer than the window, candidates will exit before it finishes.
Using a combination of these approaches will give you the most control over how candidates progress through your automations.