Background Verification Executive Digest Automation: Track Completed & Pending Verifications via Email (from Google Sheets)

This automation sends a daily late-night email summary to each Background Verification (BGV) executive — straight out of your “BGV Tracker” Google Sheet. Each executive gets their own digest listing candidates whose background checks were completed today and which ones are still pending, complete with clear “stale” alerts for overdue follow-ups. The workflow runs reliably via n8n, auto-grouping entries and packaging the results in a user-friendly tabular email, every day at 23:00 IST.

Who’s it for

• BGV team leads & vendors who want automatic updates on their queue.
• HR managers looking to automate candidate tracking without manual report compilation.
• Ops teams with Google Sheets-based BGV tracking wanting digest emails for each owner.
• Any organization managing candidate checks across multiple owners/executives.

How it works

1. Schedule Trigger: Runs every night at 23:00 IST (Asia/Kolkata), weekends OFF by default.
2. Google Sheets: Reads all rows from your “BGV Tracker” (tab), using columns:
   • candidate_name, previous_company, prevco_hr_name, prevco_hr_email
   • bgv_status, last_follow_up, bgv_completion_date, bgv_executive, bgv_exe_email
3. Code Node #1 (“Normalize & Parse”):
   • Cleans and lower-cases all column names for consistency.
   • Parses last_follow_up & bgv_completion_date from multiple local date formats.
   • Adds helper flags: isCompletedToday, isStale (pending and last-follow-up ≥ 3 days).
4. Code Node #2 (“Group & Filter”):
   • Groups rows by bgv_exe_email (executive).
   • Within each group: Segregates “Completed Today” and “Pending” items.
5. Code Node #3 (“Format Digest”):
   • Generates a personalized HTML email per executive, with two tables:
   • Completed Today (with candidate/prevco info)
   • Pending (with “stale” ⚠️ flags)
   • Builds the subject line showing per-executive summary counts.
6. Gmail Node:
   • Sends the formatted email to each executive automatically.
   • Can be customized for preview/test mode, CC or CSV attachments.

How to set up

1. Prepare Google Sheet:
   • Create “BGV Tracker” tab (case-insensitive column names).
   • Fill columns:
   • candidate_name, previous_company, prevco_hr_name, prevco_hr_email, bgv_status, last_follow_up, bgv_completion_date, bgv_executive, bgv_exe_email
2. n8n Configuration:
   • Authenticate Google Sheets node (OAuth).
   • Authenticate Gmail node (App Password recommended).
   • Import workflow JSON and adjust credentials and sheet IDs.
3. Test run (optional):
   • Fill sample data in the sheet.
   • Start workflow and review “dry run” outputs (optional).
4. Activate workflow for daily auto-emails.

Requirements

• A Google Sheet tab called “BGV Tracker” with supported columns.
• Gmail (SMTP or OAuth) credentials with permissions to send.
• n8n cloud or self-hosted, with Google and Gmail creds configured.

How to customize

• Change run time: Modify the Schedule Trigger for different hours/days.
• Weekend handling: Add condition to skip Sat/Sun.
• Stale threshold: Adjust the “>= 3 days” flag logic in code node.
• Email template: Edit HTML layout, subject, header/footer as needed.
• Digest content: Add/remove columns in the email tables within the code node.
• Preview/test mode: Add a DRY_RUN variable and IF node for safe previewing before going live.
• Attachment/CC: Add extra nodes to attach CSV, send summary to managers or post to Slack.

Add‑ons

• Manager summary: Aggregate all digests and send to HR head or ops manager.
• CSV exports: Automatically attach filtered candidate lists per executive.
• Slack reminders: DM executives with only their stale pending items.
• Auto-writeback: Update next follow-up date in Sheet for stale cases.

Use Case Examples

• BGV vendor: Nightly queue email lets each checker focus on fresh items to close first.
• Recruiter audit: HRBP gets an easy, nightly record of outstanding verifications, with overdue flags for fast escalation.
• Multi-client projects: Divide the worksheet, send only relevant candidates to each exec, boosting clarity and compliance.

Common Troubleshooting

Issue

Possible Cause

Solution

No emails sent

SMTP/Gmail credentials missing or expired

Re-authenticate Gmail node; check permissions

Some candidates missing

Sheet has missing/invalid bgv_exe_email

Ensure every row has valid executive email

Completed items not listed

Wrong/combo date formats in completion column

Use supported date format; ensure status="Completed"

Pending doesn’t show stale

Last follow-up date out of expected format

Use supported date format & review data

Workflow runs on weekends

Schedule misconfigured (or missed weekend filter)

Add/exclude Sat/Sun via config/node logic

Pending pool includes “To be Sent”

Status filter in code not precise

Adjust code node filter to exclude explicitly

Emails not delivered

Gmail sending limit exceeded

Add rate limit (wait node), check quota

Need Help?

If you need a hand setting up, customizing or want to add more integrations (Slack, CSVs, approvals, etc.) reach out to us at WeblineIndia anytime.

We can setup error handling, advanced templates and even help connect your flows to external systems!