Training course · n8n · Recruiting

n8n for Recruiters

Workflow automation with n8n and AI: master nodes, the AI Agent node, integrations and GDPR-friendly self-hosting in practice.

Duration
2 days (14 hrs)
Format
Online or on-site
Language
German or English
Participants
open dates or exclusive for your team
Certificate
Certificate of attendance

Overview

“n8n for Recruiters” is a hands-on course for roles such as Recruiters and talent acquisition managers, Sourcers and HR generalists with recruiting responsibility. Rather than learning n8n in the abstract, you work on tasks from your daily routine – with examples, exercises and templates from Recruiting.

n8n is a flexible workflow automation platform that combines visual flows with language models and hundreds of integrations. Unlike many cloud services, n8n can also be self-hosted, so your data can stay in your own data centre or with a European hosting provider. Over two days you will learn how triggers, nodes and data flows fit together, how to transform data between applications and how to automate recurring tasks from your day-to-day work reliably.

The core of the course is the combination of automation and AI. Using the AI Agent node, chat models, memory and tools, you build workflows that classify emails, summarise documents, enrich records or answer enquiries. You learn to catch errors, test workflows and document them properly. Finally, you look at hosting options, credential management and data protection, so that your automations run stably, securely and in line with GDPR once they go into everyday operation.

With talent shortages in many fields, recruiting has become a key business function: candidates must be found, convinced and guided quickly through the process. Generative AI supports recruiters at many points of the candidate journey. AI assistants write job ads that speak to the target group, build search strings for active sourcing, draft personal outreach messages, prepare structured interview guides and summarise interview notes. Automation handles scheduling, acknowledgements and status updates for applicants. At the same time, recruiting is a particularly sensitive area: selection decisions must be non-discriminatory and transparent, and AI systems used to screen candidates face strict requirements. Using AI for communication, structure and efficiency while keeping selection in human hands improves both candidate experience and time to hire.

The course is delivered live – either online in a virtual classroom or on-site in our training rooms in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart and Kaiserslautern. We can also run it exclusively for your team.

Who is this course for?

  • Recruiters and talent acquisition managers
  • Sourcers
  • HR generalists with recruiting responsibility
  • Employer branding leads
  • Recruitment consultants and staffing agencies

Typical challenges we address

  • Finding and approaching suitable candidates in tight labour markets
  • Writing job ads that genuinely reach the target group
  • Running fast application processes with a good candidate experience
  • Making fair, structured and legally sound selection decisions

What you will be able to do

  • You can build n8n workflows independently using triggers, logic nodes and data transformations.
  • You can connect n8n to the applications you use every day and fall back on the HTTP Request node where needed.
  • You can use the AI Agent node and other AI building blocks for classification, extraction and summarisation.
  • You can safeguard workflows with error handling, validation and human approval steps.
  • Create targeted job ads, sourcing strategies and outreach messages with AI.
  • Structure selection processes with AI-supported guides and improve the candidate experience.
  • Use AI in recruiting in line with anti-discrimination law, the GDPR and the EU AI Act.

Course outline

Day 1

Module 1 Fundamentals: workflows, triggers and nodes
  • Getting to know the n8n interface, canvas and execution view
  • Trigger types: schedules, webhooks, incoming email and app events
  • Understanding items and JSON data and working with expressions
  • Using core nodes such as Edit Fields, IF, Switch, Merge and Loop Over Items
Module 2 Integrations and data processing
  • Connecting common applications: email, spreadsheets, CRM, collaboration and cloud storage
  • Using the HTTP Request node for APIs without a ready-made integration
  • Creating, managing and sharing credentials securely within the team
  • Filtering, merging and reshaping data and writing it to target systems
Module 3 AI in n8n: the AI Agent node and LLM building blocks
  • Connecting chat models from different providers as well as locally hosted models
  • Configuring the AI Agent node with a system prompt, memory and tools
  • Automating classification, structured data extraction and summarisation
  • Using your own documents via vector stores for retrieval-augmented generation
Module 4 Error handling, testing and maintainability
  • Setting up error workflows, retries and failure notifications
  • Validating AI output and defining fallbacks for unusable responses
  • Working with pinned test data and tracing past executions
  • Modularising, naming and documenting workflows for colleagues

Day 2

Module 5 Self-hosting, data protection and operations
  • Cloud versus self-hosted: effort, control and licensing model compared
  • Assessing data flows to AI providers against GDPR requirements
  • Managing access rights, logging and retention of execution data
  • Adding human-in-the-loop approval steps to automated processes
Module 6 Practice lab: Recruiting
  • Job ad optimisation
  • Active sourcing strategies
  • Personal outreach
  • Structured interview guides
  • Candidate communication
  • Recruiting metrics analysis
Module 7 Data protection, quality & transfer to daily work
  • Selection processes must comply with anti-discrimination law such as the German General Equal Treatment Act (AGG); AI must not disadvantage people based on age, gender or origin. Applicant data is protected by the GDPR, solely automated rejections are not permitted under Article 22 GDPR, and AI systems for screening and selecting candidates are high-risk under the EU AI Act.
  • Ground rules for safe AI use in your team
  • Checking results: facts, sources, tests and the four-eyes principle
  • Personal action plan for the next 30 days
  • Open questions, outlook and resources for further learning

Practical scenarios from your field

Job ad optimisation

An AI assistant turns the role profile and team information into an inclusive job ad tailored to the target group, checks it for gender-neutral language and unnecessary barriers and creates variants for different channels.

Active sourcing strategies

AI builds Boolean search strings, alternative job titles and relevant skills for professional networks and job boards and suggests target companies and communities for direct approach.

Personal outreach

Based on the public profile and the role, AI drafts individual contact messages and follow-ups that make the specific value of the position clear to the person.

Structured interview guides

AI creates competency-based interview questions, rating anchors and case exercises for a role, so that all candidates are assessed against the same criteria.

Candidate communication

Automations send acknowledgements, scheduling proposals and status updates, while AI drafts respectful rejections and offers that recruiters review before sending.

Recruiting metrics analysis

Applicant tracking system exports are analysed for time to hire, channel performance and drop-off rates, bottlenecks identified and improvements proposed.

Prerequisites

You should be confident with common office applications and have basic experience with AI assistants. No programming is required, although a basic grasp of structured data is helpful. You work in recruiting or talent acquisition and know your organisation's hiring process.

Technical requirements

You will need a laptop with an up-to-date browser. We provide an n8n environment for the exercises, or you can use your own instance; API keys for a language model are set up together during the course.

Data protection & compliance

Selection processes must comply with anti-discrimination law such as the German General Equal Treatment Act (AGG); AI must not disadvantage people based on age, gender or origin. Applicant data is protected by the GDPR, solely automated rejections are not permitted under Article 22 GDPR, and AI systems for screening and selecting candidates are high-risk under the EU AI Act.

Suggested dates

All dates are suggestions – your preferred date is always possible.

  • Tue, 24 November 2026 – Wed, 25 November 2026 Online Request
  • Tue, 1 December 2026 – Wed, 2 December 2026 Hanover Request
  • Mon, 14 December 2026 – Tue, 15 December 2026 Online Request
  • Thu, 14 January 2027 – Fri, 15 January 2027 Munich Request
  • Tue, 19 January 2027 – Wed, 20 January 2027 Online Request
  • Tue, 2 February 2027 – Wed, 3 February 2027 Stuttgart Request

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to code to work with n8n?

No. Most workflows are built visually by connecting nodes. During the course you also learn simple expressions to reference and reshape data precisely. A Code node is available for special cases but is not essential. A logical understanding of processes and data fields is entirely sufficient to get started.

Why is n8n attractive from a European data protection perspective?

n8n can be self-hosted, for instance on your own servers or with a European hosting provider. This keeps you in control of where workflow and execution data is stored. What still matters is which data you send to external AI services. On the course you learn to assess these data flows and, where appropriate, connect locally hosted models.

How does n8n differ from Make or Power Automate?

All three automate processes across applications. n8n stands out for its self-hosting option, its fair-code licensing and particularly flexible AI building blocks such as the AI Agent node. Make offers a very approachable cloud interface, while Power Automate excels at deep Microsoft integration. The course puts these differences into context for typical scenarios.

May AI pre-screen applications?

Systems that filter or rank applications are classified as high-risk AI under the EU AI Act, with extensive obligations. The GDPR also prohibits solely automated rejections. The course therefore focuses on AI for communication, structure and preparation, while screening and decisions remain with people.

How do we avoid discrimination by AI?

Language models can reproduce biases from their training data, for example in job ad wording. Check outputs specifically for protected characteristics, use structured criteria and never enter sensitive data into AI tools. We practise concrete review questions that you can adopt in your process.

How much does “n8n for Recruiters” cost?

The course costs a flat €949 plus VAT per participant – whether online or on-site. This includes 2 training day(s) with a live trainer, course materials, a lab environment and a certificate of attendance.

Can I suggest my own date?

Yes. Our suggested dates are just a guide. In the request form you can always describe your preferred date or period in free text – we check availability and confirm within one working day.

Is the course online or on-site?

Both are possible: live online in a virtual classroom or on-site in Munich, Salzburg, Berlin, Augsburg, Hanover, Bremen, Stuttgart or Kaiserslautern. We can also run the course exclusively for your team.

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