Why Am I Seeing a Validation Error?

A validation error means FastHire rejected something specific about what you entered — a missing field, a name that's already taken, a selection you need to make first — and it always tells you exactly what to fix in the message itself. It's expected feedback, not a bug.

How to read one

Validation errors show up as a short message near the field or button you just used, in place of the action completing. The message is specific on purpose — for example:

• "Select at least one candidate" — you tried to act on a selection with nothing checked

• "Choose a list or enter a name for a new one" — adding candidates to a list needs one or the other

• "You can't invite yourself" or "This person is already on your team" — inviting a teammate with an email that doesn't make sense for an invite

• "That referral code doesn't match any organization" — a mistyped or invalid referral code

• "A category named '...' already exists" — trying to create a duplicate category (admin CMS)

Whatever the exact wording, the fix is almost always right there in the sentence — reread it before assuming something's broken.

If you see a blank or crashed page instead

That's different from a validation error and does indicate something's actually wrong — validation errors always show as a readable message, not a blank screen. If a page goes blank or shows a generic crash instead of a specific message, contact FastHire support with what you were doing right before it happened.

Frequently asked questions

Does a validation error mean something is broken?

No — it means your input didn't meet a specific requirement, and the message tells you which one. Fix what it describes and try again.

Why does the message sometimes disappear before I finish reading it?

It should stay until your next attempt — if a message vanishes unusually fast or without you interacting with the form again, that's worth reporting to FastHire support as unexpected behavior.

I fixed what the message said, but I'm still getting an error — what now?

Double check every condition named in the message, not just the most obvious one — some validation messages describe more than one requirement at once. If it still doesn't resolve, contact FastHire support with the exact message text.