Automate job post expiry reminders with Google Sheets, HTTP checks & Gmail

Job post expiry & refresh reminders from Google Sheets using HTTP Last‑Modified checks

This workflow checks each job URL in your Google Sheet and identifies listings that look stale based on the page’s Last‑Modified date. At 10:00 Asia/Kolkata every day, it requests each URL (HEAD, then GET if needed), calculates the age in days, and sends a polite email reminder to the recruiter when age ≥ a configurable threshold (default 30 days). It includes a DRY_RUN mode to preview who would be emailed, and conservative rate limits for both HTTP requests and email sends.

Who’s it for

• Recruitment teams maintaining job links on external boards/career sites.
• Coordinators who want a daily, hands‑off nudge to refresh or unlist outdated posts.
• Teams using Google Sheets to store job URLs and owner contacts.

How it works

1. Cron (10:00 IST) triggers daily.
2. Google Sheets reads the Job Posts tab (job_url, recruiter_name, recruiter_email).
3. Validate rows (URL + email format, weekend rule via config).
4. HTTP HEAD to fetch headers; if Last-Modified missing, HTTP GET and parse common meta tags (article:modified_time, og:updated_time, lastmod, dateModified).
5. Compute age (days since last modified in your configured timezone). If age_days ≥ THRESHOLD_DAYS, prepare a personalized email using templates.
6. DRY_RUN? If true, output a preview; if false, rate‑limit and send emails via SMTP.

How to set up

1. Create the Sheet
   • Tab name: Job Posts
   • Columns: job_url, recruiter_name, recruiter_email
2. Credentials in n8n
   • Google Sheets (OAuth)
   • SMTP (Gmail) (use an app password if 2FA)
3. Open “Set: Config” and set:
   • SPREADSHEET_ID = your Sheet ID
   • SOURCE_SHEET = Job Posts
   • TIMEZONE = Asia/Kolkata
   • THRESHOLD_DAYS = 30 (change if needed)
   • USER_AGENT = n8n-job-checker/1.0
   • HTTP_TIMEOUT_SECONDS = 10
   • HTTP_RETRIES = 2
   • RATE_LIMIT_HTTP_SECONDS = 5
   • RATE_LIMIT_EMAIL_SECONDS = 2
   • SMTP_FROM = sender email (e.g., [email protected])
   • SUBJECT_TEMPLATE, HTML_TEMPLATE, TEXT_TEMPLATE (placeholders: {{recruiter_name}}, {{job_url}}, {{age_days}}, {{last_modified}})
   • INCLUDE_WEEKENDS = true
   • DRY_RUN = false (set true to preview)
4. Activate the workflow.

Requirements

• Google Sheet with Job Posts tab and required columns.
• SMTP (Gmail) account to send emails.
• n8n (cloud or self‑hosted) with Google Sheets + SMTP credentials.

How to customize

• Threshold: Change THRESHOLD_DAYS (e.g., 15, 45).
• Schedule: Adjust the Cron time from 10:00 IST to your preferred hour.
• Templates: Edit SUBJECT_TEMPLATE, HTML_TEMPLATE, and TEXT_TEMPLATE.
• Rate limits: Tune RATE_LIMIT_HTTP_SECONDS and RATE_LIMIT_EMAIL_SECONDS for your environment.
• Weekend behavior: Toggle INCLUDE_WEEKENDS.
• Preview runs: Use DRY_RUN=true to check recipients before real sends.

Add‑ons

• Helper columns: Write back last_modified_http, age_days, reminder_sent_at, last_checked_at, notes to the sheet.
• Per‑row override: Add threshold_days column to override the global threshold per job.
• Slack notifications: DM the recruiter or a channel in addition to (or instead of) email.
• One‑time reminders: Email only once until the page updates (track reminder_sent_at).
• Robots/backoff: Respect robots.txt or add exponential backoff for high‑traffic sites.

Use Case Examples

• Career site posts that haven’t been updated in 30+ days. Remind owners to refresh copy or close the listing.
• Third‑party boards (e.g., niche communities) where Last‑Modified is available — automate hygiene checks.
• Agency partnership links — ensure outdated roles aren’t left live, protecting brand experience.

Common troubleshooting

Need Help?

If you’d like help tailoring the templates, adding Slack notifications or writing back helper columns for audit, just message us at WeblineIndia and we will be happy to help you get this running smoothly.