Cake for Employers provides the Custom Email Domain feature, allowing enterprise users to communicate with candidates using their own company email domain. This helps create a more professional recruitment and job-seeking experience.
This guide explains how Cake enables employers to send emails via their Custom Email Domain and the detailed steps for verification:
How Cake enables email sending via Custom Email Domain
Detailed instructions on verification items
Step 1: Sending Records
Step 2: Receiving Records
Step 3: Tracking Records
Additional references
Custom Email Domain — DNS Supplier Setup Steps
How to Enable a Custom Email Domain in Cake for Employers
How Cake enables email sending via Custom Email Domain
To ensure that emails sent by employers are successfully delivered to candidates’ inboxes, Cake partners with Mailgun to generate a DNS record list for verification.
By following the setup and verification instructions, emails can be authenticated and delivered reliably, minimizing the risk of being flagged as spam and ensuring that candidates don’t miss important messages.
What is Mailgun?
Mailgun is a professional email delivery service that handles outbound mail for employers. It provides:
Sending Authentication (Step 1: Sending Records)
Ensures the authenticity and integrity of email sources using DKIM and SPF mechanisms.
Tracking Features (Step 3: Tracking Records)
Supports tracking for opens, clicks, and unsubscribes.
Delivery Reports (Built-in feature, no additional DNS setup required)
Provides data on delivery success rates and bounce reasons to help monitor email performance
Please note that without completing Step 1: Sending Records (SPF and DKIM), the system cannot activate Custom Email Domain email sending. Other items are optional and can be implemented at the discretion of employers.
Detailed instructions on verification items
Step 1: Sending Records
DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail)
Setting up DKIM ensures that emails sent from the Custom Email Domain are genuine and not spoofed or altered. Mailgun uses CNAME records for DKIM so that Mailgun can automatically manage key rotations.
SPF (Sender Policy Framework)
SPF is configured as a TXT record in DNS, allowing Mailgun’s servers to send emails on behalf of the Custom Email Domain.
Why are there two DKIM records (pdk1 and pdk2)?
This is part of Mailgun’s security design. Two keys are rotated to ensure continuous email authentication. Simply add both DKIM records to DNS. Mailgun will switch keys automatically when needed, with no manual updates required.
Step 2: Receiving Records
MX (Mail Exchange Record)
MX records designate Mailgun servers (mxa.mailgun.org, mxb.mailgun.org) as mail receivers for the Custom Email Domain.
If your company already uses another email service (e.g., Gmail, Exchange) for inbound mail, you can keep the existing settings and skip this step.
Why are there two MX records?
This is a Mailgun design for redundancy. Two MX records (mxa and mxb) act as primary and backup servers. If one server becomes unavailable, emails are automatically routed to the other, requiring no manual action.
Step 3: Tracking Records
CNAME (Canonical Name Record)
CNAME records allow tracking links (for opens, clicks, and unsubscribes) to display under your company domain, while Mailgun manages the backend tracking. This ensures proper functionality of tracking features.
Additional references
For more details, please refer to the following knowledge base articles:
If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out to the Cake Customer Team.