If you work in HR, you probably crave speedy recruitment, streamlined applicant tracking, and easy ways to monitor the entire hiring workflow.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) can go a long way in helping you achieve these goals, provided you're not operating your ATS in a vacuum. This is why integrating your ATS with your employee screening system is an excellent way to optimize both for maximum results.
Here are some of the benefits you can expect from ATS integration with your background check vendor:
(One caveat, though: not all applicant tracking systems are created equal, and the same is true for background check vendors. These benefits are more likely to result when you integrate with an ATS that is well-reviewed by other HR teams and has the features, functions, and technical support to help you effectively manage your candidate/employee lifecycle and is easily integrated with your background screening provider.)
1. Streamline the Hiring Process & Reduce Time to Hire
Your time is a valuable. Considering all the different systems and software you use throughout your day you lose time (and mental energy) simply shifting from one system to the next. And those minutes can add up, especially when you're dealing with high volumes of applicants.
When you integrate your ATS with your background check vendor, you'll spend less time toggling between two separate systems, and you'll have the luxury of managing background screening activities from the comfort of your ATS dashboard.
This allows you and your team to anticipate when you'll be filling seats and help you plan next steps (like onboarding). Not to mention, you'll have more time to focus on what really matters: making informed hiring decisions.
2. Reduce Redundancies and Data-Entry Errors
In the days before online recruiting tools and ATS integrations, a recruiter would collect information and authorization from an applicant on paper. Then, the recruiter would enter that data into multiple systems to create internal records (e.g., HR, payroll) and to initiate a background check. Good Egg’s client portal and electronic applicant workflow eliminates paper and greatly enhances the background screening experience for both the recruiter and the applicant.
When you integrate your ATS with your employee screening vendor, the experience is further enhanced:
- Data collection can be controlled so that sensitive information, like SSN and date of birth, can be collected when the background check is initiated, rather than earlier in the recruiting timeline.
- The information your applicants provide throughout the recruiting process can be used to pre-populate some of the data fields required to launch a background check (previous employers, for instance). This reduces data entry redundancies and the inevitable errors that come from entering data twice.
3. Always Know Where Different Screenings Stand
Thanks to the integration, your ATS can truly serve as ground control for your talent acquisition process. Employee screening often has many moving parts, depending on the complexity of your orders (e.g., criminal background checks, motor vehicle record reports, verifications, drug testing, social media screening, occupational health services).
From your ATS dashboard, you'll be able to see where each background check order stands for each applicant. Think orders that are still in flight, recently completed screenings, applicants who still need to provide information, and so forth.
4. Create a Better Experience for Applicants
The first experience a prospective employee has with your company is through the recruitment process. You want it to be positive, not frustrating. By integrating your ATS and background check vendor, your applicants will also enjoy a streamlined process.
Based on your requirements and/or your ATS system configuration, information provided by the candidate in the online data collection/employment application process can be passed through the integration to the screening provider. This information can be used to pre-populate the candidate profile and mandatory minimum data needed to run the various components in the background screening package (i.e., driver license, education, employment, and professional reference information).
Personally identifiable information (PII), such as SSN or DOB, can be omitted from the data transmitted via the ATS integration. The candidate can provide the details along with authorization to run the background check during the Good Egg candidate workflow.
By the way, in case you think candidate experience isn't a high priority, consider this: Software Advice conducted a survey of job seekers and discovered the majority would turn down a job offer after a negative candidate experience. Plus, there's this gem: "59 percent would tell others not to apply—and 42 percent would go so far as not to buy the company’s products or services."
In other words, don't underestimate the importance of a positive candidate experience.
Ready to take the next step?
Let us know if you have an ATS and if you'd like to discuss integrating with Good Egg. You can also learn more about the high quality systems we currently support.
