How to Integrate ATS with Background Checker Tool?

With more and more individuals on the hunt for work, for businesses to find the right candidates to fill their open roles has become quite a task. On the lookout to streamline their hiring, thus, they are increasingly turning to background checking – a process meant to verify the credentials of applicants and ensure they have a clean record.

While performed manually as a rule, this screening mechanism has managed to acquire significant technological aid in recent years. ATS (Applicant Tracking System) and background checks are some of its prime examples in this regard. The two tools, though thoroughly competent to get things done on their own, are known to offer robust recruitment capabilities when integrated. How? You ask. Keep reading as we sought to answer the same…

Understanding the Basics: Background Checker & ATS

Before we get into the integration process, we must know what these tools are and how they can simplify recruitment for all individuals. So, here it goes…

What is a Background Checker?

A background checker, as the name suggests, is a background verification tool programmed to help businesses verify the past records and alleged qualifications of a potential employee. It performs a variety of checks to assess their credibility in this respect, including criminal records, educational verification, employment history, credit reports, and more.

These checks determine the eligibility of a candidate for the job opening in question, way before the firm proceeds to hire them. These also, in the process, make certain that we avert the risk of hiring someone who can negatively impact the business and lead to its downfall.

Checkr 

4.5

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$ 30.00      

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What is an ATS (Applicant Tracking System)?

ATS, short for Applicant Tracking System, is a software solution designed to automate the recruitment process in its entirety. From posting jobs and sorting resumes to tracking candidates and managing the hiring pipeline, it is programmed to do it all and make hiring manageable for those involved.

HR teams, with its deployment as a result, get enough time to review applications and rank candidates based on their relevancy for the job, so risks related to bad hires can be eliminated in time.

Suggested Read: Best Applicant Tracking System (ATS) For HRs | Benefits of ATS

Why Integrate ATS with Your Background Checker?

When you integrate an ATS with your background checker, it optimizes the way you hire people, so no efforts put in go to waste, and recruitment errors take place. There are many other benefits of doing the same for your business. Read on as we list them for you one key benefit at a time…

• Streamlined Workflow: When an application tracking system gets integrated into your existing background check provider, background screening gets activated automatically. It helps HR teams save a lot of time and effort.
• Centralized Data: With an application tracking system looking after your background checks, all the information related to the potential candidates gets stored in one place. This helps HR teams efficiently monitor progress made by the candidates and handle other crucial hiring documents.
• Improved Candidate Experience: ATS integration makes the hiring process transparent for all, even the candidates. They get duly notified about the background checks to avoid any confusion and improve their overall experience.
• Error Reduction: When data entry for background screening is done manually, the chances of error increase manifold. With ATS integration, however, things get simpler to achieve, as it allows information to flow from one system to another in a timely and effective manner.
• Increased Efficiency: It also leads to faster background checks, so hiring decisions are made quickly and positions get filled with the best candidates without any hassle.

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₹ 1500.00 excl. GST

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Key Steps to Integrating ATS with Your Background Checker

Here’s how you can integrate an application tracking system into your background check provider for effective hiring…

1. Make Sure Your Background Checker Supports Integration

The first step to effective integration is to ensure that your existing background checker allows integration with the remainder of your hiring tech stack. It should, at the very least, offer APIs that can easily integrate with the ATS of your choice.

2. Choose an ATS that Supports Integration

You are then required to look for an application tracking system with built-in integration capabilities. The market is filled with sundry applicant tracking systems that allow integration with third-party background checkers. In case you already have an ATS in place and it fails to integrate, you can go for a third-party integration provider or develop a custom integration solution.

Keka Acquire Talent

4.7

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₹ 1500.00 excl. GST

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3. Define the Integration Workflow

Once you are sure about your chosen ATS and background verification system, you need to define the integration workflow. Let the tools know when you wish for the background checks to take place, that is to say, at what particular stage of hiring do you want the screening mechanism to activate.

For instance, you can initiate the verification process, say, post shortlisting a candidate. You can also do so once the candidate has accepted your offer letter.

You are then required to determine if you want background screening to be an automated affair or one that requires manual approvals. This integration also lets you decide if you want the candidate’s approval before initiating checks. Some firms do ask for their consent before doing so.

4. Integrate the Systems

You can finally integrate the ATS into your background checker at this point. If the two systems offer pre-built integrations, all you need to do is to link both via an API. This, so candidate data seamlessly flows between them.

Conversely, for custom integration, you will have to get in touch with your IT team to get a solution that can link the two systems. Make sure the integration obtained thusly lets your background checker access all the important candidate data and send back screening results to the ATS in a timely and effective manner.

Freshteam

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₹ 5199.00 excl. GST

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5. Test the Integration

It’s now time to test the connection between your application tracking system and background checking tool. This involves keeping a tab on how the candidate data is flowing between the two systems. It also includes checking if the background checks are getting triggered at the right time.

You can also test how quickly the background screening is taking place, and whether or not the right results are being returned to the ATS. Your application tracking system should also be showing the correct status of your screening process at this stage.

6. Monitor & Optimize the Process

Once the integration is live, you need to consistently monitor its performance. You can do so by assessing the time it takes to perform background checks and the errors it encounters in the process.

It is also equally important to check if the candidates are liking the process. If you notice any delays or inefficiencies, changes should be made to optimize the integration, so the needs of your business are met and never sidelined.

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4.4

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€ 75.00  

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Best Practices for ATS and Background Checker Integration

There are various ways in which you can optimize your ATS and background checker integration. Find some of the best practices that you can adhere to in a bid to achieve the same as mentioned below…

• Maintain Compliance: Make certain that both your application tracking system and background checker are in compliance with the relevant laws and regulations put in place. For when handling sensitive candidate information, being compliant is vital.
• Transparent Communication: Not many firms do this, but it is important for you to keep your candidates in loop whilst performing background checks. This helps build trust between the two parties involved and makes candidates feel valued. HR teams, should, additionally, let candidates know that they can also track the progress of the checks conducted on them in the system.
• Security: The two systems involved should store and transmit sensitive candidate data, such as personal details, criminal records, credit reports, and more, securely. Nobody except the HR teams and candidates should get access to it, come what may
• Customizable Workflows: You can customize your integration workflows in accordance with your hiring needs. Since some roles require more rigorous screening than others, make sure your mechanism is flexible enough to accommodate it all.
• Review Results Regularly: HR teams should consistently monitor the results of the background checks conducted post integration. This, so they remain error-free and do not lead to the hiring of frauds or unskilled individuals who might obstruct the working of an organization or worse, harm its reputation.

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Conclusion

All in all, integrating an ATS with your background checker can significantly improve your hiring process, leaving HR teams with ample time to focus on what matters the most – employees and their wellbeing.

The only thing that one needs to take care of in the process is that the resultant integration is powerful enough to meet the unique needs of a business in as efficient a manner as possible.