August 2026 / 11 min read / Written by our editorial team
Most recruiters know their applicant tracking system like the back of their hand. But what happens when you need more than what your current ATS can provide?
Switching to a new ATS every time your tech needs a new feature isn't ideal. Luckily, recruitment technology continues to evolve, and you can now build on the system you already know and love.
By connecting specialized ATS integrations, you can upgrade your hiring workflow while keeping everything connected.
In this guide, we'll explore how applicant tracking system integrations work, where they can make the biggest difference, common challenges, how to solve them, and what ATS integrations we recommend.
Applicant tracking system integrations are specialized tools that connect to your ATS, allowing candidate information, hiring data, and recruitment workflows to flow automatically between the two systems.
This means you can use third-party software for...
...without replacing your ATS.
Your ATS can remain your central recruiting hub, while connected tools extend what it can actually do.
An ATS is the software you use to organize and manage your recruitment process. An ATS integration is the connection between that system and another tool, enabling the platforms to share information.
| ATS | ATS Integration |
| Manages candidates and recruitment workflows. | Connects your ATS with another recruiting or HR tool. |
| Acts as the central database for candidate information. | A third-party tool that connects to your current system. |
| Provides built-in recruitment features. | Adds additional recruitment features. |
| Can be your primary recruitment platform. | Works alongside your ATS to create a more connected recruitment stack. |
By connecting your recruitment tools, you can access more advanced capabilities while keeping candidate data centralized, making it easier to source talent, build shortlists, and analyze hiring metrics.
ATS integrations can connect almost every stage of the hiring process, from finding candidates to onboarding new employees.
Here are some of the most useful ATS integrations for recruiting teams:
Connect your ATS with job boards, sourcing platforms, and talent databases.
Examples: LinkedIn Recruiter, Indeed, and Eightfold AI.
Screening integrations add more advanced candidate evaluation to your existing ATS. AI resume screening software can identify candidates with the highest potential in minutes.
Examples: Hire-Match, HireEZ, and SeekOut.
Integrating pre-employment assessment software measures job-relevant skills, abilities, and personality traits as part of the candidate process.
Examples: Hire-Match, Harver, and TestGorilla.
Connect AI, video, or asynchronous interviewing software to assess communication skills and speed up early-stage candidate screening.
Examples: Hire-Match, HireVue, and Willo.
Connecting your ATS with calendars and meeting tools can reduce the back-and-forth involved in arranging interviews.
Examples: Google Calendar, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet.
Connect email and messaging tools to:
Examples: Gmail, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or WhatsApp.
Integrations with specialist providers can simplify later-stage candidate verification.
Examples: Checkr, HireRight, and Sterling.
Connecting e-signature platforms can help automate the move from final selection to accepted offer.
Examples: DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat Sign.
Connecting your ATS with HR and onboarding platforms can create a smoother handoff once someone is hired.
Examples: BambooHR and Workday.
Analytics integrations can bring recruitment data into reporting and business intelligence tools, helping teams:
Examples: Gem and HireEZ.
Your ATS doesn't have to do everything. Recruiting technology is a team sport, and your ATS doesn't have to play every position.
So, why should you consider an applicant tracking system in your tech stack?
Without integrations, recruiters may have to repeatedly enter, copy, or upload the same candidate information across different platforms.
Connecting these systems can:
ATS integrations allow your recruitment technology to grow with your organization rather than requiring you to replace your entire system whenever you need a new capability.
As your needs change, you can add specialist sourcing, screening, interview, assessment, onboarding, or analytics tools around your existing ATS.
When recruiting tools work separately, every handoff can introduce another delay. Recruiters may need to manually review applications, arrange interviews, send reminders, transfer candidate details, or wait for results from another platform.
Integrations keep candidates moving by adding automated functions within the same system to trigger the next stage for the candidate.
When these connections extend from application through to onboarding, recruiters can create a much faster and more seamless hiring workflow.
When recruitment tools are integrated, updates made in one system can be reflected elsewhere, depending on the integration.
This gives recruiters more consistent candidate records and reduces the chance that different platforms contain conflicting or outdated information.
Centralized data can also make recruitment analytics more useful, helping teams compare candidates, identify bottlenecks, and make decisions based on consistent hiring data.
Two things that really matter to candidates: Speed and communication.
Research reported by SHRM found that poor communication, a lack of feedback, and a hiring process taking too long were among the top three reasons candidates withdrew from recruitment processes.
ATS integrations can help create a smoother experience through faster responses, automated interviews and assessments, easier scheduling, and more consistent communication overall.
ATS integrations aren't just a win for candidates. Recruiters spend too much time on repetitive tasks that can be easily automated.
Connecting recruitment tools with your ATS means less time copying information between platforms and switching between disconnected systems. Recruiters can use ATS integrations to handle more of the administrative workload and focus on the parts of hiring that matter most.
Below are five examples showing how an ATS integration can strengthen different stages of the hiring process.
Hire-Match can work as a standalone hiring platform or as an intelligence layer alongside your existing ATS, making it useful for teams that want to add more advanced candidate evaluation without replacing their current system.
Its hiring workflow combines:
This means recruiters can continue managing candidates through their existing ATS while using Hire-Match to provide deeper insights into which applicants are the strongest fit and make decisions based on explainable, consistent, and bias-free data.
Hire-Match is compatible with many popular ATS platforms, including Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby, and iCIMS.
LinkedIn Recruiter integrations can help you source candidates outbound for open job roles within your existing workflow.
Recruiters can use LinkedIn's network of more than one billion members, advanced search filters, recommended matches, AI-assisted search, and messaging tools to discover and engage potential candidates.
Connecting LinkedIn Recruiter with an ATS can make it easier to:
LinkedIn Recruiter supports integrations with recruitment platforms including Workable, Lever, Greenhouse, Zoho Recruit, and SmartRecruiters.
HireVue combines science-backed assessments and AI-powered interviewing tools, adding specialist screening capabilities to your existing ATS.
Key capabilities include:
HireVue offers 125+ integrations, including connections with major recruiting systems such as Workday, Oracle, SmartRecruiters, Greenhouse, Oleeo, PageUp, and iCIMS.
Looking specifically for interviewing software? See our guide to the best video interview platforms for a more detailed comparison.
Checkr shows how ATS integrations can simplify a later but necessary stage of the recruitment journey.
Recruiters can use Checkr for checks including:
Connecting Checkr with an ATS allows recruiters to initiate and track relevant checks within their existing hiring workflow rather than having to manually copy candidate information into a separate system.
Checkr integrates with recruiting and HR platforms including Workday, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Bullhorn, Oracle, Rippling, and UKG.
While many integrations focus on getting candidates to the point of hire, BambooHR shows how ATS integrations can connect recruitment with what happens next.
Key capabilities include:
Connecting recruitment and HR systems can help successful candidates move from applicant to employee without HR teams having to duplicate information.
BambooHR's integration marketplace includes platforms such as Indeed, Slack, Okta, Greenhouse, Checkr, Lattice, and Deputy.
Our quick summary table unpacks our top ATS integrations and what value they can add to your recruitment process.
| Integration | Best for | What it can add to your hiring process |
| Hire-Match | Candidate screening and hiring intelligence | AI recruiter, AI screening, interviews, assessments, candidate ranking, and predictive insights. |
| LinkedIn Recruiter | Candidate sourcing | Candidate search, matching, sourcing, and outreach. |
| HireVue | Video interviewing | Video interviews, AI interviewing, assessments, and interview scheduling. |
| Checkr | Background checks | Candidate verification and background screening. |
| BambooHR | HRIS and onboarding | New-hire onboarding, employee records, workflows, and HR management. |
You can keep your existing ATS at the center of your recruitment process and connect ATS integrations where your team needs specialized tools.
The problem: Different recruiting platforms may store candidate information in different formats or use different fields, creating incomplete records, duplicates, or conflicts when data moves between systems.
The solution:
Preparing your data can take extra time upfront, but it's much easier than fixing thousands of inconsistent candidate records later.
ATS integrations can enhance your overall workflow, but they’re not always plug-and-play.
Assessing the most common ATS integration challenges beforehand can help to avoid disruption and get a few steps ahead of your recruitment stack.
The problem: Not every recruiting or HR platform offers the same level of API access. A limited or incompatible API can restrict what information your tools can exchange or prevent certain workflows from being connected at all.
The solution:
Don't settle for the vague promise of "Yes, we integrate with your ATS." Instead, find out exactly what the integration allows you to do.
The problem: Slow technical support or poor training can turn what should be a straightforward ATS integration into a lengthy and frustrating project.
The solution:
The quality of a provider's support can be just as important as the integration itself, particularly if your team doesn't have dedicated technical resources or in-house training.
Don't choose an ATS integration simply because it adds more functionality. Start with a genuine hiring problem or bottleneck, then evaluate whether the integration solves it without adding unnecessary complexity.
The problem: It's tempting to connect and automate everything at once. However, introducing too many specialized tools simultaneously can make the recruitment process you are trying to simplify more complicated.
The solution:
A successful recruitment tech stack doesn't need the most integrations; it needs the right integrations working together effectively.
The problem: Every additional integration can involve candidate data moving between systems, potentially increasing your organization's security and privacy considerations.
The solution:
Ultimately, don't assume an ATS integration is compliant. You should always check the platform's website for transparency on security and compliance.
| What to check | Ask yourself |
| Recruitment need |
Where are recruiters losing the most time?. Which manual tasks/missing ATS features could an integration solve? |
| ATS compatibility |
Is there a native integration within your ATS? Can you connect through an API or a third-party platform? |
| Data synchronization |
If/what candidate data is transferable? Is the connection one-way or two-way? How easy is it to transfer data between systems? |
| Functionality |
What can recruiters do through the integration? What features can be used directly within the ATS? |
| Implementation |
How long is the setup time? Is additional IT or developer support needed? Does the platform provide training/ongoing support? |
| Security & Privacy |
What candidate data and information can the integration tool access? How and where is the data stored? Does the provider follow up-to-date security and data privacy standards? |
| Scalability |
Can the tool handle increasing candidate volumes and scalability? Is it designed for SMBs or enterprise organizations? |
| Cost |
Is the integration or setup included in the pricing, or are there additional fees? |
An integration may be compatible with your ATS, but platforms provide different levels of functionality. Make sure you understand exactly how the integration works before implementing any new tools into your system.
Your ATS doesn't need to include every feature under the sun. ATS integrations let you build a recruitment tech stack around the system you already use, adding specialized tools where they'll have the biggest impact.
For the recruiter, this means less manual work, fewer bottlenecks, and a faster, more connected hiring process.
For teams looking to add intelligent AI to their current tech stack, Hire-Match integrates AI-powered screening, interviews, assessments, and candidate ranking alongside your existing ATS or works as a standalone platform.
There are 3 main ways recruiting software can connect with an ATS:
There isn't one ATS with the best job board integrations for every organization. Popular platforms such as Workable, Greenhouse, SmartRecruiters, and Zoho Recruit offer integrations with numerous job boards, but the right choice depends on where you recruit, which job boards you use, and the functionality each integration supports.
Check whether your most important job boards are supported and whether you can post jobs, receive applications, track candidate sources, and manage applicants without unnecessary manual work.
ATS stands for Applicant Tracking System. It works as a hiring hub used by recruiters and HR teams to organize and manage candidates throughout the recruitment process, from receiving applications and tracking candidate progress to interviews, offers, and hiring.
First, check whether your ATS or HR software offers a native integration with the other platform. These can often be found in the provider's integration marketplace or directory.
If a native connection isn't available, the platforms may be connected through an API or a third-party integration platform.
You should:
No. Applicant tracking system integrations allow you to add new recruiting technology without replacing your ATS.
Security depends on the ATS integration's compliance and how it handles candidate data.
Before connecting a new platform, check what data it can access, how information is transferred and stored, and who has permission to access it.
Organizations should also assess relevant data privacy requirements, such as GDPR, and look for appropriate security standards and certifications, such as SOC 2 or ISO 27001, where relevant.
An ATS API (Application Programming Interface) allows an applicant tracking system to communicate and exchange information with other software.
For example, an API could allow candidate information stored in your ATS to be sent to an assessment platform and the completed assessment results to be returned to the candidate's ATS profile. In simple terms, the API provides a way for your ATS and other recruiting tools to communicate without recruiters manually transferring the information themselves.
Think of your ATS and software tool like telephones, and the API as the phone line, providing the connection to communicate.
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