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      HireCentric ATS Implementation Guide

      This guide provides a close look at some of the most critical pieces of a successful HireCentric Applicant Tracking Software implementation.

      INTRO

      WHO SHOULD BE INVOLVED?
      HIRECENTRIC ATS IMPLEMENTATION FORM - REQUIRED

      • Job Portal URL Address
      • Subject to Affirmative Action Plan Reporting?
      • ATS Site Branding (aka the "Skin")
      • Business Unit Labels (i.e. Departments or Branches, etc.)
      • Job Listings & Job-Specific Screening Questions
      • Application Submission Confirmation Message
      • Applicant Status Codes
      • Social Media Icons
      • Applicant Flow Log Report - Optional
      HIRECENTRIC EMPLOYMENT APPLICATION SET-UP FORM - REQUIRED
      • Application Instructions
      • Previous Education
      • Resume Section
      • References
      • Voluntary Disclosure - Self-Identify for EEOC, Veteran Status and/or Disability Status
      • Custom Questions - Asked of All Applicants
      • Applicant Statement
      • Determine Application Section Order
      • Two-Step Application Feature

      PREMIUM JOB BOARD FAVORITES IMPLEMENTATION & GUIDELINES FORM - REQUIRED

      • Job Posting Guidelines
      • Monster & CareerBuilder Information
      • Other Paid Boards & Suggest a Board Feature

      INTERNAL APPLICATION SET-UP FORM - OPTIONAL
      REQUISITION SYSTEM SET-UP FORM - OPTIONAL

      • Layers of Approval
      • Requisition Form Fields

      IMPORT EXISTING APPLICANT INFORMATION
      AUTOMATION & INTEGRATION OPPORTUNITIES

      TECHNICAL DETAILS PRIOR TO LAUNCH
      TRAINING
      SUCCESS RESOURCES

      Intro

      This guide provides a close look at some of the most critical pieces of a successful HireCentric Applicant Tracking Software implementation. Thoughtful consideration of these items will help expedite the process so that you can be on your way to more efficient hiring quickly! Depending on the features you selected, here is a list of the separate implementation forms that may be involved in your portal setup:

      Required Forms:

      Optional Forms (depending on selected features):

      • Internal Application Set-Up - If you are electing to utilize an internal employment application to accommodate transfer requests from existing employees, then you should complete this form.
      • Requisition System Set-Up - If you are going to use HireCentric's job requisition management feature, then you should complete this form.

      If you have specific questions about the implementation process, please don't hesitate to contact us via email at support@exacthire.com.

      Who Should Be Involved?

      The following stakeholders may be involved in the ATS implementation process:

      Stakeholder Description of Involvement
      HR /
      Recruiting Primary Contact      		 Responsible for completing and submitting all implementation paperwork associated with this process. Will confer with any other HR staff members as appropriate before providing direction on site build to ExactHire. Charged with: 1) reviewing site prior to launch once completed by ExactHire; 2) submitting a sample employment application to verify whether any additional changes should be made; and, 3) communicating with ExactHire to coordinate training time with any other potential Admin-level system users in your organization.
      Marketing Team
      (if applicable)      		 Responsible for providing additional direction, if necessary, on how the ATS portal should be branded (i.e. the "skin" of the portal) to accurately reflect the look and feel of your corporate website.
      IT / Webmaster Admin Responsible for redirecting any "Jobs" or Employment" type link on your corporate website so that it points at the URL address for your external ATS once you are ready to launch and begin using the ATS to recruit applicants externally. Also, responsible for approving IP addresses and email address domains used by HireCentric ATS email notifications at the organizational level.
      Employment Attorney / AAP Consultant (if applicable) Responsible for reviewing and advising you on your employment application questions upon your request; and, for those of you subject to Affirmative Action Plan reporting, advising you on any additional application disclosures and/or notices that you may need to include on your ATS portal in order to comply with various government regulations.

      HireCentric ATS Implementation Form - Required for All Clients

      Job Portal URL Address

      When we build your ATS portal, the external side where jobs are featured will have its own unique URL address. By default, we will match the subdomain for that URL to the domain of your corporate URL address. For example, https://www.exacthire.com would be https://exacthire.hirecentric.com. If there's any reason you want to specify a different subdomain for your ATS site URL, please let us know by emailing support@exacthire.com. NOTE:  We avoid including hyphens in the subdomain whenever possible.

      Subject to Affirmative Action Plan Reporting?

      On the implementation form, we will ask if your organization is subject to Affirmative Action Plan reporting. If you answer "yes," then an additional option to provide us with your preferred applicant flow log report format will appear later in the form. You'll also be prompted to answer this question on the Employment Application Implementation Form, as an affirmative answer on that form will prompt you to indicate whether you will need sections enabled for applicants to voluntarily self-identify veteran and/or disability status.

      ATS Site Branding (aka the "Skin")

      In this section of the main implementation form, you'll identify which approach you wish ExactHire to take when it comes to branding your jobs portal. You can optionally choose to include your marketing department as a stakeholder in this decision, but you will ultimately be the on indicating your company's preference on the implementation form. For information about HireCentric's design capabilities, you or your marketing counterpart may reference our Style Settings Guide here.

      We'll also prompt you to provide your preferred text for the welcome page of your ATS portal. You can leave this section blank if you will instead be hosting that type of content on your corporate site and then just pointing the employment-related link on the corporate site directly to the "Jobs" page of the ATS.

      If you will be providing text for your welcome page, then you may also optionally include any photos that you'd like us to feature on this main landing page of your ATS portal.

      Business Unit Labels (i.e. Departments or Branches, etc.)

      Choosing appropriate business unit labels for your portal is an important step. These labels are used to segment job listings (so that applicants can filter job results based on business unit), and can be used to restrict access to certain job listings and applicant records for certain user types within HireCentric.

      Job Listings & Job-Specific Screening Questions

      The Administrator panel of the ExactHire ATS allows you to add/modify/archive job templates and job listings at any point in the future. You will be trained on how to do this in your initial training session. However, as a part of the implementation process, we are happy to get the ball rolling by uploading as many as five current job descriptions into HireCentric, and then we will use them to create job templates and job listings on your behalf.

      Also, in this section you may tell us which optional job-specific screening questions you'd like to attach to each job listing. Because you may elect to utilize scoring and/or disqualification filters on the answer options, these questions offer a great means of screening in/out applicants based on their answers to these (sometimes considered "deal-breaker") questions. For screening question ideas, click here to see a sample list; or, feel free to create your own.

      NOTE: If you wish to utilize any disqualification/scoring filters on some of your questions, please follow the below examples' formats when you paste your desired questions, answers and disqualification/scoring notes into the implementation form. Please note that "Q" represents "Qualified" and "DQ" means "Disqualified." You will also have the ability to create new job screening question groups and filters in the future, as well.

      Yes/No Disqualification Example:
      Do you have a current CPR/First Aid Certification?
      Yes = Q
      No = DQ

      Yes/No Scoring Example:
      Do you own a complete set of tools that will enable you to perform this job?
      Yes = 5
      No = 0

      Multiple Choice Disqualification/Scoring Combo Example:
      How many years of public accounting experience do you possess?
      0 - 1 years = DQ
      2 - 5 years = 5
      Over 5 years = 10

      Check Box Scoring Example:
      As applicable for this position, which language(s) do you speak fluently?  Mark all that apply.
      English = 0
      Spanish = 10
      Japanese = 15
      German = 10Application Submission Confirmation Message

      When an individual completes and submits an application on your jobs portal, he/she will immediately see an on-screen message assuring him/her of the successful completion. He/she will also receive an automated email notifying him/her that the application has been received by your company. In this section of the implementation form, you can tell us your preferred language for these notification messages.

      Applicant Status Codes

      While you will have the ability to add/modify/remove status codes as you use the tool in the future, it is helpful to have a list of codes ready to go when you first start using HireCentric. These codes are the labels that you assign to applicants to describe either their: 1) location in the selection process for a specific position; 2) their reason for non-selection for a specific position; or 3) perhaps their potential for future consideration. The length of your status code list will be determined by the unique needs of your organization.

      Social Media Icons

      If your company has a Facebook page and/or a Twitter account, then we can place icon badges for these two sites on your ATS portal. Applicants would view these icons from the "Jobs" page. You may optionally indicate the URLs for your social media profiles (if applicable) in this area of the form.

      Applicant Flow Log Report - Optional

      This section of the implementation form will only be presented to you if you indicate (earlier in the form) that you are subject to Affirmative Action Plan reporting. If that requirement does apply to your organization, then you might like assistance using HireCentric's custom report building feature (called Report Builder) to create a report that may be used as a basis for your applicant flow log.

      As a part of the implementation process, we are happy to build your flow log report within Report Builder so that it is ready to go when you start using the site. In order for us to build the report to your own specifications, we will ask that you upload a spreadsheet file showing the column header names and order of columns that you desire in your report. We'll use your template to build the report in HireCentric.

      If you'd like to use our sample applicant flow log file as a template, please download that file here. Then, make your desired changes, rename the file, and then upload it in the field that will appear (pictured below) when you select the upload file now option on the implementation form.

      If you won't necessarily be ready to tackle this step when you are working on the implementation form, then please note that this report can always be added later, and you will be able to indicate this preference to us in the form, as well.

      HireCentric Employment Application Set-Up Form - Required

      Application Instructions

      The first page of the employment application will offer instructions to the applicant. You may customize the title of this section, as well as the instructions area, itself.
      Employment History
      You may choose whether or not you want to include an employment history section on the application. The applicant will be able to add multiple employers if this section is enabled. In this area of the form you may designate which standard questions may be asked. Any that are enabled will be required.
      Previous Education
      You may choose whether or not you want to include an education section on the application. The applicant will be able to add multiple institutions. In this area of the form you may designate which standard questions may be asked. Any that are enabled will be required.
      Resume Section

      You may choose whether or not you want to include a resume section in the application. This may include a large text box area where a resume/cover letter can be pasted, a file upload slot where an applicant can attach a file, or both. You may also determine whether or not each, both or either of these two resume areas are required or optional. For example, you may require one of the two areas, but you can choose to leave it up to the applicant to determine which area will meet the requirement.

      References

      You may choose whether or not you want to include a references section on the application. If you do enable this section, you may also decide how many references are required (up to 3). In this area, you may designate which standard questions may be asked, and any that are enabled will be required.

      Voluntary Disclosure - Self-Identify for EEOC, Veteran Status and/or Disability Status

      If you would like to include a voluntary disclosure section in your application, you may do so. If you opt to enable this area, you will be prompted to answer questions about which sections you prefer to be included - particularly if you are subject to Affirmative Action reporting.

      Custom Questions - Asked of All Applicants

      You may add a number of CUSTOM questions to your general application to suit the needs of your organization. These questions would be asked of everyone who submits an application, regardless of specific job(s) selected (in contrast with the job-specific screening questions you may elect to attach to certain job listings in the HireCentric ATS Implementation Form).

      In turn, these custom general application questions may be used to disqualify and/or score applicants on the Admin side of the ATS. Not only is this a great way to obtain more information about an applicant up front, but it also allows you to save time in the screening process by quickly sorting out candidates who do not meet basic requirements.

      We also have a handful of frequently used (aka STANDARD) questions that we are happy to load into your ATS site. Please note them in the image below. In this area of the form, you may choose to use some, none, or all of them, and you also may determine their listing order, whether or not they are required, and if you want to use any of them as flagging questions or to score applicants.

      Depending on which standard questions you select above, you will be prompted to answer additional questions about whether certain questions should be required, and whether you will be utilizing scoring and/or disqualification filters.

      Finally, in this Custom Questions section of the form you will be asked if you want to supply any of your own custom questions that should be asked of ALL applicants (i.e. these are not job-specific screening questions). You may also use scoring and disqualification filters on these questions.

      Applicant Statement

      You may choose whether or not you wish to include an applicant statement section on the application.

      Determine Application Section Order

      You will be prompted to indicate your preference for the order in which the application sections should display to an applicant by adding a ranking number to each section's box in the form.

      Two-Step Application Feature

      HireCentric offers an optional two-step application feature which allows you to break the application process down into two phases - a short initial application, and then a follow-up to fill in the missing pieces. If you have previously accepted applications from an external job board or in the form of an emailed resume, this might be worth consideration since your applicant pool might be used to submitting very little information at the onset of your hiring process. This is also a great option when you are competing to catch the attention of in-demand applicants for a hard-to-fill position...applicants who don't want to spend a lot of time filling out a long application because they have a lot of viable employment options.

      If you do elect to utilize the two-step feature for some or all of your positions, then you will be prompted to indicate which application sections will be included in the first step. Anything not selected will automatically become part of the second phase of the application.

      Premium Job Board Favorites Implementation & Guidelines Form - Required

      Nearly all of our clients will have Premium Access to our Job Board Favorites feature as a part of their agreement. This access level allows you to sync your external job board account information with HireCentric, and request a new job board integration if your preferred board isn't already featured within HireCentric. In order to utilize this robust option, clients should complete this specific implementation form.

      Job Posting Guidelines

      Once you have discussed the posting guidelines with your implementation representative as well as reviewed them in the implementation form, please indicate your acknowledgments on the form.
      Monster & CareerBuilder Information
      You may sync your current major job board (i.e. Monster, CareerBuilder, etc.) login credentials with your ATS portal so that you can be billed for any purchased job listings by the job board. This allows you to receive the lower rate that you have negotiated with that job board’s account representative. There are special circumstances involved with setting up your Monster and/or CareerBuilder credentials, so please take note of this area of the form as well as any instructions that may follow up on your submission of this form.
      Other Paid Boards & Suggest a Board Feature

      It is easy to push your job listings to a multitude of different external paid boards, war we're always adding new external job board options to our list. However, if the job board you are seeking isn't available, then you may use the "Suggest a Job Board" feature at any time. Once we receive the request, we'll contact the job board and determine if it makes sense to add it as a board option. Our ultimate decision will be based on the board's available technology to accept feeds, the board's popularity and/or the board's audience/reach. If you already know which paid job boards you plan on using, you may indicate them on this form.

      Internal Application Set-Up Form - Optional

      If you choose to utilize an internal application for some job listings (to accommodate existing employee job transfer requests), then we will ask you to complete this internal application implementation form, as well. It is very similar to our required HireCentric Employment Application Set-Up Form...so we will not list the screenshots and questions involved in this form below, as you will already be familiar with them after completing the regular employment application implementation form.
      Requisition System Set-Up Form - Optional
      If you choose to utilize HireCentric's job requisition management feature to better track position approvals in your organization, then we will ask you to complete this requisition system implementation form, as well. There is some flexibility to how this feature may be set up within your ATS. Please consider this flexibility as you answer the questions featured in this form as your answers will dictate how we implement the feature for your portal.
      Layers of Approval

      In this section of the form, you should indicate how many layers of approval you need for a requisition request, as well as the field title for each layer. Once the layers and fields are set in your ATS site, you will also have the flexibility to determine for which users you may wish to "lock in" certain approvers' pre-selected email addresses.

      For example, as an Administrator-level user, you may wish to allow for the flexibility to enter in your own preferences for approvers' email addresses each time you initiate a requisition request--as the approvers (i.e. layers of approval) may be different for each of your requests if you handle requisitions across your organization.

      However, if you have a Manager user that only deals in a certain area of the organization, then we can set HireCentric up in such a way that each time that Manager logs in to initiate a requisition, he/she is automatically assigned the appropriate "approvers" and respective email addresses for his/her area--without the ability to alter them. Or, you may allow Manager users the flexibility to choose their own approvers' email addresses, as well. It is up to you!

      Please see the bottom of the below image to note the area in which one is prompted to select the layers of approval to be involved in a specific requisition request.

      Requisition Form Fields

      In this section, you will indicate what you wish to ask in your requisition form in order to provide relevant information to those who will be approving and/or denying requisition requests.

      You may use small, medium and large text boxes, yes/no questions, checkbox questions and single-select multiple choice questions. For each field that you elect multiple choice, the form will prompt you to indicate your desired multiple choice answers separated by line breaks.

      Import Existing Applicant Information

      Applicants from another data system can be imported into HireCentric via CSV file so that you can store, review, track, and report on them within the ATS. If you are interested in pursuing this option, please contact support@exacthire.com. Additional charges may apply.

      Automation & Integration Opportunities

      In addition to integrations with certain external job boards, some additional efficiencies can be gained should your organization use both HireCentric and any of the other following applications. NOTE: We will continue to pursue other integrations in the future.

      Application Efficiency Gained
      OnboardCentric onboarding software Integration allows HR to pull applicant information directly into OnboardCentric.  See details here.
      Custom Assessment Tools from ExactHire If your business would like to develop your own custom assessment from a group of independently validated scales that measure job skills, cognitive abilities and behavioral attributes, then our integration allows you to invite applicants to complete assessments at either the time of application; or, later on in the screening process. See details here.
      Facebook Jobs Application If your company has a Facebook company page, then your social media administrator can enable a Jobs app that allows visitors to your Facebook page to see a list of your available positions from right within Facebook. See details here.
      Twitter, Facebook & LinkedIn Status Updates If your company has a Twitter profile or company Facebook page, then you can use Twitterfeed to automate the posting of status updates about new jobs to your profiles. This can also be done with personal LinkedIn pages. See details here.

      Technical Details Prior to Launch

      It is important to plan for the launch of your HireCentric portal in conjunction with your IT Department to ensure a smooth transition. Specifically, your to-do list should include the following tasks

      1. Provide a URL address to your corporate webmaster so that he/she may redirect any employment-related link on your company site to the new ATS portal once you are ready to launch. This is an important step to helping job seekers (that land on your company page first rather than on the ATS portal directly) locate your available job listings. It can be a quick and simple change for the person managing your website, but it is important to discuss he need in advance so that the timing of the switch is appropriate. ExactHire will provide the URL address so that you may pass it along to IT.
      2. Approve the domains used by HireCentric for email services. In order to ensure optimal delivery of email notifications sent from the ATS to users in your organization (i.e. avoid spam filters), please have your IT department approve our list of emails and domains on your organization's mail server white list. See the list here.

      Training

      ExactHire offers personalized training sessions via webinar for current clients. Typically, the initial training session lasts from an hour to an hour and a half and covers ATS basics like adding job listings, viewing applicants, assigning statuses and communicating with other users and applicants.  This session is recorded for your reference and use.  ExactHire's Client Success team will be in contact with you to schedule your initial training session prior to the launch date of your ATS portal.

      Success Resources

      Resource Location
      Knowledge Base Visit support.exacthire.com or click "Support" in the upper right hand corner of our company website (exacthire.com) for our Knowledge Base documentation, videos, and more. See our blog about how to make the most of the Knowledge Base here.
      Forum Click on the "Post a Public Question" link in the Knowledge Base or click here to ask questions and share best practices and tips with other users. You'll be prompted to log into your unique Knowledge Base account.
      Blog Visit the ExactHire Blog to read our latest articles on HR-industry trends, tips, and tools for human resources and recruiting professionals. Subscribe to receive new blog updates automatically. We'd also like to call your attention to two implementation-specific blogs:
      Support Contact the ExactHire Client Success team for assistance with your individual questions. You may email us at support@exacthire.com.