Questions to ask about ATS integrations before you buy

An integration logo tells you that two products have some connection. It does not tell you which records move, how quickly they arrive, or what happens when either service is unavailable.

Before buying an ATS, describe the exact handoff your team expects and ask the vendor to demonstrate it.

Name the record and the direction

For each connection, write a sentence such as: "When a candidate is marked hired, these approved fields should create an employee record in our HR system."

Then ask whether updates travel one way or both ways. If someone changes a name in the HR tool, should that change return to recruiting? Which system wins if the records disagree? Avoid assuming that "sync" means every field stays identical.

Check attachments, custom fields, deletions, and historical records separately. A connector may support a new candidate event while excluding earlier applications or documents.

Understand who authorizes the connection

Ask which account installs it, what permissions it requests, and what happens when that person leaves. Review whether it can access all vacancies or only the jobs involved in the workflow.

Your administrator should know how to revoke access and identify the organization responsible for support. Keep secrets in the approved configuration mechanism rather than copying them into a shared hiring document.

Ask for a failure demonstration

Situation	What you need to know
Destination unavailable	Where failed events appear and who is notified
Same event delivered twice	How duplicate records are prevented or corrected
Required field missing	Whether the record waits, fails, or arrives incomplete
Permission expires	How the connection is restored without losing work
A record is removed	Whether deletion propagates and what remains elsewhere

Use synthetic data to test at least one failed handoff. A reassuring error message is useful only if someone can find the affected record and resolve it.

Include operating costs in the decision

Confirm which plans include the connector, whether either vendor charges for access, and whether a third-party automation service is required. Ask who maintains the connection when either product changes.

For an infrequent handoff, a controlled manual export might be adequate. For a daily process, manual repair can become expensive. Choose based on the volume and consequence of the actual work, and keep a fallback procedure that the team can use when the connection stops.

Further reading

• Applicant Tracking System: Everything you need to know for ATS
• The Definitive Guide to Applicant Tracking Systems

Related guides

• Budget for the complete system
• Run an ATS demo test
• How to choose an ATS for your small business