Connect your ATS
Connect your applicant tracking system so your jobs appear in First and screened candidates go back to your ATS.
You connect your ATS yourself, in First, by pasting in an API key from your ATS. It takes a few minutes. You do not need us to do it for you and you do not need a developer.
You can connect any of these yourself:
- Greenhouse
- Workable
- Ashby
- Teamtailor
- Bullhorn
- BambooHR
- Pinpoint
- Loxo
Eploy is on the way. You will see it on the integrations page in First, but it cannot be connected yet.
If your system is not listed, ask us for it: there is a form on the integrations page in First, and we will get in touch about connecting it.
You need 2 things.
Permission to manage your organisation in First. If you cannot see Settings, ask whoever set up your First account.
An API key from your ATS. Most ATSs only let an administrator create one, so you may need to ask a colleague. Ask for a key that can read jobs and create candidates. The exact name of the key differs by system:
| Your ATS | What to ask for |
|---|---|
| Greenhouse | Harvest API key If you also want First to post applications to your job board, add a Job Board API key and job board token. |
| Workable | API access token and your Workable subdomain Your subdomain is the first part of your Workable address, so for example.workable.com it is example. |
| Ashby | API key Nothing else. This is the quickest one to connect. |
| Teamtailor | API token and your Teamtailor domain |
| Bullhorn | Client ID, client secret, API username, API password and corporation token Bullhorn issues these, and the REST and OAuth URLs vary by account. Ask Bullhorn support for all of it in one go. |
| BambooHR | API key and your BambooHR company domain BambooHR has no fixed stage names, so tell us which of your stages mean applied, sourced and shortlisted. |
| Pinpoint | API key and your Pinpoint subdomain |
| Loxo | API key, your Loxo domain and your agency slug |
Treat the key like a password. Send it to us only if we ask, and only through a method your security team is happy with.
- In First, go to Settings, then Integrations.
- Find your ATS and select it. There is a Filter integrations box if you need it.
- Paste in your API key, and anything else the form asks for.
- Switch Enabled to On.
- Select Save.
Nothing syncs until Enabled is On, so you can paste your key in and come back to it later.
Once connected, First can keep your jobs in step with your ATS. Choose one of 3 options.
| Option | What happens |
|---|---|
| Import manually | Jobs are not added automatically. You choose which ones to import. Start here if you are trying First on a few roles. |
| Import as draft | Jobs are added automatically but not published, so nothing goes live until you say so. |
| Import with status from your ATS | Jobs are added and published automatically, and may appear publicly straight away. |
You can also set a default hiring manager, used when First cannot match the hiring manager on the job to someone in First. First matches people by email address.
| What you see | What to check |
|---|---|
| Invalid credentials when you save | The key is wrong, has expired, or has been revoked in your ATS. Create a new one. |
| No jobs appear | Check Enabled is on, and that you have chosen how jobs arrive. On manual import, nothing appears until you import a job. |
| Jobs appear but candidates do not go back | Check the role is linked to a job in your ATS, in the role's integration settings. |
| The wrong hiring manager, or none | First matches people by email address. Check the address in your ATS matches the one in First, or set a default hiring manager. |
| It worked, then stopped | Keys expire and get revoked, often when someone leaves. Create a new key and paste it in. |
Still stuck? Tell us what you were doing and what you saw, and we will look at it with you.
What if our ATS is not listed?▼
Get in touch and tell us which one you use. If it has a public, documented API we aim to have the integration built in 1 to 2 days.
There is a form on the integrations page in First, or you can contact us directly.
Do you build your own ATS in-house?▼
This guide is for off-the-shelf systems. If your ATS was built by your own team there is no published API for us to connect to, so your engineers need to expose one first. See connect your custom ATS.
Need a hand?
Get in touch with your First contact, or at support@first.cx