A well-functioning integration between your assessment platform and Applicant Tracking System (ATS) can mean the difference between a smooth recruitment process and time-consuming manual work. For recruitment and HR professionals who work with candidates on a daily basis, a seamless connection is essential: it prevents duplication of work, keeps all data in one place, and ensures a consistent candidate experience. In this article, you will discover which skill test tools integrate best with popular ATS systems in the Netherlands, what to look for when choosing an integration, and which platforms save recruiters the most time and effort.
Why is ATS integration crucial for modern recruitment?
An Applicant Tracking System centralizes all applications, manages your candidate pipeline, and automates workflows. But as soon as you include assessments in your selection process, a challenge arises: how do you ensure that candidate data, test invitations, and scores are automatically synchronized between your assessment tool and your ATS?
Without proper integration, there are risks:
- Manual data transfer: Recruiters have to manually invite candidates to tests, copy and paste scores, and manually process results in the ATS. This is not only time-consuming, but also increases the risk of errors.
- Inconsistent data: When information is not synchronized automatically, candidate data may be outdated or incomplete, undermining the quality of your decisions.
- Poorer candidate experience: Candidates may receive duplicate invitations, unclear communications, or delayed updates, leaving a negative impression.
- Loss of insight: Without real-time links, hiring managers miss crucial data on drop-off rates, completion times, and score distribution, making your recruitment process less than optimal.
A strong ATS integration ensures that assessments are sent automatically as soon as a candidate reaches a certain stage, scores are immediately visible to all stakeholders, and hiring managers can make data-driven decisions without additional actions.
Key criteria for good ATS integration
When evaluating skill test tools based on their ATS integration, a number of criteria are decisive:
- Native integrations vs. connectors
Native (plug-and-play) integrations are immediately available and preconfigured by the assessment provider. These are the most user-friendly: installation usually requires only a few clicks and no technical knowledge. Examples include direct links to Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, or BambooHR.
Connectors via platforms such as Zapier or Make offer flexibility for ATS systems without native integration. They do require more configuration and may have limitations in real-time synchronization or data volume. Nevertheless, they are a reliable solution for medium-sized organizations working with less common ATS systems.
Custom API integrations are the most advanced option: you can build fully customized workflows via an OpenAPI or REST API. This is ideal for large organizations with complex processes, but requires development capacity and maintenance.
- Automatic synchronization and workflow triggers
The best integrations automatically send out an assessment as soon as a candidate reaches a certain stage (e.g., "selected for screening") and immediately return scores and reports to the candidate profile in your ATS. This eliminates manual work and speeds up your time-to-hire.
- Bidirectional data transfer
A strong integration works in two directions: candidate data (name, email, job title) is sent from the ATS to the assessment platform, while test scores, completion statuses, and reports are automatically returned to the ATS. This ensures a single source of truth and complete visibility of each candidate.
- Visibility and reporting within the ATS
Ideally, hiring managers and recruiters can view scores, rankings, and detailed reports directly in the ATS, without having to log in to a separate platform. This increases acceptance among stakeholders and speeds up decision-making.
How does Selection Lab achieve ATS integration?
What sets Selection Lab apart is its focus on full automation within your existing ATS workflow. As soon as a candidate reaches a pre-set stage in the ATS, a personalized assessment invitation is automatically sent. Upon completion, scores, rankings, and detailed reports appear directly in the candidate profile, including actionable insights and structured interview questions. For hiring managers, this means that all relevant data is available in the ATS itself, without extra clicks or logins.
Selection Lab integrates with ATS systems in two ways: ready-to-use via an existing connector or customized via API. As standard, the technical team first determines what is most effective in the business environment: a ready-to-use link, a direct API integration, or a customized workflow. In all cases, assessment status, scores, and a report link are written back to the ATS, so recruiters don't have to switch between tools. The same principle applies to Smartchat (conversational pre-screening): answers and statuses are recorded directly in the ATS.
Available ATS integrations at Selection Lab: SmartRecruiters, Recruitee, Teamtailor, Jobylon, Ashby, Byner, MySolution, OTYS, RecruitNow, iCIMS, Carerix, and Ubeeo. In addition, Selection Lab supports integrations with other ATSs via API or customization, with results always fed back into your recruitment workflow for consistent decision-making and less manual work.
