BambooHR Applicant Tracking: Hiring Workflow Guide

BambooHR Applicant Tracking System (ATS) helps you manage job postings, resumes, interviews, and offers in one place. You enter a job opening, review candidates, and move them through a customizable pipeline until you hire someone. This guide explains the full workflow and how to get the most out of it.

What BambooHR ATS Does

BambooHR is a human resources software suite, and its ATS is the hiring module. It centralizes the entire recruitment process: you create a job, publish it to free and paid job boards, collect applications, and then track each candidate’s progress through stages like “Applied,” “Screened,” “Interview,” and “Offer.” The system stores resumes, emails, interview notes, and scores in one candidate profile, so everyone on your hiring team sees the same information.

It integrates with your company’s HR data. When you hire someone, their application details can flow directly into an employee record, avoiding duplicate data entry. This makes BambooHR particularly attractive for small to mid-sized companies that want an all-in-one HR platform rather than a standalone ATS.

Setting Up Your Hiring Pipeline

Before posting a job, you configure your pipeline in BambooHR. The default pipeline includes typical stages, but you can customize it to match your process.

1. Go to Settings > Applicant Tracking > Hiring Workflow.
2. Edit the stages. Common ones are: Applied, Screening, Interview, Reference Check, Offer, Hired.
3. Add or remove stages based on your needs. For example, you might add a “Skills Test” stage.
4. Set which stages are “hired” and “disqualified” so the system knows the final outcomes.
5. Assign hiring team members to each job; they’ll get access to candidates and can be notified of updates.

You can also create multiple pipelines for different departments. A tech role might have a technical interview stage, while a sales role might have a presentation stage.

Creating and Posting a Job

To start a new hire, click New Job in the ATS. Fill in the job title, department, location, employment type, and a description. BambooHR gives you a template with sections like responsibilities and qualifications, which you can edit.

Once saved, you can post the job to:

• BambooHR’s free job board (careers page hosted by BambooHR).
• Paid job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor through integrations (these may require separate accounts and fees).
• Your own career site via a link or embed code.

Each posting can have a custom application form. You can require a resume, cover letter, or specific questions. You can also set up screening questions that automatically disqualify candidates who don’t meet must-have criteria.

Managing Candidates

Applications land in your pipeline at the first stage. From there, you and your team can:

• View profiles that show resume, cover letter, answers to questions, and any attachments.
• Send emails directly from the system, using templates for scheduling interviews or sending rejection notices.
• Leave internal notes visible only to your team.
• Rate candidates with a star system or custom scorecards.
• Drag and drop candidates between stages to update their status.

BambooHR also offers a Chrome extension that lets you source candidates from LinkedIn and other sites. When you find a profile, you can add them as a candidate in BambooHR with one click, even if they haven’t applied.

Interview Scheduling and Feedback

BambooHR doesn’t have a built-in calendar, but it integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook, and Office 365. When you want to schedule an interview, you can use the integration to check availability and send invites. The candidate receives a calendar invite with a link if it’s a video interview.

After the interview, interviewers can submit feedback through the system. You can create custom scorecards with questions and rating scales. This feedback is stored on the candidate’s profile, giving you a structured way to compare candidates.

One common issue is that interviewers forget to submit feedback. BambooHR allows you to set reminders or make feedback mandatory before a candidate can be moved to the next stage.

Making an Offer and Hiring

When you’ve chosen your candidate, you can create an offer letter in BambooHR. The system has templates that pull data from the candidate’s profile and your company’s settings (like salary ranges and benefits). You can customize the letter, then send it for e-signature.

Once the candidate signs, you can move them to the “Hired” stage. BambooHR will then prompt you to create an employee record. This pre-populates their personal details, contact info, and start date into the HR module. You can then initiate onboarding tasks like sending offer letters, setting up benefits, and assigning training.

Common Problems and Misconceptions

One misconception is that BambooHR ATS is only for small companies. While it’s popular with SMBs, it can handle larger volumes, but it lacks some advanced features of enterprise ATS like complex reporting or AI-based candidate ranking.

Another issue is duplicate candidates. If someone applies to two jobs, they appear as separate records. You can merge them, but it’s not automatic. Also, the system doesn’t parse resumes into structured data as deeply as some dedicated ATSs; you’ll often read the resume itself rather than relying on extracted fields.

Users sometimes complain about limited customization for application forms. You can add questions, but you can’t create complex conditional logic. For most roles, the standard forms suffice.

BambooHR vs. Standalone ATS

If you already use BambooHR for HR, adding the ATS is seamless. You get a unified system where employee data flows from applicant to onboarding. The cost is typically bundled with the HR plan.

Standalone ATSs like Greenhouse or Lever offer more advanced recruiting features: better reporting, more integrations, and more granular pipeline control. They also tend to be more expensive and require integration with your HRIS.

For companies that hire less than 50 people per year and want simplicity, BambooHR is often the right choice. For high-volume recruiting or complex hiring workflows, a dedicated ATS might be better.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does BambooHR ATS cost extra?

BambooHR’s ATS is included in their Core and Pro plans, but you should check the latest pricing as they occasionally change tiers. There may be additional costs for job board integrations.

Can I post to multiple job boards automatically?

Yes, BambooHR integrates with several job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor. You can select which boards to post to when creating a job. Some boards require a paid subscription or separate contract.

How do I reject a candidate professionally?

Use the email templates in BambooHR. You can send a rejection email that is personalized with the candidate’s name and the job title. The system will automatically update the candidate’s status to “Disqualified” if you choose that option.

Can candidates apply through my company website?

Yes, BambooHR provides a hosted careers page that you can link to from your website. You can also embed a job widget or use an API to display jobs on your site. Applications submitted through these channels go directly into the ATS.

Is there a mobile app for hiring managers?

BambooHR has a mobile app for iOS and Android. Hiring managers can review candidates, leave notes, and update stages from their phones, though some features like building reports are limited on mobile.

Can I track EEO/OFCCP data?

Yes, BambooHR allows you to collect voluntary self-identification data (race, gender, veteran status) from applicants. This data is kept separate from the hiring process and can be reported on for compliance.

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