The PeopleHR and Access Screening integration lets you start candidate background checks from an applicant record in the PeopleHR applicant tracking system (ATS). Access Screening sends status updates and completed results back to PeopleHR in real time, so you don't need to leave PeopleHR.

Watch the video for a walkthrough of the full setup and screening process:

Data the integration transfers

PeopleHR ATS and Access Screening exchange the following data.

Sent from PeopleHR to Access Screening

First name, required
Last name, required
Email address, required
Tags, required only if the selected workflow needs them
Brand and workflow
Operator, which is the mapped PeopleHR user

Returned from Access Screening to PeopleHR

Background check status
Data check results
Screening report as a portable document format (PDF) file
Documents the candidate submits

📌Note: The integration doesn't exchange tags returned from Access Screening, or static questions and answers. PeopleHR ATS also doesn't store dates, such as issue or expiry dates, for documents the candidate provides during the background check.

How updates transfer

PeopleHR and Access Screening send status updates to each other automatically every two minutes. For an immediate update, use the Refresh Status button.

Set up user mapping

User mapping connects each PeopleHR ATS user to their operator in Access Screening. Each user needs a mapping before they can submit background checks. To set up a mapping:

Click Access Button then click HR Admin.
Click Settings then click ATS.
Click Access Screening, then select Add User Mapping.
Select the PeopleHR user, then select their matching Access Screening operator.
Click Save Mapping.

📌Note: Only users with the Operator role in Access Screening appear in the list. The application programming interface (API) user doesn't. You can map each PeopleHR ATS user to one operator only. To delete a mapping, click the bin icon. The user immediately loses the ability to submit background checks.

Sync Access Screening data

To refresh operator, brand, workflow and tags data:

On the Access Screening settings screen, click Sync Access Screening.

A sync keeps your existing mappings.

⚠️Important: Access Screening data doesn't sync automatically. Run the sync again whenever brands, workflows or user access change in Access Screening.

📌Note: If you remove a user's access in Access Screening, they show as Inactive in the User Mapping table after the next sync and can't submit screenings in PeopleHR ATS. If you no longer need the mapping, delete it from the User Mapping table. If a user's brand permissions change in Access Screening and you haven't run a sync, the user sees an error when they submit a screening for a brand they can no longer use.

Before you submit a background check

Check that the following are in place:

Operator mapping: you need a mapping to an Access Screening operator, or the submit option doesn't appear.
Email address on the applicant record: the applicant needs an email address on their PeopleHR ATS record, or PeopleHR blocks the submission.
Brand and workflow access: the drop-down menus only show the brands and workflows the mapped operator can use in Access Screening.

Run a check and see the results

Every candidate needs an applicant record in PeopleHR ATS, either added manually or through the ATS API. The steps are the same however you added the applicant.

📌Note: The ATS pipeline stage doesn't affect screening. The Screening tab is available at every stage.

To run a background check:

Click the applicant record in PeopleHR ATS, then click the Screening tab.
Select the brand, workflow and any tags the workflow needs.
Click Submit Screening.

After you submit the check:

The status changes to Waiting for Candidate. Click Link next to the status to see more in Access Screening.
The candidate gets an email with a link to complete their details in the candidate portal.
The status updates automatically as the candidate progresses, for example to In Progress. To update it straight away, click Refresh Status on the Screening tab.
When the check finishes, the status changes to Completed. PeopleHR adds the report and any candidate documents to the applicant's Files tab, and the data check results to the Data Checks tab.

Once you've reviewed the outcome:

Move the applicant to the Accepted stage to start the New Starter Wizard.
Complete the wizard to create the employee record. PeopleHR moves the documents from the applicant record to the new employee record.

⚠️Important: PeopleHR doesn't stop you moving an applicant to Accepted before you review the screening outcome. Always check the result first.

Set up the PeopleHR and Access Screening integration