YOUR ATS IS EITHER WORKING FOR YOU OR AGAINST YOU
ATS Health Audit Checklist
Your Recruiting Operations Diagnostic
You know how to recruit. But if your ATS is misconfigured, your data is messy, or your hiring managers are working around the system instead of inside it, every req is harder than it needs to be.
This checklist gives you 30 specific things to evaluate — across configuration, data integrity, and workflow — so you know exactly where your system is an asset and where it's creating drag.
What's inside:
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Configuration checks that catch phantom stages, stale templates, and permission gaps before they slow your next search
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Data integrity audits so your source-of-hire, pipeline velocity, and offer data are actually usable when you need them
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Workflow diagnostics that reveal whether your process lives in the ATS or in someone's inbox
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A scoring guide that tells you whether your ATS is an asset, functional with gaps, or creating more work than it saves
Download the Checklist
WHAT'S INSIDE
Your Complete ATS Diagnostic
Start With Configuration
- Job stages, required fields, and disqualification reasons aligned to your hiring process
- Offer and rejection templates that are current, legal, and ready to use
- Role-specific scorecards, documented custom fields, and up-to-date user permissions
Clean Up Your Data
- Source-of-hire and pipeline stage dates being logged consistently
- Velocity metrics available in real time — no spreadsheet required
- Candidate dispositions current, offer data captured, requisitions reflecting reality
- A data retention policy that exists and is being followed
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Diagnose Your Workflow
- Hiring managers aligned on stage movement and timing
- Scorecards, approvals, and communications living inside the system
- Job postings consistent in format and requirements across all roles
- A documented pipeline review cadence — and evidence it's actually happening
Know Where You Stand
- A scoring guide with three tiers: ATS as an asset, functional with gaps, or creating more work than it saves
- Clear guidance on where to prioritize fixes first
- A direct path to RecOps support if your score reveals deeper issues
Four Reasons This Audit Matters Before You Hire
Benefit 1: Catch Problems Before They Compound
A misconfigured ATS at 5 reqs is a minor inconvenience. At 50, it's a sourcing crisis. This checklist surfaces the gaps while you still have time to fix them.
Benefit 2: Stop Losing Candidate Context
If your recruiters are keeping notes in email, candidates are falling through the cracks. This audit tells you whether your ATS is the system of record — or just the system of last resort.
Benefit 3: Get Your Hiring Managers Aligned
When everyone follows a different version of your process, your pipeline data is fiction. The workflow section of this checklist shows you exactly where alignment breaks down.
Benefit 4: Know What to Fix First
Not all gaps are equal. The scoring guide helps you triage: protect your clean data, close your configuration gaps, and address your workflow issues in the right order.
Benefit 5: Build the Foundation RecOps Needs
Whether you're planning a hiring surge or a system migration, a healthy ATS is the starting point. This checklist shows you what "healthy" looks like — and how far you are from it.
Benefit 6: Get to Answers Faster
This is a working diagnostic, not a theoretical framework. Print it, share it with your team, and complete it in one sitting. You'll know your score before the afternoon is over.
This checklist is a self-assessment tool. Scores below 15 may indicate a need for a more comprehensive RecOps audit.
