First of all, Custom Variables can be a confusing topic. We have done our best to explain what they are in a non-technical way.

To begin with, let's take a look at why most talenthub clients use Custom Variables.

When you collect feedback with talenthub and are not using one of our ATS integrations [Greenhouse, Lever or SmartRecruiters], we cannot give you any information about the candidate or the role they applied for.

In most cases, you will want to be able to filter and segment feedback, so when you have low scores or negative comments, you can see information such as;

We use Custom Variables to get those pieces of information through your Applicant Tracking System.

Custom Variables are picked up through your email template. Most Applicant Tracking Systems support merge fields/tokens/data fields (often named differently depending on the system) that automatically insert the candidate name, sender, job title etc.

In the example below, the merge fields are highlighted in yellow. This looks slightly different depending on which ATS you are using, but it often looks similar to this 👇

Please note that you don't need to insert or use the merge field inside the email; it just needs to be available inside the system. Sometimes data security may ask questions on how this works. You can read a more technical explanation here.

Below you can read more about what information we need to pick up rich data about your hiring process with Custom Variables.

Luckily, you only need to forward the Custom Variable merge field to your point of contact from Talenthub - we will then guide you on how to set it up inside your email templates.

If you are using an ATS from the list below, please click on it; that will take you to a step by step guide on how you find it inside your recruitment system.

Not tested

If you are using an ATS on the list below, unfortunately, Custom Variables aren't supported due to the technical specifications of their email builder.

How can you get the information from our ATS without integration into our HR system?

It works exactly the same way as the placeholders you use to insert things like the candidate/recruiter name or job title in your standard email templates.

The difference is that instead of using them as standard text to say something like "Hi {Candidate_Name}! Thank you for applying to become our next {Job_Title}" we insert it at the end of the link using something called "query parameters".

For this example, we'll use [RECRUITER_ID], [JOB_REQ_ID] and [DEPARTMENT_ID], which are typical merge fields*.

By applying the survey link and adding the identifier for the merge fields + the merge fields themselves, we'll end up with a final dynamic link looking like this:

https://app.talenthub.io/feedback_link/example1?Recruiter=[RECRUITER_ID]&Job_ID=[JOB_REQ_ID]&Department=[DEPARTMENT_ID]

When the talenthub survey link is added to an email template and sent to a candidate, the ATS will replace all merge fields with the actual value from the data field inside your system. This is how we get the information from your recruitment software into Talenthub; by having your system add the data to the actual Survey URL link.

*NB: the fields can also look like {{merge_fields}}, [[merge_fields]] or something else. The identifier and definition depend on the ATS. The rule is to paste the same format and identifiers from the ATS into the survey link.