Source Tag URL for External Applicant Tracking Systems

This guide will help you ensure that each and every job posted by your company has the appropriate source tags set up for Handshake.

This is important because it allows your ATS to recognize Handshake as the source for your candidates.

Since Handshake can only recognize an applicant as someone who clicked on the “apply externally” button, it’s essential for the source to be tracked in your ATS once they are redirected from the Handshake site. This ultimately allows you to see which of your candidates you interviewed, hired, etc. were sourced from Handshake!

Source Tags

A source tag is a string of text appended to a URL that contains instructions for the ATS on how to track the referral source. Different ATS systems have different names for these tools, but their purpose is the same. Some of these names include; “tracking link” “source tracking” “tracking code” “source code”.

Properly configured source tags are necessary for the ATS to automatically know a given applicant was referred to a job post by Handshake.

Source tags are typically structured as a URL parameter. URL parameters (sometimes called query strings) are the part of the weblink that follows a single question mark. Multiple parameters can be appended to a single URL separated by ampersands.

Here is an example of what a typical ATS source tag looks like: www.companyname.com/careers/jobID12345/source=Handshake

Configuring your Source Tag

To configure your source tag, you will need to refer to the support documents of your ATS partner. They should all have resources to help retrieve your source tags.

These resources should contain the following information:

ATS name
Name of concept: how the ATS refers to source tag
Example URL: a sample job link URL with the source tag component bolded
Source tag structure: a generic example of the source tag
Cross-session Attribution: does the ATS support auto-tracking if the candidate leaves the site and then returns? Typically true if the source tag adds a browser cookie.
Configuration: if the ATS requires each source to be configured before it can accept a new source for Handshake, a rough guide will be provided here with a link to the exact instructions from the ATS provider

Note: If you are currently posting manually on job boards like Indeed, LinkedIn, or Glassdoor, this is likely the same process that you’ve done before if you’re tracking those sites as candidate sources in your ATS.

If you're still not sure how to configure your source tag, the ATS support team should be able to help you find this URL!

Using the Source Tag in Handshake

Now that you have successfully configured your source tag, you can apply it in Handshake!

To add the source tag URL to a new job:

1. Click Jobs on the left navigation bar.

2. Click Create Job button in the upper-right corner of the page.

3. On the Basics tab, add the source tag URL in the section that states Website or Applicant Tracking System URL.

This will be the link that directs students to your ATS to apply for the job after they click the "apply externally" button in Handshake.

4. Finish the job creation process and Save.

If you need assistance with creating the job, refer to How to Post a Job.

To add the source tag URL to an already existing new job: