Indeed Candidate Sync: Automate Sourced Candidate Intake into Greenhouse

Indeed Candidate Sync is an integration that moves positive candidate responses from Indeed Smart Sourcing directly into Greenhouse, helping teams consolidate sourced profiles into their ATS without manual data entry. It is designed to reduce repetitive tasks by linking Indeed outreach to a job requisition and automatically delivering profiles that responded positively to outreach into the Greenhouse candidate pipeline. This article explains exactly how the integration works, which teams and company sizes benefit most, and the practical steps, metrics, and best practices to get the most value from the sync. You’ll find implementation checklists, data-mapping notes, and comparisons to related Indeed integrations so you can plan rollout and measure impact efficiently.

What Indeed Candidate Sync Actually Does

• Transfers positive pre-apply connections When a candidate responds positively to outreach via Indeed Smart Sourcing (pre-apply), Candidate Sync pushes that candidate profile into Greenhouse linked to the targeted requisition.
• Eliminates manual profile entry Resume details, contact information and source metadata are delivered to Greenhouse so recruiters don’t need to re-key candidate data.
• Consolidates candidate records All positive connections from Indeed become part of the Greenhouse record for that job, improving pipeline visibility and reporting.
• Requires Smart Sourcing Pro Using the integration to deliver pre-apply connections requires a professional subscription to Indeed Smart Sourcing.

Who Benefits Most from the Integration

• High-volume talent teams Recruiting teams that run large outbound sourcing campaigns on Indeed and need a way to funnel responses directly into Greenhouse.
• Centralized ATS users Organizations using Greenhouse as their system of record that want all sourced candidate data consolidated for compliance and reporting.
• Sourcers and recruiters Sourcing teams that want to reduce administrative handoffs and shorten time-to-contact for promising candidates.
• Companies scaling hiring processes From startups growing headcount to enterprises, teams that need repeatable, auditable pipelines and lower manual workload.

Key Benefits — Practical Outcomes

• Faster pipeline conversion Positive connections appear directly in Greenhouse so follow-up and screening start sooner than when data is entered manually.
• Reduced manual errors Automated transfer keeps resumes and contact information accurate and reduces duplicate or missing data caused by manual entry.
• Improved recruiter productivity Teams save hours previously spent copying candidate details, enabling focus on outreach and assessment.
• Clear source attribution Candidates maintain their Indeed source metadata in Greenhouse, improving reporting and source ROI calculation.
• Scalable sourcing Works with large candidate pools (Indeed reports 330M+ sourceable profiles), making it suitable for sustained outreach programs.

Step-by-Step: How the Integration Flows

Data fields commonly synced include candidate name, contact information, resume or CV, work history, skills and source attribution. The integration is optimized for pre-apply profiles delivered as 'positive connections' from Smart Sourcing; post-apply application data is handled by Indeed Apply Sync, which delivers applications rather than pre-apply responses. Note that specific field availability depends on the candidate’s Indeed profile and consent — some enrichment fields or custom Greenhouse fields may require mapping or additional transformation steps during setup. Testing a few real candidate records during implementation helps verify the exact field set that will populate Greenhouse.

Implementation Checklist (Practical Setup Steps)

• Confirm subscriptions and permissions Ensure you have Indeed Smart Sourcing Pro and sufficient admin permissions in Greenhouse to install integrations.
• Connect accounts securely Follow the vendor documentation to authorize data transfer and scope permissions only to required job boards and requisitions.
• Map requisitions and fields Decide which job requisitions will receive positive connections and map any custom Greenhouse fields you want populated.
• Test with pilot campaigns Run a small sourcing campaign, confirm sync behavior, and validate that candidate records appear correctly in Greenhouse.
• Train recruiters Show recruiters how to find Indeed-sourced candidates in Greenhouse, recognize source tags, and handle duplicates.

Permission, privacy, and compliance are critical considerations. Indeed Candidate Sync operates under Indeed’s Candidate Sync privacy policy and integrates with Greenhouse support and settings for data retention and access controls. Make sure outreach messages include the appropriate consent language, and verify retention and deletion policies in both Indeed and Greenhouse to meet your internal privacy standards. Region availability in the provided context is North America; if your organization operates in other regions, confirm availability and local data residency or processing requirements with both vendors before rollout.

Candidate Sync vs Apply Sync — When to Use Each

KPIs to Track After You Enable Candidate Sync

• Time-to-first-contact Measure how much faster recruiters can reach out from the moment a candidate is identified in Greenhouse.
• Source-to-interview conversion Track the conversion rate of Indeed positive connections into screened interviews to evaluate quality of outreach.
• Manual entry hours saved Estimate recruiter hours previously spent on data entry and calculate time savings after automation.
• Data accuracy / duplicates Monitor duplicate creation rates and accuracy of transferred fields to ensure clean pipelines.

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

• Incorrect requisition mapping If a campaign isn’t tied to a requisition, candidate records may land in the wrong job — always verify mappings before mass outreach.
• Duplicate candidate records Set deduplication rules in Greenhouse and train recruiters to merge or link duplicate profiles.
• Assuming all fields will transfer Test actual candidate records — some profile fields may be absent depending on candidates’ Indeed profiles and consents.
• Not tracking source attribution Ensure source tags are enabled so you can accurately report on Indeed-originated pipeline and hires.

Example (hypothetical): A mid-sized technology company running targeted Smart Sourcing campaigns linked each campaign to specific Greenhouse requisitions. After enabling Candidate Sync and piloting with two roles, the team cut average time-to-first-screen by 40% and reclaimed roughly 8 recruiter hours per week previously used for data entry. The team used those reclaimed hours to increase personalized outreach and interview coordination, directly improving pipeline velocity. This illustrates how automating the transfer of pre-apply positive connections can have compound benefits: faster engagement, better recruiter utilization, and clearer reporting on sourcing effectiveness.

Best Practices for Sourcing and Outreach with Candidate Sync

• Personalize outreach at scale Use templates but customize the first line or role-specific details; higher-quality outreach increases positive connections and the value of the sync.
• Prioritize rapid follow-up Set SLA for first recruiter contact after a positive connection appears in Greenhouse (e.g., same business day) to improve conversion.
• Enrich where needed Use enrichment tools or manual notes for missing profile details before advancing candidates in the workflow.
• Monitor and iterate Regularly review KPIs and adjust sourcing messages, filters, and target requisitions based on conversion data.

Cost and scalability considerations: there is no partner implementation fee listed, which lowers upfront cost barriers for implementation, but using Candidate Sync requires an Indeed Smart Sourcing professional subscription. The integration itself is suited to organizations of varied sizes — from small teams that want to automate simple sourcing flows to enterprises running large-scale campaigns across many requisitions. Budget planning should include subscription costs for Smart Sourcing, potential internal hours for setup and training, and any tooling for deduplication or enrichment to ensure candidate records remain clean as volume grows.

Frequently Asked Questions