Sterling–Greenhouse Integration: Streamline Background and Reference Screening

The Sterling integration for Greenhouse provides a pre-built, turnkey connection that lets recruiters initiate, track, and receive background screening results from inside the Greenhouse Recruiting platform. It reduces manual data entry, centralizes screening workflows, and surfaces final reports and status updates without switching tools. This article explains how the integration works, which teams and hiring scenarios benefit most, practical implementation considerations, measurable benefits, and best practices for maximizing value from the Sterling + Greenhouse pairing.

At a technical level, Sterling acts as a preferred partner with Greenhouse: the integration pulls candidate and job data from Greenhouse, pre-populates Sterling screening orders, and pushes status and a report link back to the candidate record. The result is a closed-loop screening process that preserves audit trails and reduces repetitive entry errors.

Key features of the Sterling–Greenhouse integration

• Centralized order management Initiate background checks directly from a candidate's Greenhouse profile and view order status without leaving the ATS.
• Data pre-population Candidate and requisition fields are mapped automatically to Sterling forms, lowering entry errors and accelerating order creation.
• Real-time status updates Progress markers and a link to the final report are posted back to Greenhouse so hiring teams have a single source of truth.
• Candidate Hub A mobile-responsive candidate experience supports information collection in 15+ languages, improving completion rates globally.
• Global compliance and scale Supports regional data housing and multi-regional screening requirements across APAC, EMEA, South America, and North America.
• Dedicated implementation and support Sterling provides advisory support and automated tools during requirements gathering, testing, and go-live.

Who should consider this integration

• Enterprise and multi-region employers Companies operating across countries who need consistent screening workflows and regional compliance controls.
• High-volume recruiting teams Recruiters filling many roles benefit from automation that reduces per-order manual work and speeds time-to-hire.
• Teams requiring auditability Organizations that need traceable screening steps and consolidated reporting for audits or regulatory reviews.
• Small to mid-size companies scaling HR ops Firms without large in-house screening teams can lean on the turnkey integration to accelerate hiring operations.
• RPOs and staffing partners Partners who manage screening at scale for multiple clients and need consistent integration with client ATS instances.

Supported scope: regions, languages, company sizes, and screening tools

Typical workflow: a recruiter in Greenhouse selects a candidate, chooses the screening package, and places an order that pulls candidate details into Sterling. Sterling sends the candidate an invite to the Candidate Hub to collect consent and supplemental data; status updates and a final report link return to Greenhouse. This preserves the ATS candidate timeline and minimizes tool-switching.

Implementation checklist for a smooth go-live

• Requirements gathering Define which roles require screening, regional data handling rules, and which Sterling packages to enable.
• Field mapping Map Greenhouse candidate and job fields to Sterling order fields to ensure accurate pre-population.
• API and permission setup Configure API keys, webhooks, and user permissions in Greenhouse and Sterling.
• End-to-end testing Run test candidates through the flow, verify status callbacks, and confirm final report links appear in Greenhouse.
• Training and documentation Train recruiters and hiring managers on the new flow and provide troubleshooting steps for common issues.

Data and compliance considerations: identify where candidate data will be stored, confirm regional data residency rules, and ensure candidate consent flows meet local legal requirements. Maintain audit logs for each screening action and limit Greenhouse user roles to those who require access to screening data.

Common questions about the Sterling–Greenhouse integration

Key benefits and measurable outcomes

Troubleshooting and maintenance tips: keep a small test queue for new screening packages, monitor webhook logs for failed callbacks, and schedule quarterly reviews of field mappings after Greenhouse schema changes. Maintain a support channel between HRIS, recruiters, and Sterling to resolve edge cases quickly.

KPIs to track after deploying the integration

• Time-to-complete-screening Average time from order placement to final report available in Greenhouse.
• Candidate form completion rate Percent of candidates who complete Candidate Hub flows without reminders.
• Order error rate Percentage of orders that require manual correction due to data mismatches.
• Recruiter time saved Estimated hours saved per recruiter per week on manual data entry and follow-ups.

Alternatives and when to choose them: some teams opt for standalone screening portals or manual order entry when needs are low-volume or highly customized. Choose the Sterling integration when you want a supported, pre-built experience that reduces ATS context switching and scales across regions with built-in language and compliance features.

Cost considerations and support model

Best practices summary: document role-based screening rules before implementation, map the minimal fields needed for accurate orders, run pilot groups to validate candidate flows in target geographies, and track the KPIs above to justify ROI. Maintain a tight feedback loop between recruiters and Sterling to iterate on candidate invites and reduce drop-offs.