Trace Headcount is the workforce planning platform of choice for some of the best-run companies. Trace helps finance, talent, HR, and management collaborate on headcount planning and related workflows. Trace allows businesses to operate more efficiently by eliminating busy-work and keeping everyone aligned.
Trace’s workforce planning platform provides the following core capabilities: headcount planning, position management, org charts & workforce views, headcount analytics, budget management, and recruiting ops automation.
Trace’s integration with Greenhouse Recruiting enables the following recruiting automation:
- Streamline the creation of jobs in Trace. Auto-populate job fields from approved and open positions in Trace, then sync to create a new Job. Reduce manual data-entry and improve accuracy. Manage the job in Greenhouse from there.
- Automate the creation of job openings in Trace. Associate approved and open positions in Trace with existing Jobs synced from Greenhouse, then sync to create a new opening. Reduce manual data-entry and improve accuracy. Manage the opening in Greenhouse from there.
- Provide visibility and automate headcount reconciliations. Greenhouse sends Trace information such as opening status and candidate name. Trace gives teams visibility into hiring performance and automatically fills open positions with new employees.
Enable the Greenhouse Recruiting / Trace integration
Create a Harvest API key for the Trace integration
To configure the Greenhouse Recruiting / Trace integration, you’ll need to create a Harvest API key.
Follow the steps in this article to create the key, and verify that the permissions below are selected when configuring the Trace integration.
Credentials
In the Create New Credential box, make the following selections:
- API Type: Harvest
- Partner: Trace or Unlisted Vendor
- Description: Trace Harvest API Key
Permissions
Verify that the following permissions are selected for the Trace integration:
Applications
- GET: List Applications
Candidates
- GET: List Candidates
Users
- GET: List Users
Departments
- GET: List Departments
Jobs
- GET: List Jobs
- PATCH: Update Job
- POST: Create a new job
- POST: Add hiring team member
Job Openings
- GET: List Openings For a Job
- POST: Create openings
- PATCH: Edit openings
Offices
- GET: List Offices
Custom Fields
- GET: Get custom fields
Custom Fields Options
- GET: Custom field options
Close Reasons
- GET:Get close reasons
When finished, click Save.
Your Harvest API key for the Greenhouse Recruiting / Trace integration is created and configured.
Copy the Harvest API key to provide to Trace in the last step.
Configure an integration user in Greenhouse Recruiting
Note: Prior to completing setup, Trace recommends creating an integration system user (ISU) to associate with partner updates. Rather than requiring a specific user at your organization to authenticate an integration, which could cause downstream errors if the person loses permissions or cannot access Greenhouse Recruiting, an ISU allows you to create a solid infrastructure for your organization's integration needs. Learn more.
In addition to a Harvest API key, the Trace integration requires a Greenhouse User ID to create jobs and openings.
Option 1 (recommended): Create a new integration system user (ISU)
To best track activities performed by the integration, it is recommended that you create a new user within Greenhouse Recruiting. Follow the steps in this Greenhouse article to create the user.
- The user’s email can be anything; consider trace-integrations@ for easy identification.
- The interviewer tags should be left blank.
- For the account permissions, assign the Site Admin permission level and select the following user-specific permissions:
- Create and view private candidates
- See private notes, salary info, manage offers, request approval, and approve jobs/offers
Option 2: Use a generic user
Alternatively, a generic user, such as recruiting@, can be used for your Trace integration. You should refrain from using a specific person, such as sally@, to avoid the integration breaking after someone leaves the organization.
To reuse an existing user, you must ensure they have the same permissions mentioned in Option 1. Follow the steps in this Greenhouse article to manage a user’s permissions.
- For the account permissions, assign the Site Admin permission level and select the following user-specific permissions:
- Create and view private candidates
- See private notes, salary info, manage offers, request approval, and approve jobs/offers
Retrieve the integration user ID
After configuring your integration user for the Trace / Greenhouse Recruiting integration, you'll need to retrieve the user ID for the user account.
Click the Configure icon on your navigation bar and then, click the Users tab from the left-hand panel.
Click Export to Excel.
A spreadsheet will be downloaded to your computer. Open the Excel file and locate the user ID in the User ID column.
Evaluate custom fields in Greenhouse Recruiting
When Trace creates a job and/or job opening within Greenhouse Recruiting, you can automatically use data that has been reviewed and approved within Trace. Created custom fields in Greenhouse are mapped to their related fields within Trace to do this effectively.
At a minimum, the custom fields need to be added as either a custom job field or a custom opening field. The more fields mapped between Trace and Greenhouse Recruiting, the less manual work will be required.
To view or add custom fields, click the Configure icon on your navigation bar, then click Custom Options.
For the Trace integration, select either Jobs or Openings from the listed options to add or review the created fields.
When reviewing your custom fields, you'll see the configured Field type, Options, Immutable field key and other details that will sync within Trace.
Save when finished.
Provide your API key credentials to Trace
After creating your API key, integration user, and custom fields to be mapped, you will be ready to connect your created credentials within Trace to begin syncing.
Provide the following details to Trace:
- Harvest API Key (shared securely; here is a tool to help)
- Greenhouse User ID
Trace will work with you to use the additional information regarding the Greenhouse Recruiting custom fields and will complete the integration setup.
Use the Trace integration with Greenhouse Recruiting
Once the Trace / Greenhouse Recruiting integration is enabled, you can plan, request, and automate new job creation in Trace. Once a position is approved for recruiting, users can automate the Job creation process.
- On the Trace Position, select Create a new Greenhouse job
- The Job form will pre-populate with accurate data and allow users to input other required or custom fields from Greenhouse Recruiting
- Once saved, select Sync to ATS to send the new Job to Greenhouse
Note: Creating a Job from Trace will also create an opening for that job in Greenhouse Recruiting. The Trace Position will be associated with the Job and Opening.
When approved Positions in Trace are opened for Jobs that already exist in Greenhouse, you can associate the Position with a Job and automate the Opening creation process.
- Identify the position from the Trace Headcount Table or Position form.
- Select the Greenhouse Job on the Position.
- Once saved, select “Sync to ATS” to create a new Opening for the Job in Greenhouse Recruiting.
Once a Position has been associated with an Opening, it will sync the Opening Status to give visibility to hiring progress.
When the Opening has been filled, Trace will receive the candidate's name and mark the position as filled. Candidates will sync to Trace from the HR system, and will be automatically assigned as an employee to their Position.
Additional resources
If you’d like to learn more about Trace, visit their website at www.tracehq.com. If you’d like to visit the help center for Trace’s integration with Greenhouse, see the Integrations section of the Trace Support center.
For additional information not covered here, please reach out to:
Katherine Mitchell
Customer Success Lead, Trace
If you’d like to learn more or see a demo of Trace Headcount, please reach out to:
Matt Gonzalez
VP Sales, Trace