| Note: This article pertains to iCIMS Applicant Tracking (ATS) approval processes. If you are using iCIMS Offer Management to manage the offer process, refer to the following resources:
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Overview
iCIMS Applicant Tracking enables users to submit candidates, offers, jobs and iForms through an approval chain prior to taking action on the item. The list of approvers who will receive the request for approval may be created on an ad hoc basis or may derive from a Global Approval List.
Global approval lists can be specific for one kind of approval (i.e., candidate approval, iForm approval, job approval, or offer approval). The advantage to creating a list for a specific kind of approval is that this list can include any combination of specific persons (e.g., Sally Smith) or relational persons (e.g., Recruiter for this Job).
The iCIMS system can also support general universal lists. A universal list may only include specific persons; if enabled, this kind of list can be selected during any type of approval. By default, universal lists will not display to users within approval screens; universal lists must be enabled during implementation or by iCIMS Technical Support if desired.
Global approval lists may be created and managed by a user admin. The user admin can create global approval lists of any type, even if a specific kind of approval is not enabled in the broader system. Note that users will only be able to use global approval lists for enabled approval types (e.g., if candidate approvals are not enabled in your system, there will be no way for recruiters to access candidate global approval lists). Submit a case to iCIMS Technical Support for assistance if any approval types need to be enabled in your system.
Creating a Global Approval List
The steps below describe creating a global approval list that is only available for job approvals. The steps for creating a candidate, iForm, offer, or universal global approval list are similar.
- Select Admin on the menu bar, then select System Configuration.
- Search System Configuration for Global Approval Lists or navigate to Applicant Tracking > Configure > Approval Settings and locate the Global Approval Lists item. Select Manage.
- Select Create Approval List. Then, select Job Approval from the dropdown options.
- Once the approval type for a list has been selected, it cannot be modified. For example, once the user admin selects Job Approval, any list created must be a Job Approval list. To create a different type of list instead, the user admin must start this process over.
- Enter a name for the list in the List Title field.
- It is possible to create multiple lists with the same title; however, this is not recommended, as it will likely be confusing to users. (Note that a title is required; a global approval list cannot be saved without a title.)
- Locate the Add Approvers section. The dropdown to the immediate right of the Add Approvers label includes Person, Relational Person, and Global Approval List options. Add all desired persons and/or relational persons to the global approval list by following the appropriate steps below:
- Select Person to add a specific person to the global approval list. Select the Select dropdown to search for and select the correct approver by selecting their name.
- Select Relational Person to add a person with a specific relationship to the job to the global approval list. (Note: The Relational Person option is not available for universal lists.) In popup that displays, search for and/or identify the correct kind of approver. Select the correct title, and then select Add Selected.
(For example, to select the manager of the hiring manager for the job, select Relational Approvers > Detail Tab > Hiring Manager > Employee Tab > Manager, and then select Add Selected.)
To add additional Relational Persons, select the Show Relational Approver button.
iCIMS Recommendation: While not required, an HRIS integration/import that manages employee data and maintains hierarchical relationships is a great way to help ensure Relational Approver data stays up to date in the system.
- Select Global Approval List to add all persons and relational persons from a preexisting global approval list to this new list. (Note that only global approval lists of the same type and universal lists, if enabled, will be available.) Select the Select dropdown to search for and select the correct global approval list by selecting the name of the list. Note that the global approval list will populate as individual person or relational persons, not as a list, so that individuals can be removed or moved within the newly-created global approval list.
- Person, relational person, and global approval list selections may be made in any order, and adding a new selection will not overwrite existing approvers in the list.
- It is possible to add the same individual multiple times in a global approval list. An individual who appears multiple times (by name and/or by relationship) on a global approval list will receive the approval request multiple times.
- The Grip icon to the left of the approver name/title allows the user to move an approver to a different part of the list. Review the list before saving to make sure the list reflects the specific order in which individuals should receive the approval request.
- The red Delete icon on the right side of the row allows the user to delete an approver from the list.
- After reviewing the new global approval list, select Save to save this list.
Important Note: Once a recruiter selects a global approval list for a specific approval process, the Dynamic Approval List feature is designed to remove any relational persons the system cannot identify. This prevents the approval process from stalling.
For example, if an approval should be sent to the hiring manager’s manager, but that person is not listed on the hiring manager’s profile, that approver will be removed from the approval.
All unavailable approvers will display in red text to alert the user that these approvers are not available and will not be sent an approval message.
Should the user select Save & Begin Approval without removing these approvers, a warning will display to indicate that these approvers will be removed.
Editing a Global Approval List
- Select Admin on the menu bar, then select System Configuration.
- Search System Configuration for Global Approval Lists or navigate to Applicant Tracking > Configure > Approval Settings and locate the Global Approval Lists item. Select Manage.
- Identify the global approval list that requires editing. select the pencil Edit icon near the right side of the row to launch the Edit Global Approval List screen.
- Make all necessary changes to the List Title and/or add, delete, or move approvers within the list. When all desired changed have been made, select Save to save the list.
Tips:
- The system requires at least one change to be made for the Save button to operate. When the Save function is not available, the button will appear in a faded blue color.
- To delete a list, complete steps 1 and 2 above. Then, identify the global approval list that requires deletion, and select the red Delete button on the right side of the row. The system will display a confirmation message; select OK to permanently delete the list.
