Overview

iCIMS’ Text Engagement integrates with Microsoft Exchange 2010, 2013, 2016 and Office 365 calendars to allow users to schedule interviews with candidates. Additionally, candidates can view Text Engagement users’ free/busy times from integrated calendars when scheduling via calendar links.

Text Engagement supports Office 365 global authentication to connect calendars automatically for all Text Engagement users. Without global authentication, each user must authenticate by entering their own individual credentials and logging in manually to connect their calendar. Enabling Office 365 Global Authentication allows iCIMS to automate authentication for all applicable Text Engagement users, eliminating the manual process of individual authentication.

It is important to note that this process must be approved by your IT department. They must create a service account with read and write permissions to their users’ calendars in order for this integration to work.

Notes:

• The Connecting and Using Calendars article outlines the process to manually connect a Microsoft or Google calendar with iCIMS’ Text Engagement.
• Global authentication is not available for Google calendars.

This article outlines the criteria IT administrators must meet on behalf of your organization to be eligible for global authentication with Text Engagement via Exchange Web Services (EWS) API. iCIMS staff can enable global authentication for customers once the appropriate access criteria have been met and provided to iCIMS.

Requirements for Global Authentication Setup

There are a number of criteria that must be met in order for iCIMS staff to enable global authentication for Text Engagement users’ Microsoft calendars; these requirements are outlined below:

• Allowlist IP Addresses: Allow the following iCIMS IP addresses to access your organization’s network: 54.227.180.161 and 50.238.217.106.
  • Note: This allows Text Engagement to access your service account for impersonation so that candidates can view available timeslots and schedule interviews.
• Provide the Exchange URL: Provide iCIMS your organization’s Exchange URL.
• Provide Credentials to a Service Account with Read/Write Permissions: Provide iCIMS the credentials (i.e., username and password) for the service account to be used. The service account must be configured for Application Impersonation, including granting access to read and write to calendars through a service account with account impersonation. These are required permissions for Text Engagement to connect to users’ calendars.
  • Note: It is recommended that IT admins configure Management Scope to manage the user access permissions for the account. The accounts of applicable Text Engagement users should be included within the scope of the account so that Text Engagement can access their calendars while impersonating the user.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I locate my Exchange URL?
To locate the URL, follow the steps below. Note that this process may not work with all versions of Microsoft Outlook. Please consult your organization’s internal IT team for assistance.

1. Navigate to the system tray and locate the Microsoft Outlook icon.
2. Hold the CTRL key and right-click the Microsoft Outlook icon.
3. Click the Test Email AutoConfiguration option.

4. Select only the Use AutoDiscover checkbox, then click Test.
5. In the search results, navigate to the line beginning with Availability Service URL, which should include your organization's Exchange EWS URL.

How can I create a service account?
The following steps outline how to create a service account for Office 365.

1. Navigate to the Exchange admin center and click Recipients.
2. Click Add (plus sign) to add a new user mailbox.
3. Enter the user details and click Save to create the user.
4. Configure the ApplicationImpersonation role for the user. For more information, review this Microsoft help resource.

How can I configure Management Scope to limit the number of users Text Engagement has access to?
Review this Microsoft help resource for information on configuring Management Scope.

The iCIMS Technical Support team asked my organization to take a Microsoft Connectivity Test and we failed some or all of it. What can we do now?
If you are experiencing problems setting up global authentication, iCIMS Technical Support may ask you to complete a Microsoft Connectivity Test at https://testconnectivity.microsoft.com.

A failed test indicates that EWS is unavailable, which the Text Engagement system uses to facilitate global authentication. To resolve this issue, your internal IT team should configure your organization's EWS to make it available for the web. (Note that iCIMS Technical Support is unable to make these configurations as only your internal IT team can configure your organization’s EWS settings.)

Will candidates be able to see meeting details with Office 365 global authentication enabled?
No, meeting details from Office 365 are not available within the Text Engagement system; connecting a calendar only allows candidates access to the recruiter's free/busy information.

Does my organization need SSO setup for Office 365 global authentication?
Your organization does not need SSO setup for Office 365 global authentication. Calendar setup is a standalone application that is separate from SSO.