Navigating the world of job postings can sometimes feel like assembling furniture without instructions—frustrating and time-consuming. But fear not! If you're looking to boost your job's visibility on Indeed through sponsored postings, we've got you covered with this step-by-step guide tailored for our Applicant Tracking System (ATS) users.
Why Consider Indeed Sponsored Postings?
While free job postings are great, they might not always attract the volume or quality of candidates you're seeking. Sponsoring your job on Indeed enhances its visibility, ensuring it reaches more potential applicants. Sponsored Jobs are also proven to lead to faster hires.
Getting Started with Indeed Sponsored Postings in Your ATS
Before diving in, make sure:
Your ATS user email matches your Indeed Employer Account email.
You have Admin rights on your Indeed Employer Account.
It's important to note that all users that order Indeed Sponsored Ads must be added as an Admin user on the Indeed Employer account and establish their account connection before they will be able to purchase Indeed Sponsored Ads in the ATS.Steps to Connect Your Indeed Employer Account to the ATS
1. Verify Your Email Consistency
In your ATS dashboard, click on the menu icon (usually in the upper right corner).
Select "Account Details" > "Manage Users."
Confirm that your listed email matches the one used for your Indeed Employer Account.
2. Check Your Indeed Account Access
Log into your Indeed Employer Account.
Navigate to the menu in the upper right and select "Users."
Make sure you're listed with the same email as in the ATS and have "Admin" access.
If not, click "Add users," input your ATS email, and assign "Admin" access.
Confirm any verification emails from Indeed to finalize the addition.
Establishing Connection(s)
1. Primary Account Owner - Establish the Main Connection
The Primary Account Owner—also known as the Indeed Employer Account Owner—is responsible for enabling Indeed Sponsored Ads on the account. Before other users can connect their individual accounts, the Primary Account Owner must first establish the main connection. Once that’s set up, additional users will be able to link their accounts and manage sponsored ads as needed (see the next step).
In the ATS, go to Main Menu > Account Details > Indeed Sponsored.
Click "Manage" next to your account.
Enter your Indeed Employer Account email. If you don't have an account, you'll be prompted to create one.
Grant the necessary permissions by clicking "Allow."
Select your employer name when prompted.
Upon a successful connection, you'll see a confirmation screen.
Once you’ve returned to Main Menu > Account Details > Indeed Sponsored, you should see a checkmark under both Parent and Individual, confirming that your account is successfully connected. At this point, individual users on your account will be able to connect their own accounts and start sponsoring jobs on Indeed.
NOTE: If you ever need to disable Indeed Sponsored on your account, just go to My Account > Account Details > Indeed Sponsored. Click Manage next to your account name, then select the red box labeled Disable Indeed For All Users.
2. Individual Users - Connect Your Accounts
Once your Indeed Account Owner has enabled Indeed Sponsored on your account, each individual user will need to connect their own Indeed account in order to post sponsored jobs through the ATS.
Important note: To post sponsored jobs via the ATS, the user must have Admin-level access on the Indeed account. Indeed restricts users with lower access levels from posting sponsored jobs through third-party platforms—they can only post directly on Indeed.
Additionally: Due to permission settings, some users may not have access to all functions in Account Details, however, they should always see the option for Indeed.
In the ATS, go to Main Menu > Account Details > Indeed Sponsored.
Click "Manage" next to your account.
Enter your Indeed Employer Account email and grant the required permissions.
After connecting through Indeed, you'll be directed back to the ATS and should see the following screen indicating that your account has been successfully connected. Should you need to disconnect, simply click the Disconnect Account button.
Understanding the Indeed Job Posting Process
To shed some light on how your job gets from the ATS to Indeed:
You create the job in the ATS.
The job is sent to Indeed via an XML feed.
Indeed scrapes that feed every 4–6 hours.
They map the job to the correct company page on their end.
The job appears on Indeed as a free listing.
When you purchase a sponsored ad, only the basic job details and budget are sent to Indeed via API. They use that info to find the job in their system and convert it from a free listing to a sponsored one.
But—and here's the kicker—if the job hasn’t appeared as a free listing yet, they won’t be able to find it. The sponsorship will be rejected.
Why the Wait?
Indeed is the only job board that requires this specific setup. We know it can be a bit frustrating—especially when you're ready to go live with a sponsored job—but they insist on this configuration for now.
Best Practice Recommendation
Wait until your job is visible on Indeed as a free listing before trying to sponsor it. Once it's live, you're clear to proceed with boosting its reach through sponsorship.
Need Help?
Not sure if your job is live on Indeed yet? Want help confirming the listing or navigating the connection process? Reach out to our support team—we’re happy to help make the sponsorship process smoother than a freshly paved road.
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