Credentialing & Credential Automation: How It All Works Together

Credentialing in Bullhorn connects three major systems—Bullhorn ATS, Bullhorn Automation, and Talent Platform—to create a seamless, end-to-end credentialing process.

This guide gives you an at-a-glance understanding of how requirements are created, delivered, completed, synchronized, and monitored, all without diving into configuration details. It’s the “big picture” your team needs before exploring individual workflows.

1. Where Credential Requirements Begin: Bullhorn ATS

Bullhorn ATS is the source of truth for what your organization requires from candidates.

Here, you create:

  • Credential Requirements

  • Credential Requirement Groups

  • Requirements associated with:

    • Company

    • Job

    • Candidate Credential Requirements

    • Placements

Once defined, ATS becomes the foundation for all downstream credentialing processes.

Key Takeaways

  • ATS houses your organization’s complete list of required credentials.

  • Adding requirements at the Company & Job level is the recommended method for consistency.

  • Requirements defined in ATS drive automation and Talent Platform workflows.

2. How Requirements Flow Through ATS

Bullhorn uses a cascading structure to keep requirements consistent throughout the hiring process:

  • Company > Job > Placement

When configured using the recommended approach:

  1. Requirements added to Company records automatically appear on new Jobs.

  2. When candidates are placed into those Jobs, requirements automatically appear on Placements are sent to the candidate record for the candidate to begin completing these requirements.

This eliminates redundant data entry and ensures credential expectations are consistent across the hiring funnel.

Key Takeaways

  • Requirements flow automatically when added at the Company level.

  • Jobs and Placements inherit requirements for faster setup and fewer errors.

  • This foundation is critical for downstream automation and credential matching.

3. How Automation Sends Credential Requests to Candidates

Bullhorn Automation delivers credential-related tasks to candidates at exactly the right moment.

Automation can handle:

  • Triggering credential requests when a placement is created

  • Sending reminders

  • Notifying internal teams

  • Managing expiration-based workflows

  • Re-engaging candidates who need to update items

  • Automation isn’t responsible for what the requirements are, only for ensuring the right tasks go to the right candidates based on the ATS data.

Key Takeaways

Automation handles timing, reminders, and communication.

Automations fire off based on ATS requirements, placement creation, and expiration dates.

This reduces manual follow-up and speeds up onboarding.

4. How Candidates Complete Credentials in Talent Platform

Once tasks are delivered through automation, candidates complete them in the Talent Platform Profile.

Depending on your configuration, candidates may:

  • Upload documents

  • Complete forms

  • Submit license data

  • Fill out skills checklists

Admins control which Talent Platform “credentials” map to and from ATS Credential Requirements, ensuring a one-to-one relationship between what the candidate sees and what ATS expects. Also allowing for Recruiters/Credentialing teams to still track requirements in the ATS on items candidates may not need to action within their onboarding documentation (ie. drug and background screenings)

Key Takeaways

Talent Platform is the candidate’s workspace for completing credentials.

Credentials in Talent Platform must be mapped to ATS requirements for automation to function correctly.

This step connects candidate actions back to the ATS recordkeeping.

5. How Completed Credentials Sync Back to ATS

When the candidate completes a credential task in Talent Platform:

  • Data and files sync directly into ATS

  • Candidate Credential records update automatically

  • Placement Credential Requirements update in real time

  • Compliance Manager reflects accurate statuses

  • Recruiters and credentialing staff see the latest information immediately

Status updates (e.g., Complete, Pending, In Progress, Expiring, Expired, Needs Review) follow standardized rules across the system.

Key Takeaways

  • Completed items sync automatically—no duplication of work.

  • Both Candidate and Placement records update instantly.

  • Compliance and credentialing teams can always work with real-time information.

6. Reviewing and Monitoring Credentials: Compliance Manager

Compliance Manager provides a unified workspace where your team can:

  • View all Placement Requirements

  • Track expiration risks

  • Monitor completion progress

  • Communicate with candidates

  • Bulk edit credential owners, statuses, or deadlines

  • Review candidate-uploaded files

  • Manage unmatched credentials and match them to requirements

Compliance Manager centralizes everything so your team doesn’t need to open dozens of individual records.

Key Takeaways

  • Compliance Manager is your operational dashboard for credentialing.

  • It consolidates all Placement and Candidate credential data into one view.

  • Staff can review, approve, update, and communicate directly from a single workspace.