Citizen Developers Show What’s Possible in iCIMS

At this month’s System Admin Insights Free Friday call, iCIMS system administrators gathered to share practical strategies for optimizing the platform—focusing not only on user experience, but also on building the business case for continued investment in iCIMS.

Alex kicked off the session with a note of gratitude for the team’s enthusiasm around low-code AI app development, sharing how non-developers at IRD are using tools like v0.dev to prototype purpose-built solutions. From ROI calculators to client health dashboards, these tools help HR system administrators demonstrate their value—and tie platform improvements directly to financial outcomes.

Use the ROI Calculator to Build Your Business Case

Alex introduced the group to a new, free ROI calculator built by IRD. The tool starts with a cost-per-hire estimate that factors in recruiter salaries, agency spend, job board costs, and backfill rates. Then it lets users model the financial impact of improvements like reduced time-to-fill.

“Very few companies are really measuring their cost per hire,” Alex noted. “They have a nebulous idea, but this brings us closer to naming the number.” Kaitlyn, a consultant on IRD’s team, demonstrated how IRD’s clients are already using this tool to support quarterly reviews and show measurable gains from their iCIMS optimization projects.

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Secret Candidate Recap: A Real-World iCIMS Application Test

This month’s Secret Candidate experiment focused on NYU’s application process. Community members anonymously applied to a mock job and shared their feedback with Greg, who courageously opened his org’s process up to scrutiny.

Several issues came to light:

• Repeated questions and confusing error messages. “It didn’t highlight the required question I missed,” said Terry. Greg acknowledged, “That’s something I’ve noticed with iForm behavior. The error messages are not always straightforward.”
• Outdated fields. Amanda pointed out a field asking for a Skype handle. “I don’t remember the last time we used Skype for interviews,” Greg admitted.
• Missing privacy and cultural cues. Michelle raised the absence of a visible privacy policy. Kaitlyn added that the job descriptions didn’t communicate benefits or culture: “That’s part of the whole story. What’s it like working here?”
• Parsing issues. Jessica and Greg discussed problems with resume parsing, despite a recent vendor change. Vivian explained that custom fields can impact parsing accuracy: “The fields you display matter—legacy vs. standard fields affect how well parsing works.”
• Job description overload. Cordell advocated for bullet points instead of dense paragraphs. Greg agreed, noting internal debates about length versus compliance requirements. “There’s a camp that wants full details, and another worried we’re making it too hard for candidates to assess the role.”

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What’s Next? Action Items and AI Experiments

Greg outlined priorities coming out of the session, including:

• Pushing for customizable error messaging in iForms.
• Bringing benefits and culture content directly into the application experience.
• Exploring AI-generated job description summaries to combat “too long; didn’t read” fatigue.

The group also discussed iCIMS parsing vendors, custom resume parsing via APIs, and new developments in job folder security rules. Cheryl and Vivian shared practical tips for managing approval workflows using group inboxes and skip approver permissions—especially when juggling multiple approvers in the same role.

Community Wisdom: Rejection Reasons and Status Tracking

Jessica raised a key question about tracking why candidates decline offers. Most attendees said they rely on recruiters to collect that feedback manually. Ariel described a more structured approach, where recruiters record the reason in a required rejection note field, paired with a candidate experience survey triggered via iForm.

Vivian added: “Use workflow statuses like ‘Offer Declined’ and ‘Offer Rescinded’ to keep your recruiting funnel measurable regardless of what happens in the offer tab.”

RFP Advisor and the Power of Deep GPT Research

Before wrapping up, Alex gave a preview of RFP Advisor, a GPT-powered vendor comparison tool that helps HR system administrators evaluate iCIMS alternatives and adjacent solutions. Greg noted that the tool provided surprisingly useful reference check comparisons—even without extensive prompting.

This is part of IRD’s vision to combine AI analysis with lived admin experience. “We want to pair AI with peer insights,” Alex explained. “Real users, real feedback, real utility.”

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