How do I review a recruiting agency’s applicant tracking system before taking it over?

Start with ownership and access. Ask whose name and payment method sit behind the account, what the contract says about transfer and who holds the administrator login. If the account is in a recruiter’s name, plan how to move it before closing. List everyone with access, including former staff.

Then test the data. Ask for a small export and look at it. Are candidate records complete and recent, or full of duplicates, blanks and old entries? Check whether notes, placement history and client contacts are in the system or in people’s inboxes. Ask how candidates consented to be stored, and have your lawyer advise on privacy duties.

Finally, look at how the team actually uses it. Ask recruiters to show you a day’s work. If they rely on personal spreadsheets, the system is only partly the agency’s. Ask what integrations, templates and custom fields were built, and whether the subscription terms or user limits would change after the sale. Ask what it would cost and how long it would take to switch systems, so you are not locked in by a past choice you did not make.

Key takeaways

• Confirm whose name and payment method sit behind the account and how it transfers.
• Test a sample export for duplicates, gaps and old records.
• Watch recruiters work, since personal spreadsheets mean the data is not fully in the system.
• Ask what it would take to switch systems if this one does not suit you.