Method and system for source tracking

• US 10,102,502 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2012
• Issued: 10/16/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Employ, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Jobvite Incorporated
• Inventors: Ali, Syed Mohammed, Hyder, Adam, Chu, Kam Wing, Chen, Changsheng
• Primary Examiner(s): McCormick, Gabrielle A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ofori-Awuah, Maame
• Application Number:
  US13/599,215
• Publication Number:
  US 20130054483A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring

Abstract

A method for tracking referrals using a third party applicant tracking system (ATS). The method include receiving a request to display a web page at a URL from a client used by a job candidate, where the URL is associated with a job at a company and the job candidate. The method further includes providing to the client a web page associated with the URL that includes a description of the job and a link to an ATS, receiving a request for a web page corresponding to the job, where the request is initiated by selection of the link. The method further includes making a determination that the ATS is a third party ATS and, in response, generating a third party referral URL, a unique identifier associated with the job, and an identifier associated with a source type, and providing the third party referral URL to the client.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor performed a method, the method comprising:

receiving a first request to display a first web page at a first universal resource locator (URL) from a first client system, wherein the first client system is used by a first target, wherein the first URL is associated with a first job at a first company, the first target, and a first communication channel, wherein the first communication channel is a service that provides the first URL to the first target and is one selected from a group consisting of FACEBOOK wall post, FACEBOOK status update, FACEBOOK direct message, TWITTER status update, TWITTER direct message, LINKEDIN status update, LINKEDIN direct message, and LINKEDIN group post, and wherein the first target is a job candidate;

providing to the first client system, in response to the first request, the first web page associated with the first URL, wherein the first web page comprises a description of the first job, and a first link to a first applicant tracking system (ATS), wherein the first ATS is configured to track the first target through a job application process;

receiving, from the first client system, a second request for a web page corresponding to the first job from the first ATS, wherein the second request is initiated by selection of the first link;

making a first determination that the first ATS is a third party ATS;

in response to the first determination;

generating a first third party referral URL, wherein the first third party referral URL comprises a first domain name associated with the first ATS, a first unique identifier associated with the first job, an identifier associated with the first communication channel, a first identifier associated with a first source type, and a first source detail associated with the first source type, wherein the first source type is one selected from a group consisting of an employee of the first company, a hiring manager of the first company, an agency hired by the first company, and a recruiter hired by the first company, wherein the first source detail is an identifier for an entity of the first source type;

providing the first third party referral URL to the first client system;

sending, by a source system, a third request to the first ATS for applicant data associated with the first job, wherein the third request comprises the first unique identifier associated with the first job;

obtaining, in response to the third request, the applicant data from the first ATS, wherein the applicant data comprises data provided by the first target during a job application process for the first job by the first target, data entered by the first company during the job application process, and data extracted from the first third party referral URL comprising the first unique identifier associated with the first job, the first identifier associated with the first source type, and the identifier associated with the first communication channel;

updating, by the source system, a common database using the applicant data obtained from the first ATS; and

tracking, in response to updating the common database, a stage of the job application process achieved by the first target, wherein the first target accessed the first URL via the first communication channel;

receiving a fourth request to display a second web page at a second URL from the first client system, wherein the second URL is associated with a second job at a second company, the first target, and the first communication channel;

providing to the first client system, in response to the fourth request, the second web page associated with the second URL, wherein the second web page comprises a description of the second job, and a second link to a second ATS;

receiving from the first client system, a fifth request for a web page corresponding to the second job from the second ATS, wherein the fifth request is initiated by selection of the second link;

making a second determination that the second ATS is an integrated ATS; and

in response to the second determination;

generating an integrated referral URL, wherein the integrated referral URL comprises a domain name associated with the second ATS, and a second unique identifier associated with the second job; and

providing the integrated referral URL to the first client system.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first client system is one selected from a group consisting of a mobile computing device and a non-mobile computer device.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a sixth request to display a third web page at a third URL from a second client system, wherein the second client system is used by a second target, wherein the third URL is associated with a third job at a third company, the second target, and a second communication channel;

providing to the second client system, in response to the sixth request, the third web page associated with the third URL, wherein the third web page comprises a description of the third job, and a third link to a third ATS;

receiving from the second client system a seventh request for a web page corresponding to the third job from the third ATS, wherein the seventh request is initiated by selection of the third link;

making a third determination that the third ATS is a third party ATS; and

in response to the third determination;

generating a second third party referral URL, wherein the second third party referral URL comprises a domain name associated with the third ATS, a third unique identifier associated with the third job, an identifier associated with the second communication channel, a third identifier associated with a third source type, wherein the third source type identifies a referral entity that informed the second target about the second job; and

providing the second third party referral URL to the second client system.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the first communication channel and the second communication channel are different.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first third party referral URL further comprises an identifier associated with a source detail, wherein the source detail identifies a subset of the first source type.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the first source type is employee of the company and the source detail is one selected from a group consisting of an employee name and an employee identifier.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first target obtains, via the first client, the first URL from an employee of the first company.

8. A system, comprising:

a processor;

a referral tracking service executing on the processor and configured to;

receive a first request to display a first web page at a first universal resource locator (URL) from a client system, wherein the client system is used by a target, wherein the first URL is associated with a first job at a first company, the target, and a communication channel, wherein the communication channel is a service that provides the URL to the target and is one selected from a group consisting of FACEBOOK wall post, FACEBOOK status update, FACEBOOK direct message, TWITTER status update, TWITTER direct message, LINKEDIN status update, LINKEDIN direct message, and LINKEDIN group post, and wherein the target is a job candidate;

provide to the client system, in response to the first request, the first web page associated with the first URL, wherein the first web page comprises a description of the first job, and a first link to a first applicant tracking system (ATS), wherein the first ATS is configured to track the target through a job application process;

receive, from the client system, a second request for a web page corresponding to the first job from the first ATS, wherein the second request is initiated by selection of the first link;

make a first determination that the first ATS is a third party ATS;

in response to the first determination, send a third request to a URL generation service to generate a third party referral URL;

receive a fourth request to display a second web page at a second URL from the client system, wherein the second URL is associated with a second job at a second company, the target, and the communication channel;

provide to the client system, in response to the fourth request, the second web page associated with the second URL, wherein the second web page comprises a description of the second job, and a second link to a second ATS;

receive from the client system, a fifth request for a web page corresponding to the second job from the second ATS, wherein the fifth request is initiated by selection of the second link;

make a second determination that the second ATS is an integrated ATS; and

in response to the second determination, send a sixth request to the URL generation service to generate an integrated referral URL;

the URL generation service configured to;

receive the third request to generate the third party referral URL;

generate the third party referral URL, wherein the third party referral URL comprises a domain name associated with the first ATS, a first unique identifier associated with the first job, an identifier associated with the communication channel, an identifier associated with a source type, and a source detail associated with the source type, wherein the source type is one selected from a group consisting of an employee of the company, a hiring manager of the company, an agency hired by the company, and a recruiter hired by the company, wherein the source detail is an identifier for an entity of the source type;

provide the third party referral URL to the client system;

receive the sixth request to generate the integrated referral URL;

generate the integrated referral URL, wherein the integrated referral URL comprises a domain name associated with the second ATS, and a second unique identifier associated with the second job; and

provide the integrated referral URL to the client system;

a data transfer service configured to;

send a seventh request to the first ATS for applicant data associated with the first job, wherein the seventh request comprises the first unique identifier associated with the first job;

obtain, in response to the seventh request, the applicant data from the first ATS, wherein the applicant data comprises data entered by the target during a job application process for the first job by the target, data entered by the company during the job application process, and data extracted from the third party referral URL comprising the first unique identifier associated with the first job, the identifier associated with the source type, and the identifier associated with the communication channel;

update and transmit the applicant data to a common database;

track, in response to updating the common database, a stage of the job application process achieved by the target, wherein the target accessed the first URL via the communication channel; and

the database comprising applicant data, wherein the database is accessible to the referral tracking service, the URL referral service, and the data transfer service.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an integrated ATS, wherein the database is accessible to the integrated ATS and wherein the database is not accessible to the third party ATS.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the data transfer service obtains the applicant data using a batch process.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the data transfer service is configured to normalize the applicant data prior to providing the applicant data to the database.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the third party referral URL further comprises an identifier associated with a source detail, wherein the source detail identifies a subset of the source type.