Automating Tasks for SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting

Introducing automation in a customer’s configuration brings incredible value due to the overwhelming volume of manual tasks for each Recruiting process. Automation can help recruiters work more efficiently and effectively by reducing the time spent on repetitive tasks and allowing them to focus on more important tasks such as building relationships with qualified candidates.

When configuring the Recruiting module, there are various tools to help introduce automation into a customer’s configuration. Some Recruiting features have built-in automation capabilities, while others require more creativity using the automation tools available in the Admin Center. 

You can see how different automation tools can be used to help streamline the different recruiting processes. 

Some of the Recruiting tools have built-in functionality to help automate Recruiting processes. Some examples of the product features that support automation are:

• Pre-Screening Questions - by nominating questions as disqualifiers, the system can automatically move a candidate’s application to the Automatically Disqualified status in the Talent Pipeline if they answer a question incorrectly
• Recruiting Posting and Intelligent Services – when using the Recruiting Posting feature to advertise job postings to job boards, customers can use the standard Intelligent Services job to automate the posting process. In addition, recruiters can select how many times the job should be reposted in Recruiting → Job Postings → Recruiting Posting actions. This helps to automate the posting (and reposting) of job requisitions to various job boards. 
• Position Management Integration with Recruiting – helps populate the position data directly into the Job Requisition form once the Job Requisition is created. 

Integration Center and Intelligent Services are two powerful tools that enable you to automate HR processes and integrate SAP SuccessFactors within the SuccessFactors modules, or with other systems. They provide a user-friendly interface for creating integrations and automating HR processes without requiring any coding skills.

Integration Center provides an easy-to-use interface to help you create powerful integrations. You can quickly map fields to update data or create an integration with a third-party vendor to send data on a scheduled or recurring basis. Integration Center recognizes some user-based actions in the system to trigger an integration job (for example, if a recruiting user uses the "Initiate Background Check" action in the candidate’s application, the background check integration will trigger). However, most jobs created in the Integration Center require scheduling. 

The data entities that can be used to create integrations for SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting are: 

• Job Requisition : To bypass the validation of required fields on the Job Requisition, use the isDraft field and set the value totrue
• Application : To bypass the validation of required fields on the Application, the following role-based permission should be enabled for the Administrator role: Recruiting Permissions → OData API Application Create and Update Validation Bypass for Required Fields
• Candidate Profile (or CandidateLight) : To bypass the validation of required fields on the Candidate Profile, use the "CandidateLight" data entity. This data entity only requires the first and last name, phone number, and primary email address fields to be completed.
• Job Offer

For example, when using the Multi-Stage Application environment, we can configure recruiter-specific or candidate-specific fields to be required in different statuses of the Talent Pipeline. If we are using the Integration Center to configure a third-party assessment integration, we will need to enable the appropriate role-based permission to bypass required fields on the Application. If we do not enable these role-based permissions, the integration between SAP SuccessFactors and the third-party will fail if any of the required fields on the application have not been completed.

For a complete list of the data entities that can be used when creating integrations, please visit the API Reference document in the SAP SuccessFactors Platform guide on the SAP Help Portal.

Intelligent Services provides the ability to create more powerful integrations. Using Intelligent Services, you can use event-based triggers and rules to specify when an integration should occur (instead of a scheduled timeline). You can also use Intelligent Services to create a workflow, listing multiple integrations in a specified order of operations. When the desired event occurs, the integrations will trigger in the order you specify. This allows you to create an automated process rather than a single integration activity. 

The following events can be used when creating Intelligent Services integrations for Recruiting: 

• Update of a Job Requisition (a job requisition is created and/or saved)
• Initiate Job Posting (used for the Recruiting Posting automation)
• Update of an Application (a candidate’s application is created and/or saved)
• Update of an Application’s Status (a candidate’s application is moved into a new status)
• Update of a Candidate Profile (a candidate profile is created and/or saved)
• Approval of Offer Detail (the final offer approval step is complete)

A common use case for using Integration Center and Intelligent Services is configuring a background check process for SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting. This configuration traditionally requires an integration with a third-party vendor. When configuring the integration between SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting and a third-party, you can configure the integration by using Integration Center only, or you can create the integration using Intelligent Services and Integration Center. 

When configuring the integration using the Integration Center, the recruiting user will have to manually trigger the initiation of a background check in the candidate’s application. The application feature permission controls who can initiate a background check and when (in the Talent Pipeline). 

When configuring the integration by using the Intelligent Services and Integration Center, the system will automatically trigger the initiation of the background check when the candidate’s application is moved into the background check status in the Talent Pipeline. The background check feature permission must be configured to the appropriate background check status for the system to recognize when to initiate the integration job. 

The configuration with Intelligent Services reduces the number of steps that a recruiting user has to complete to initiate a background check. While Intelligent Services adds a layer of automation to the background check configuration, it is important to thoroughly understand a customer’s process and requirements before implementing a solution.  While some customers will appreciate the fully automated solution, others will want more control over when a background check is initiated due to costs associated with the order. 

 It is important to remember that while there are multiple tools to help you create automation within SAP SuccessFactors Recruiting, there isn’t a right or wrong way to configure a solution. The flexibility these different tools provide helps you to customize a solution that is right for your customer. 

The rules engine is a tool that enables you to create customer-specific rules. At its most basic, for Recruiting, the Rules Engine provides a way to add if/then logic into requisition and offer creation processes.

For example, you can use a rule to specify:

• All requisition that are created for full time employees in the Sales organization should include a potential calculated commission of 15% of the base salary

• All offer approvals should have a set expiration date of 30 days after the creation date of the offer approval

• Set the Currency field on the requisition based on the derived Country field (Action: Default value)

• Add a warning message to the Currency rule: "Validate all financial fields when the country/ currency fields are changed." (Action: Raise message)

• On the offer, calculate the Target Bonus as 10% of the Base Salary. (Action: Calculation)

Other business rules are useful for Recruiting. Review the following examples:

• If the employee is eligible for stock (and the company is SAP_USA), then the initial stock grant is set to 200.

• Create a rule that allows master data (foundation object/generic objects) to be passed from Recruiting Management to Onboarding.

• Post job requisitions, either immediately or at a predetermined time in the future.

• In the case of a replacement position, ensure that the name of the employee being replaced is provided. To do this, make the field required, and if a value of Addition to Staff is entered, then N/A is populated. Otherwise, the user must enter the exiting employee's name. Include a separate rule that will present a warning message to the user to remind them about what needs to happen.

• When a requisition is cancelled, require that a valid cancellation reason is provided. For any of the statuses on the requisition that do NOT equal to Cancelled then N/A is populated. If the reason is changed to Cancelled, then the field is set to null and the user needs to enter a value. Include a separate rule that will present a warning message to the user to remind them about what needs to happen.

Business rules can be leveraged to make the following:

• Calculation; for example, a calculation of Salary Mid field on a job requisition as an average of the Salary Max and Salary Min fields

• Default values into fields; for example, default current user as recruiter on job requisition

• Validate entries based on conditions raising a custom message if conditions are met; for example, if country of the job has changed also the currency has to be change on the job requisition

Business rules are written using the Metadata Framework (MDF) within the Admin Center and can be applied to job requisitions, offers, and candidate profile.

Employee Central is not required to create business rules, though some sophisticated rules also require Employee Central, for example, to automatically populate the Hiring Manager’s org structure (Legal Entity, Division, Department, Business Unit, Location, and Country).

When building the business rule, these are the major components that need to be defined:

• Information about the rule object itself (Rule ID, Rule Name, Rule Type)

• Objects and fields that determine what can be defined in the rule (defined by Base Object, Manage Parameters)

• IF/THEN statements

When creating business rules for Recruiting, you will always use the Recruiting-specific rule scenarios listed in Configure Business Rules. Within the Recruiting scenario, you can create rules against the Job Requisition, Offer Details, Application and Candidate Profile.

Managing Rules in Recruiting

When developing a rule in recruiting, the rule is organized in the Admin Center under Managing Rules in Recruiting. Recruiters and administrators are now able to write rules for all major areas of Recruiting: Job Requisition, Offer Details, Candidate Profile, and Job Application.

The steps to configure and test a business rule on a job requisition or offer are as follows:

1. Enable settings rules in Provisioning.

   • Provisioning → Company Settings → Enable Generic Objects

   • Provisioning → Company Settings → Role-based Permission.

2. Assign permissions in the Admin Center to create and maintain business rules.

   • Admin Center → Manage Permission Roles → Admin Permission → Metadata Framework, and then select all the checkboxes.

   • Admin Center → Manage Permission Roles → Admin Permission → Manage MDF Recruiting Objects: Recruiting Rules Assignment Configuration

3. Write the business rule in the Admin Center by selecting Company Settings → Configure Business Rules and entering the basic scenario screen information.

   1. Rule Name: Best practice is to start the name with "RCM" followed by "Req" or "Offer".

   2. Rule ID: Best practice is to start the name with "RCM" followed by "Req" or "Offer".

   3. Start Date: Enter the start date of the business rules. Best practice is 01/01/1900.

   4. Rule Type: A way to sort the rules into different groups. It is not mandatory for Recruiting.

   5. Description: You can enter the rule description.

   6. Base Object: Best practice is to define the rule against all templates (job requisition all or offer approval all).

4. Define what user action triggers the rule in the IF condition.

   1. Select Always True if the rule is to be triggered when the user makes any change to the field or object.

   2. Enter one or more IF or ELSE IF condition if the rule is to be triggered when the user makes specific changes.

5. Define how the system should react by defining one or more THEN or ELSE statements.

   Note

   Refer to the Recruiting Management Implementation Guide for details on which field types are supported by rules on job requisition and offers.

6. Associate the business rule with a job requisition template or offer detail template by selecting Admin Center → Manage Rules in Recruiting and then selecting Job Requisition or Offer Detail tab

   Note

   If you have multiple requisition templates, this rule must be linked to each individual template.

7. Test the rule on the job requisition or offer.

Assigning Rules

After you configure the rule, be sure to assign it to the proper section.

Rules that have been built based on rule scenario (not the rule built on basic rule) scenario additional information is available on business rule list page:

• Green tick: This rule is assigned. The rule is assigned somewhere in the system. It does not necessarily mean the rule is or was executed. If The rule is assigned icon is clicked, a dialog box opens to show the assignment details and the link to the application-specific UI to assign the rule (if provided by the application).

• Grey column: This rule is not assigned. The rule is not assigned anywhere in the system.

• An empty column field means an assignment information cannot be provided, as the rule is either based of a rule scenario which has not been migrated yet, or it is based on basic rule scenario where this information does not exist.

Note that the same icons are available next to the business rule name on the business rule detailed page.

The steps to configure a business rule on a candidate profile are as follows:

1. Go to Admin Center → Configure Business Rules.

2. In the Business Rules Admin, choose to create a business rule.

3. In the Configure Business Rules section, expand Recruiting.

4. Select Configure Business Rules on Candidate Profile.

5. In the Configure Business Rules on Candidate Profile section, enter the following information:

   • Rule Name

   • Rule ID

   • Start Date

   • Description

6. Choose Continue.

7. In the newly created rule name section of the Configure Business Rules page, define your IF and THEN conditions of the rule.

8. Choose Save.

9. To be able to use the rule, you need to register in Manage Rules in Recruiting by navigating to Admin Center → Manage Rules in Recruiting → Candidate Profile section.

   Note

   Only the Save rule trigger is supported.

Once you've created a business rule, you need to specify what kind of events will trigger it by associating the rule to a template in Admin CenterManage Rules in Recruiting. This will ensure that the rule works properly on the appropriate data model and template.

Manage Rules in Recruiting provides the ability to associate a business rule to any of the following Recruiting data models: Job Requisitions, Applications, Candidate Profile and Offer Details.

A rule can be triggered on a template at two levels:

• Field Change Rules: Used to associate a rule to a specific field in the template.

• Template-level Rules: Used to associate a rule to a specific action that happens at the template level. For example, when a job requisition is saved.

To associate a business rule to a template, first select the appropriate tab for the data model you wish to apply the business rule to. Then you must select the individual template you wish to assign the business rule to. Last, apply the business rule to the appropriate trigger by selecting the business rule from the drop-down menu.

One or more rules can be selected to be deleted. Depending on assignment information, the system behavior is as follows:

• Assigned rules cannot be deleted.

• Unassigned rules as well as rules based on the basic rule scenario can be deleted.

To delete a rule, use the bin icon on the top right corner on the business rules overview page.

If a user selects a rule to be deleted, it will be checked if the rule is still assigned in the system (based on the available assignment information).

If the rule is assigned, an error message is displayed to inform the user that the rule is still assigned, as well as where it is assigned.

This also works for mass deletion in Business Rules.

Some tips for business rule configuration include the following:

• Always perform a metadata refresh (Admin → OData API Metadata Refresh and Export → Refresh) after adding a new field to a template, so that it can immediately be used in a rule.

• Prefix rules with RCM_[template] so that they are easy to find when assigning; for example, RCM_Req or RCM_Offer.

• Best practice is to map out all rules and determine if any can be combined for more efficient processing.

• When using the JobRequisitionAll or OfferApprovalAll base objects, you may see multiple fields with the same label. Additionally, fields that are existing standard derived fields will appear with the same label as the standard foundation object/generic object fields.

• Test your full recruiting process in staging after configuring new rules to ensure that you didn’t forget to include a parameter.