When an ICIMS background check not working ticket lands on your desk, the screening vendor is rarely the first place to look. In our experience the cause sits in the configuration that connects a recruiting workflow status, a user group, and the candidate record to the vendor’s packages.
This guide walks through the seven causes we check first on a Prime Background Screen Connector, what each one looks like from the recruiter’s side, and the specific fix for each.
How a Prime Background Screen order moves through ICIMS
Before diagnosing, it helps to know the path an order takes. Every cause below is a break in one link of this chain.
- A user with Prime access moves a candidate into a recruiting workflow status configured with the Prime Background Screen (Create Order) auto-launch action.
- The order popup opens on the Choose Package step. The user selects a package, any optional screenings, and a location, then submits.
- ICIMS compiles the order, pulls the candidate and job fields the screenings need, and sends an Order Request to the vendor.
- The vendor marks the order received, may contact the candidate for disclosure and authorization, and updates order and screening statuses as work progresses.
- When work is done, the vendor sets the order to Complete with an overall result such as Clear. ICIMS can then move the candidate to a new workflow status automatically.
If you set this up with us or followed our ICIMS background check integration setup guide, you will recognize these pieces. The troubleshooting below follows the same order.
7 causes of an ICIMS background check not working
Work through these in order. The first three account for most of the tickets we see, and each one takes minutes to confirm.
ProblemThe recruiter moves the candidate into the status they believe triggers screening, and no order popup appears.
ImpactCandidates sit in a background check status with nothing ordered, and the delay often goes unnoticed until the offer stage.
ExampleA team renames or duplicates a status during a workflow cleanup. The new status looks right on screen but does not carry the auto-launch action.
FixConfirm which recruiting workflow status was configured with the Prime Background Screen (Create Order) auto-launch action during implementation, and train recruiters to use that exact status. The action exists in every ICIMS system, but it only works when a Prime Background Screen Connector is enabled in that Platform.
ProblemThe recruiter moves the candidate, gets an error message, and no order is created.
ImpactThe candidate’s status still updates, so the profile looks like screening started when it did not.
ExampleA new recruiting coordinator group is created for a high-volume program and is never added to the connector’s User Groups list.
FixGo to Admin > System Configuration > Background Screen > Manage Prime BGS Connectors, click User Groups for the connector, select the group, and click Save Changes. Prime access is all or nothing: ordering, tracking, and reviewing results cannot be granted separately. Our ICIMS login groups setup guide covers how to structure groups so this stays clean.
ProblemOne recruiter can order and a teammate in the same group cannot.
ImpactAccess looks inconsistent, and admins lose time comparing two users who appear identical.
ExampleAn admin adds a new hire to a group that already has Prime access and assumes the access follows.
FixAdding a user to a Prime group does not grant access automatically, and removing a user does not revoke it. On the connector’s User Groups page, click Sync Now after any membership change. Syncing can take several minutes, and the page is read-only until it finishes.
ProblemOrders go through for some candidates in a batch but not others, or the whole batch stops with an error.
ImpactRecruiters assume the vendor lost the order. In fact ICIMS never sent it.
ExampleCandidates imported from an event or a referral list arrive without an email address on the Person profile.
FixFirst Name, Last Name, and Email must be completed on the Person profile. If every selected candidate is missing one of them, an error displays and the order stops. If only some are, the order proceeds but skips those candidates. In both cases every candidate’s status still updates, so check the profile before re-ordering.
Background checks stalled in ICIMS?
We will review your trigger status, Prime access groups, and status mapping on the call and tell you which of these seven causes applies to your instance.
Book a discovery callCauses 5 to 7: packages, results, and status updates
ProblemA package appears in the dropdown but the vendor does not recognize the order, or a new package the vendor created is missing.
ImpactOrders fail or are priced against the wrong package, and the vendor and TA team argue about what was ordered.
ExampleAn admin tidies the Prime Background Screen Package dropdown by renaming options to match internal naming.
FixThe Prime Background Screen Location and Prime Background Screen Package fields on the Job profile are maintained by the connector. Manual edits in ICIMS are not shared with the vendor. Ask the vendor to add, remove, or update packages and the dropdowns update on their own. These fields are hidden by default, so unhide them for the groups that set job defaults.
ProblemThe vendor shows the order complete, but the candidate never moves forward in ICIMS.
ImpactRecruiters chase cleared candidates manually and offers slip.
ExampleThe team configured a Clear status during implementation, then later hid that status in a workflow refresh.
FixOn the connector’s Settings page, check Automatic Workflow Status Update: Clear and Automatic Workflow Status Update: Review. Both default to no status selected, which leaves candidates where they are. If the chosen status or its parent bin is hidden from the integration user group (named Background_Screening plus the vendor name), the update does not happen. Canceled orders, and orders the vendor cannot complete, never trigger an automatic move.
ProblemThe order shows Complete, but recruiters see no result, no PDF, and no link to details.
ImpactHiring decisions wait on a phone call to the vendor.
ExampleResults were set to Hidden by design, or the result mode the team expects was never switched on.
FixResults can display as Hidden when the customer or vendor prefers not to show them in ICIMS. Overall order results require Expanded Statuses & Results mode, and the View PDF and View details buttons are optional features the vendor enables. Confirm with the vendor which of these are turned on for your account.
What sits with the vendor instead of ICIMS
A Prime Background Screen Connector splits ownership three ways. Knowing who owns what saves a round of tickets.
| Area | Owner | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| Packages and locations | Screening vendor | Add, remove, or rename packages; they sync to the Job profile dropdowns |
| API credentials and account provisioning | Screening vendor | Confirm the account is active and readiness details were provided |
| Location and package access per user | Screening vendor | Prime access in ICIMS does not grant vendor side access to packages |
| Candidate email text | ICIMS Technical Support | Submit a case to change the Background Screening Request email content |
| Prime access, sync, status mapping | Your ICIMS admin | Manage in System Configuration on the connector’s User Groups and Settings pages |
| Test orders | Screening vendor | Test orders work only when the vendor supports a way to flag them |
Candidate notifications and terms that affect the order
Two connector settings change what candidates and recruiters see, and both are frequent sources of confusion.
- Order Creation: Candidate Email Notification is enabled by default and sends the candidate a Background Screening Request email when an order submits. Disabling it means the candidate hears nothing from ICIMS. The text is changed through a case with ICIMS Technical Support, and all connectors in one Platform share the same template.
- Order Creation: Display Terms & Conditions is enabled by default. Users must review and agree to the vendor’s terms on the Review Order step before submitting. If recruiters report they cannot submit, check whether they are missing the agreement check box.
If candidates say they never received the request, check this setting before anything else, then work through our ICIMS email notifications troubleshooting guide for delivery issues.
How to keep background checks running after go live
Teams that own these five habits rarely open a background check ticket twice. When the integration itself needs rework, our ICIMS integration consulting team works alongside the vendor and ICIMS to reconfigure it.
Frequently asked questions
Get background checks moving again
Book a discovery call and we will walk your connector settings with you, then give you a fix list your team can own after we leave.
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