If you've ever looked at your application source and thought, "Wait, why are there so many variations for Indeed?" — don't panic, we've got you covered. The ATS just gets specific about how each candidate got to you, and that extra detail is actually pretty handy once you know what it means.

Here's the breakdown of all three sources, so your reporting makes sense at a glance.

The three sources, at a glance

• Indeed – The candidate applied right on Indeed itself using Express Apply (sometimes called Quick Apply), or they picked "Indeed" from your "How did you hear about us?" dropdown.
  
• Indeed Organic – The candidate clicked a free (unsponsored) Indeed job listing, then finished their application on your careers page.
  
• Indeed Sponsored – The candidate clicked a sponsored (paid) Indeed listing, then finished their application on your careers page.
  

How each one gets tracked

• Indeed: Because the application form lives on Indeed's own site, the ATS just knows it came from Indeed generally. This same "Indeed" label also applies any time a candidate selects Indeed from your "How did you hear about us?" dropdown, even if they didn't apply through Indeed directly.
• Indeed Organic: Once a candidate clicks through from a free listing to your own careers page, the ATS can see that path clearly and labels it "Organic" to reflect that no ad spend was involved.
• Indeed Sponsored: Same idea, but for paid listings — if the click came from a sponsored post, the ATS tags it "Sponsored" so you can see which paid placements are actually converting.

A wildcard to watch for

Many clients customize their "How did you hear about us?" dropdown, and it's common to add an option that duplicates or slightly rewords "Indeed" (think "Indeed.com" or "Indeed job posting"). When that happens, applications can land under whatever custom label was created instead of the standard "Indeed" source — so if your Indeed numbers look lower than expected, it's worth checking your dropdown options for any near-duplicates.

Quick recap

Source reporting can get nuanced fast, especially once custom dropdown options enter the picture. If your numbers aren't lining up the way you'd expect, our support team is always happy to dig in with you — just reach out any time.