Using tracking links for advanced analytics

Want more info on where your candidates are coming from? Your sourcing report gives you an overview, but maybe you need more! Tracking links can give you insight on how many of your quality applicants are coming in from external sources like Facebook, LinkedIn, print materials, and more.

🔗  What is a tracking link?

A tracking link is a unique URL that gives you extra information about how applicants are interacting with your job ads – specifically, where they are coming in from. Nothing appears different to the candidate when they are applying. A manager, on the other hand, will see application sources listed on their Applications page.

Tracking links can be especially helpful if you're trying to measure the effectiveness of a social media campaign.

👀  Do my jobs already have tracking links?

We automatically add tracking links when posting to our partner job boards, so you'll know when a candidate comes from Indeed, ZipRecruiter, or a similar platform. We also use tracking links in Text-to-Apply materials, so if you have a TTA poster in your store, you already have a tracking link!

If an applicant does not come in from a partner job board like Indeed – and if you haven't added any extra tracking links – their source will be listed as “Direct traffic.”

📚  Tracking links 101

Let's get familiar with the three parts (or “parameters”) of a tracking link:

• • utm_source: The name of the specific site, or "source," that the application came from. For example, Indeed or ZipRecruiter.
  • utm_medium: The broader method, or "medium," that you used to advertise the job posting. For example, social_media.
  • utm_campaign: A slogan used to identify your campaign. For example, September_Recruiting_Initiative or summer-hiring-2025.

Although a tracking link must contain all three parameters, the campaign source (utm_source) is the only part that is displayed directly on HigherMe. You can find it in the "Source" section of a candidate's profile.

✨  Creating your tracking parameters

You can generate a link automatically using this tool. Or if you’re feeling adventurous, try building one yourself using the template below!

1. Replace the bolded words with your own campaign source, medium, and name.
   • ?utm_source=YOUR_SOURCE_HERE
   • &utm_medium=YOUR_MEDIUM_HERE
   • &utm_campaign=YOUR_CAMPAIGN_HERE
2. Let's pretend these are your answers:
   • ?utm_source=store_signage
   • &utm_medium=SMS
   • &utm_campaign=summer_hiring_2025
3. String it all together. The result should look something like this:  
   • ?utm_source=store_signage&utm_medium=SMS&utm_campaign=summer_hiring_2025

Note: Links cannot contain spaces. Separate words with underscores _ or dashes -.

📣  Using your link

Now that you have built your tracking parameters, grab the URL to your company, brand, or job page.

• • Your URL might look like https://app.higherme.com/companies/5c13cc81e0029 or https://app.higherme.com/jobs/5c14025fdf5df

Add that URL to the beginning of your tracking parameters. Your final result should look something like this:

• • https://app.higherme.com/companies/5c13cc81e0029?utm_source=store_signage&utm_medium=SMS&utm_campaign=summer_hiring_2025

You can now use that full tracking link anywhere that you would normally advertise your jobs – social media, LinkedIn, a business card with a QR code, you name it! You’ll gain more sourcing data as new applications come in.

Note on accuracy: Browsers aren't always great at clearing tracking links when visiting new pages. It's not common, but it's possible that one brand could see a candidate come in from another brand's careers page. For example, a Chick-fil-A might get an application whose source is listed as Dunkin' Brands. Not to worry! This does not mean that the candidate actually found your job on a Dunkin' website. It probably means that they applied to a Dunkin' job and then applied to your job right after (in the same browser session). These cases are rare and should be considered outliers in your sourcing report.