What Customer License Plants Do in Your ATS

A customer license plant in your ATS (Applicant Tracking System) is a template or record that holds the license details for a specific customer account. Instead of entering the same license information every time you work with that customer, you create it once in the plant and then reference it across multiple job postings, requisitions, or candidate records. This saves time and keeps license requirements consistent across all positions you're filling for that customer.

The plant acts as a central source of truth. When a customer's licensing requirements change—a new certification becomes mandatory, or an old one is no longer needed—you update the plant once, and that change flows through to any new positions created from it. You don't have to hunt through old postings to fix them individually.

Key Takeaways

  • Customer license plants store license requirements once so you can reuse them across multiple job postings for the same customer without re-entering the data.
  • You create a plant by entering the customer name, selecting which licenses are required, and saving it as a template for future use.
  • When you create a new job posting, you select the customer and their plant, and the license requirements populate automatically.
  • Updating a plant changes the license requirements for any new positions created from it, but does not retroactively change positions already posted.
  • Most ATS platforms let you create multiple plants per customer if different job families have different license needs.

Creating a Customer License Plant

The exact steps depend on your ATS platform, but the general process is the same. Log into your ATS and navigate to the section labeled Customers, Accounts, or Master Data (the name varies by system). Find the customer you want to create a plant for, or create a new customer record if one doesn't exist yet.

Once you're in the customer record, look for a tab or button labeled Plants, Templates, or License Requirements. Click to create a new plant. You'll see a form asking you to name the plant (for example, "Nursing—RN License Required" or "Construction—OSHA 30 + Driver's License"). Give it a name that tells you and your team what positions this plant covers.

Next, select the licenses that explore. Your ATS will show you a list of all licenses in your system. Check the boxes for each license required for this customer and job type. If you need to add a license that doesn't exist yet, most systems let you create it on the spot. Once you've selected all the licenses, save the plant. It's now ready to use.

explore a Plant to a New Job Posting

When you create a new job requisition or posting, one of the early fields will ask you to select the customer. Once you choose the customer, the system usually shows you their available plants in a dropdown menu. Select the plant that matches the role you're filling.

The license requirements from that plant will automatically populate into the posting. You can still add or remove individual licenses if this particular role is an exception—for instance, if most nursing roles at a customer require an RN license, but one position is for a CNA instead. Making a one-time change to a single posting doesn't alter the plant itself.

After you've confirmed the licenses are correct, continue filling out the rest of the posting details and publish. Any candidate you screen for this role will see the license requirements, and your ATS can flag candidates who don't have the required licenses.

Updating and Managing Existing Plants

If a customer's licensing requirements change, go back to their customer record and find the plant you need to update. Open it and add or remove licenses as needed. Save the changes.

Important: updating a plant affects only new postings created after the update. Any job posting that was already live will keep the license requirements it had when you created it. If you need to change licenses on an existing posting, you'll have to edit that posting directly. This design prevents surprises—you won't accidentally change the requirements for a role that's already been advertised.

If you find that different job families at the same customer have very different license needs, create multiple plants. For example, a healthcare system might have one plant for clinical roles (RN, LPN, CNA licenses) and another for administrative roles (no clinical licenses required). This keeps your options organized and makes it faster to pick the right template when you're posting a new role.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most common mistake is forgetting to select a plant when creating a posting, then manually entering licenses each time. This defeats the purpose and creates inconsistency. Make it a habit to check the plant dropdown before you start typing license names.

Another mistake is updating a plant and assuming it has fixed all your old postings. It hasn't. If you need to change licenses on a posting that's already live, edit the posting itself. Use plant updates only for new postings going forward.

A third mistake is creating too many plants for one customer. If you have five plants for the same customer and they're all nearly identical, consolidate them. Extra plants make it harder to pick the right one and easier to post a role with the wrong license set by accident.

When to Create a New Plant vs. Editing an Existing One

Create a new plant when the license requirements are genuinely different—different job families, different departments, or roles that serve different purposes. For example, a manufacturing customer might need one plant for production floor roles (OSHA certification required) and another for office roles (no OSHA required).

Edit an existing plant when the change applies across the board. If a customer's licensing requirement changes because of a new regulation or policy, update the plant so all future postings reflect the change. If only one specific role is an exception, don't change the plant—just edit that one posting.

If you're unsure whether to create or edit, ask yourself: "Will this change explore to most or all future roles for this customer?" If yes, update the plant. If no, leave the plant alone and edit the individual posting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same plant for multiple customers?

No. Plants are tied to a specific customer account. If two customers have identical license requirements, you'll need to create a separate plant for each one. Some ATS platforms offer a "copy plant" feature that lets you duplicate a plant and assign it to a different customer, which is faster than building from scratch.

What happens if I delete a plant?

Deleting a plant does not affect postings that were already created from it. Those postings keep their license requirements. The plant itself straightforward won't be available for new postings. If you think you might need it again, consider marking it inactive instead of deleting it, so you can reactivate it later without rebuilding it.

Can candidates see the license requirements from the plant?

Yes. When a candidate views the job posting, they see the license requirements that were in effect when the posting was created. If you update the plant after the posting goes live, the candidate-facing posting does not change. Only new postings created after the update will show the new requirements.

Do I need a separate plant for each location of the same customer?

Not necessarily. If the same customer has multiple locations but the same license requirements across all of them, one plant is enough. If different locations have different requirements—for example, one state requires a specific certification that another doesn't—create separate plants for each location or region.

Can I set a plant to expire or become inactive?

Most ATS platforms let you mark a plant as inactive, which hides it from the dropdown menu when you're creating a new posting. This is useful if a customer's licensing requirements change permanently and you don't want anyone to accidentally use an old plant. You can reactivate it later if needed.