CATS + The Cognitive Integration
The Cognitive integrates with CATS so AI interviewing and sourcing run alongside the workflow recruiting agencies and small business hiring teams already use: you import active candidates from the CATS stage you choose, invite them to a live AI interview, and write each score, summary and report link back to the candidate as a note. The connection is one of 60+ ATS integrations The Cognitive offers through a single unified integration. CATS keeps every stage move and decision; The Cognitive never changes a candidate's stage or rejects anyone.
What does the CATS integration do?
- Stage-based import: you choose which CATS stage feeds The Cognitive, and a sync brings those active candidates in for interview invites.
- Note write-back: for imported candidates who have interviewed, the score, a summary and the report link are written back to CATS as a note, where CATS accepts notes through the integration.
- No automatic stage moves: CATS keeps every stage change and rejection decision; the integration only reads candidates and writes notes.
- Sourcing alongside: The Cognitive also finds people outside CATS across ~900M public profiles; you choose who to contact and interview.
- Solo-desk screening: one recruiter invites a whole list and reads scored reports instead of booking every first call.
- No parallel system of record: CATS stays the source of truth; The Cognitive adds the interview and evidence layer.
The Cognitive in a CATS workflow
CATS calls itself "The ultimate applicant tracking system for professional recruiters", and it sells 2 editions, one for small business hiring and one fully customisable CRM for professional recruiters. The Cognitive adds the interview CATS does not run: a live, two-way AI video interview of 10 or 20 minutes for the candidates you choose.
CATS users usually import from the status where they qualify a candidate for a job and invite that list in one go.
CATS says its customers run from 1-person recruitment shops to Fortune 500 operations, and in the small shops the owner is also the only screener. Importing a job's candidates and inviting them lets each one book a slot without an account, and the owner reads scored reports instead of holding every first call. Each imported candidate who interviews gets a note in CATS with the score, a summary and the report link.
How does candidate sourcing get into CATS?
That is the gap The Cognitive's AI sourcing fills. A search brief written in plain English runs across ~900M public profiles with contact details enriched from 30+ sources; the role becomes a durable role pool that keeps everyone each search finds. Each candidate a search returns costs 1 credit, an email reveal 5 and a phone number 10, charged only on a successful reveal, so browsing a search result is cheap and only the shortlist you act on is not. People you source stay in The Cognitive's role pool and are not written into CATS automatically; you decide who to interview and who to add to CATS yourself.
CATS holds the people who applied or were added by hand, and The Cognitive searches ~900M public profiles from a plain-English brief for the ones who were never in it. Those people stay in The Cognitive's role pool, and the recruiter adds the ones they pursue to CATS.
How does setup work?
- 1. Connect: open the integration from The Cognitive dashboard, choose CATS, and sign in with the credentials CATS asks for.
- 2. Pick the source stage: tell The Cognitive which CATS stage to import active candidates from.
- 3. Run it: sync to import, invite candidates to interview, then send each result back to CATS as a note with the score and report link.
- Your team keeps every stage move and decision in CATS; the integration reads candidates and writes notes, nothing more.
Why teams add The Cognitive to their ATS
Tracking candidates is what CATS does; finding and evaluating them is the gap The Cognitive fills. Search ~900M public profiles from a plain-English brief, then invite the people you pick, or the applicants you import from CATS, to a live AI interview that books itself into their calendar. AI Sourcing starts at $49/month and AI Interview at $99/month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CATS have AI interviews or screening?
The CATS homepage does not describe AI interviews or AI screening. The Cognitive adds a live, two-way AI video interview of 10 or 20 minutes, in 9 languages, for the candidates you import from CATS. Each one gets a 1 to 5 score per criterion, overall written feedback, and a read-only report link you can share with a client or hiring manager.
Does CATS source candidates outside your database?
The CATS homepage does not describe a search of outside profiles, so CATS holds the people who applied or were added by hand. The Cognitive searches ~900M public profiles from a plain-English brief, and verified emails and phone numbers can be revealed for the people you pick. Those candidates stay in The Cognitive's role pool until a recruiter adds them to CATS.
Is CATS good for a one-person recruiting agency?
CATS says it serves companies "from one person recruitment shops to the Fortune 500", and its CATS Pro edition is aimed at professional recruiters. In a solo shop the owner holds every first call. The Cognitive lets candidates book their own AI interview slot without an account, and the owner reads scored reports in CATS notes instead of running each screen.
Does The Cognitive integrate with CATS?
Yes. The Cognitive imports active candidates from the CATS stage you choose, you invite them to a live AI interview, and the score, summary and report link go back to CATS as a note. It is one of The Cognitive's 60+ ATS integrations.
Can The Cognitive source candidates into CATS?
The Cognitive sources candidates alongside CATS: it searches ~900M public profiles from a plain-English brief and enriches contact details from 30+ sources. Sourced people stay in The Cognitive's role pool and are not written into CATS automatically. Search results cost 1 credit per candidate returned; an email reveal costs 5 credits and a phone number 10, charged only on a successful reveal.
Which CATS stage should feed AI interviews?
CATS users usually import from the status where they qualify a candidate for a job and invite that list in one go. You choose the source stage in The Cognitive, each role can use its own rubric, and every decision after the interview stays with your team in CATS.
Do I need engineering help to connect CATS?
Not for the connection itself. An CATS admin signs in through The Cognitive's integration window and chooses the stage to import candidates from.
Which plans include ATS integration?
ATS integration comes with the Scale and Pro interview plans. Plans are monthly, and you can cancel anytime.
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