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jnatarajan2
NEOGOV Employee
jnatarajan2NEOGOV Employee
NEOGOV Employee
September 16, 2026

Update: Temporary Reversion to Applicant First Name Search in Insight

Hi everyone,

On September 1, 2026, the Applicant Search page in Insight was enhanced to search across both a candidate’s Legal First Name and Preferred First Name simultaneously.

Unfortunately, we identified that this specific enhancement was causing unexpected system performance issues. To ensure Insight continues to run smoothly and quickly for all users, we have temporarily reverted this change.

How Applicant Search Works Right Now The First Name search has returned to its previous logic. When you search for a candidate by first name on the Insight Applicant Search Page:

  • If the applicant has a Preferred First Name on their master profile record, the system will search using that preferred name only.

  • If the applicant does not have a Preferred First Name, the system will fall back and search using their Legal First Name.

What’s Next? We know how helpful it is to be able to find candidates by both their preferred first name and legal first name. Our team is currently optimizing the search query so we can bring this enhancement back without impacting system speed.

We will post another announcement here to let you know as soon as the optimized, dual-name search is back in production.

Thank you for your patience and understanding while we work to get this right!

    9 replies

    camerona@lasairport.com
    September 24, 2026

    Is there any way for us to turn off the Preferred First Name feature and only use their Legal names in the meantime? I saw in the Settings that Preferred First Name wasn’t configurable, but still wanted to ask. We have many employees who use nicknames and if they put them on an application, we’re worried about losing track of them in Insight/OHC.

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      jnatarajan2
      NEOGOV Employee
      jnatarajan2NEOGOV EmployeeAuthor
      NEOGOV Employee
      September 25, 2026

      ​@camerona@lasairport.com : I have sent you an email about this. 

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      chika.k
      October 6, 2026

      That would be preferrable for our agency as well. 

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      AJambon04
      September 28, 2026

      I would like to know of a way to turn off preferred names especially until you all get this search feature fixed because it is causing a lot of filing issues for our Department.

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        jnatarajan2
        NEOGOV Employee
        jnatarajan2NEOGOV EmployeeAuthor
        NEOGOV Employee
        October 15, 2026

        Hi everyone,

        The enhanced First Name search logic on the Insight Applicant Search page is officially live in production now! You can now seamlessly search across both a candidate’s Legal First Name and Preferred First Name simultaneously. Searching by either name type will instantly return the correct candidate.

        Coming Soon in November To provide even more clarity when searching these candidates, we are adding dedicated Preferred Name and Full Legal Name columns to the applicant search results grid.

        This enhancement will be available with our November release. Keep an eye out for the November release notes, where we will share the full details!

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        chika.k
        October 15, 2026

        Thanks for the update, Jey! Is there a plan to show both legal and preferred name on the applications so hiring departments can see even on the referred list?

        With other Applicant tracking systems I’ve used, the preferred name is added on and usually next to their legal name, so we can see both. Our hiring departments in OHC conduct reference checks and may need both legal and preferred name. Thanks!

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        jnatarajan2
        NEOGOV Employee
        jnatarajan2NEOGOV EmployeeAuthor
        NEOGOV Employee
        October 15, 2026

        ​@chika.k :

        While displaying both the legal and preferred names side-by-side on the application for hiring manager isn't currently available, we are exploring options to add this capability in the future. I understand how having both visible would streamline reference checks for your hiring departments.

        In the meantime, if it is critical for your hiring managers to see the candidate's legal name, you can turn off preferred name collection entirely. By hiding the "Preferred First Name" application field in your Admin settings, the system will default to collecting and displaying only the legal name for all new applications.

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