When joining Teamtailor, it is possible to import previous job and candidate data into your Teamtailor account. This data may be from a previous ATS or a spreadsheet that you have created manually.
This article will cover cases where Teamtailor will be carrying out the import on your behalf. If you would prefer to carry out the import yourself via API, you can find advice on this here.
Starting the import process
As there are different methods for the import, you must begin this process by letting your contact point at Teamtailor know that you are interested in importing data. If you have not yet signed as a customer, this will be the salesperson, and if you are a customer, this will be our support team (support@teamtailor.com) or your dedicated Customer Success Manager.
We offer two different types of imports, which will affect both the price and time taken to complete the import:
1) Standard Import
A standard import involves filling in our Teamtailor Standard Import Template CSV file.
It doesn't matter where the data comes from originally - a previous ATS or a manual file - but it must be entered into our template in the provided format.
As the fields that can be imported with this method are fixed, you must check this first before ordering the import. No customization is available with this method.
The main benefits of this method is that it is provided without cost, quick, and efficient.
⏱️ The standard waiting time for standard imports is 2-3 weeks
2) Custom Import
A custom import is required when the fields that need to be imported are outside the scope of a standard import.
This method allows for more customization, both in terms of extra data fields, and the ability to control exactly where in Teamtailor your existing data is sent. For this to be successful, a mapping document is mandatory. Please note that Teamtailor only accepts files in CSV format.
There is a cost connected to this method, so please contact us for a quote. If you have not yet signed as a customer, this will be the salesperson, and if you are a customer, this will be our support team (support@teamtalior.com) or your dedicated Customer Success Manager.
⏱️ The expected waiting time for this method is approximately 6 weeks
Identify and manage the imported data
An imported candidate in Teamtailor will appear in the Candidates tab as standard, and also within the relevant job in the Jobs tab if this has been filled out prior the import.
Imported jobs
When jobs are imported to your Teamtailor account, they will by default have the 'Archived' status and the 'import' tag. The "Created" date will be the date that the import was completed. You will see this in your Jobs tab like this:
Imported candidates
When candidates get imported to your Teamtailor account, they will by default be given the candidate status of 'Sourced' as well as an 'import' tag. The candidate’s name, email address, phone number, resume, and LinkedIn profile will appear in the standard fields within Teamtailor, and any additional fields will either be added to the “Notes” tab or as custom fields, depending on the import type.
Manage potential candidate duplicates
If you wish to import candidates that already exist within your Teamtailor database, or if your existing data includes duplicates, then you have two options:
Keep the profiles separate, meaning effectively treating them as different candidates.
Merge the imported candidate with the existing candidate, which will also add an additional tag to the candidate called 'importamend'. You can find more on merging candidates here.
Note that if you choose the first option, you can later manually decide to merge the candidates within Teamtailor and thereby better control which candidate profile would be the primary candidate.
Managing your permission settings for imported candidates
When importing candidates, you can collect new permissions to keep their professional profiles for your purposes. Since all imported candidates will be added as 'Sourced', it is important that you complete the "Collect permissions" settings for sourced and referred candidates. Please see details on how this is configured in the following article: Collect Permissions.
Here, you will have the option to either reach out to your candidates manually or automatically once the import is complete.
Request permission manually
This process allows you to manually send an opt-in or opt-out email to the imported candidates. For this method:
Choose 'Immediately' as for how long you will store the candidate's data before the system acknowledges that the permission is missing. This means that as soon as the import is completed, your imported candidates will get the status 'permission missing'.
Do not tick the box to automatically ask for permission to keep information (opt-in).
It should then look like this:
Go to your Candidates tab, filter by tags, and select 'Import':
Bulk-select these candidates, click the 3 dots at the bottom, then Data retention.
5. Choose whether to send an opt-in or opt-out email. You can amend the opt-in email for sourced and referred candidates in your Collect Permissions settings and the opt-out email in the Manage Permission settings.
Request permission automatically
This process allows you to automatically trigger an opt-in email to be sent to the imported candidates. For this method:
1. Choose for how long you will store the candidate's data before the system acknowledges that the permission is missing and thereby send the opt-in email, your options are: Immediately, 30 days, or 90 days after the candidate is created.
❣️If you import a candidate creation date, please notice that it will be the date used to calculate when to trigger the opt-in email.
2. Tick the box to automatically ask for permission to keep information (opt-in).
It could then look something like this, the timeframe will vary based on your choice:
3. Edit the email template to make sure it aligns with your tonality as well as include relevant information. It will be sent as per the schedule you have selected.
💌 Please remember to ensure that the email templates work well for your future candidates. This should be done after completing the permission requests for imported candidates, regardless of whether you choose to request permission via opt-out or opt-in email.
Are you already up and running with Teamtailor when performing the import?
If so, we recommend updating the Collect permissions settings for sourced and referred candidates to manage permission requests manually during the import period. This is to ensure that you can control the content of the opt-in email being sent to imported candidates compared to candidates being sourced or referred into the system