Recruitment CRM Import Checklist: Candidates, Clients and Next Actions

Keep an untouched export

Moving a recruitment CRM should preserve the relationships between candidates, clients, vacancies and next actions. Keep an untouched copy of your export and clean a second copy. Give the files clear names so a correction never overwrites your starting point.

Agree what belongs in each record

Before importing, choose a small set of core candidate fields:

Keep unknown information empty instead of guessing. A missing availability date is a follow-up action, not evidence that someone can start immediately.

Put companies in client records and people in contact records. A client may have several hiring managers, so avoid squeezing every contact into one notes field.

Check duplicates before the full upload

Email is a useful duplicate signal, but review records before merging them. A candidate may have changed email address, and different people can share a name.

Alex Morgan with a personal email and Alex Morgan with a work email could be one person or two. Compare source IDs, phone numbers and career history. Preserve useful notes and identify which details are current.

Remove accidental spaces from headings and email addresses. Keep phone numbers as text so a spreadsheet does not strip their leading zero. Use consistent date formats and resolve ambiguous values such as 04/05 before import.

Map a small sample first

Include awkward cases in your sample: a missing email, a long note, several skills and a client with more than one contact.

Map each column and preview the rows before confirming. Then open the imported records. Confirm that skills remain searchable, notes are readable and a primary contact has not become a separate company.

If the system publishes a batch limit, split the cleaned file at that limit. Record the filename, expected valid rows and outcome. Use the product's retry behaviour rather than submitting identical records under a new batch after an uncertain result.

Reconcile counts and relationships

Compare the expected total with the CRM's full pool count. The number currently displayed on a page may be smaller than the total.

Search for records from the beginning, middle and end of the file. Check a custom field and an older candidate as well as the first names shown.

Inspect an active vacancy and its client, hiring contact and current candidates. Preserve the distinction between a candidate profile and its applications: one person can be considered for several vacancies.

Give every live process a next action

Imported notes often contain unfinished work. Call after interview is not a dependable reminder on its own.

For each active process, record the next action, responsible person and due date. Start with feedback requests, availability checks and client submission follow-ups.

Sign out and back in. Confirm that the work still appears, overdue items are visible and completing a task removes it from the open queue while retaining history.

A saved interview date and an invitation delivered through an external calendar are separate checks. Verify the actual calendar connection and recipient details before relying on it to notify someone.

Give an AI assistant useful context

Where the product supports them, set your timezone, working hours, follow-up interval and preferred briefing style.

Ask a specific question: Which active vacancies have candidates awaiting feedback, and what follow-up should I review today? Check the underlying records before approving a proposed task or message.

Saved preferences are different from automatically learning every habit. Use the controls and evidence the product actually provides. Keep candidate submissions, communications and hiring decisions with the responsible recruiter.

Complete one vacancy before moving the whole desk

Take one role through candidate search, screening, a reviewed shortlist, an interview and a client submission. Open any exported CV and compare its dates, wording and contact details with the original.

Move the rest of your active work once that small journey is dependable. The result should be a CRM you can trust on a busy morning, with a clear next step for each live process.