When moving from your old ATS to Gem, you can import candidates directly into specific jobs using the Import applications from CSV function against an individual job. This mitigates the need for a full migration, allowing you to jump-start your Gem ATS workflows.

There are two places where you can complete this process:

1. From the Talent pipeline section of a job with no current candidates.
2. From the Add application dropdown of any job.

From the Talent pipeline section

To import candidates for a job from the Talent pipeline section:

1. Select the Jobs option under the ATS header in the main sidebar.
2. On the Jobs page, select the job from the list of jobs. You can also search the list by entering the job name in the search bar.
3. Select the job name to open the job details page. The Talent pipeline tab is selected by default.
4. Select the Import candidates via CSV button under the No active candidates section in the middle of the page. This option only appears if a job has no candidates.

See the Gem ATS: Import candidates into Gem ATS (📍you are here) section below for the full set of steps and best practices to upload a CSV.

From the Add application dropdown

To import candidates for a job from the Add application section:

1. Select the Jobs option under the ATS header in the main sidebar.
2. On the Jobs page, select the job from the list of jobs. You can also search the list by entering the job name in the search bar.
3. Select the job name to open the job details page.
4. Select the Add application dropdown to the left of the job status, then select the Import applications from CSV option.

See the Gem ATS: Import candidates into Gem ATS (📍you are here) section below for the full set of steps and best practices to upload a CSV.

CSV upload process

After you've initiated the CSV upload process via one of the two options listed above, the steps of the process continue as follows.

1. On the Import candidates via CSV page, check the job and candidate fields listed against the column headers in your CSV. Gem will match any of these column headers in your CSV, or you can map them manually when you upload your file. If needed, you can use the sample spreadsheet attached at the bottom of this article as a template for importing candidates from a CSV file. Note: Gem only supports CSV file uploads up to 10MB in size.
2. After you've confirmed the column headers match, select Next.
3. On the Import candidates via CSV page, select the Drag and drop CSV option to upload the CSV.
4. On the Confirm field mapping page, review the list of Gem fields against the list of CSV headers to confirm they're matched up correctly. If something is missing or mismatched, edit the CSV and reupload it by selecting the Choose another file button.
5. After you've finalized the mapping, select the Import candidates button.

While the import is running, you’ll see a progress window at the bottom-right of the screen, which displays an overview of the import once completed.

Any errors that occurred during the import process will be displayed in this section.

If you’re importing a large file, you can minimize the progress window. This leaves it running and allows you to continue with your work.

After the upload completes, the page updates to display candidates listed in their respective stages.

CSV migration best practices

To prepare for a CSV migration to Gem ATS, we recommend completing the following steps.

Before migration

• Ask your current ATS how to export the data. You may be able to request a full data download. If you'd like to upload resumes, ask if they can generate a Resume Book.
• Double-check the header columns of your CSV file against the Gem candidate fields. If there's a mismatch, rewrite the CSV file headers to match the Gem fields.

Step 1: Migrate active candidates

We recommend migrating your active candidates first. This should happen as close to the end of the migration process as possible, so that candidates are uploaded into the correct stages.

General steps to complete this process:

1. 1-2 days before your Gem launch date, download a CSV of active candidates for active jobs from your old ATS.
2. Structure the CSV data to include the supported columns in Gem ATS.
3. Upload active candidates to each open job in Gem.

Note: Rejected candidates will be migrated as historical candidates. It's not possible to upload rejected candidates into jobs. If you choose to do this, you’ll need to bulk reject these candidates.

Step 2: Migrate historical candidates

After your active candidates are migrated, you can migrate all of your historical candidates. This can be done at any time before or after your migration process is complete.

General steps to complete this process:

1. Decide on a Project structure. Do you want one project for all historical candidates, or a project per department?
2. Decide on which Gem Custom Fields you want to capture on this batch of candidates. We suggest you use Job Applied, Stage Reached, Application Date, and Rejection Reason fields.
3. Creating a Project in Gem in Gem to house historical candidates.
4. Set up Gem Custom Fields in Gem to house candidate data.
5. Uploading CSVs to Gem projects to your new Gem Projects. You'll need one CSV per project.

Tips:

• If you have LinkedIn URLs in your ATS, we highly recommend including those as a column in yoru CSV. Gem can do a data refresh to pull in candidates' most recent job title and experience from LinkedIn, which ensures your CRM stays up to date for searching.
• To avoid duplicates, ensure that the candidates' first name, last name, and email address match for those who appear in multiple CSV files.
• Notes and scorecards cannot be migrated; please retain this data for your records if you wish.

Step 3: Import resumes (optional)

This should only be done after you've already imported active and historical candidates in the previous steps.

1. Prepare your resumes in several files according to the requirements in Resume Book Upload.
2. Upload your Resume Book files to a Project in Gem.

Some notes about this process:

• Duplicates may be created if an email address or name doesn’t match exactly. To prevent this, double-check the CSV headers against the fields in Gem.
• You can upload resumes to each active candidate individually. This also helps prevent duplicates due to mismatched data.

Limitations

The following limitations apply to importing applications from CSV.

• Only the columns included in the example spreadsheet are supported.
• Import preferences (e.g. “overwrite existing fields”, “toggle email finding”, “toggle data refresh”) are not supported.

For instructions on how to upload candidates to a Gem Project and not a specific job, see Uploading CSVs to Gem.

Have any issues or questions on this topic? Please feel free to contact your dedicated Gem Customer Success Manager directly or our Support team at support@gem.com.

• From the Talent pipeline section
• From the Add application dropdown
• CSV upload process
• CSV migration best practices
• Before migration
• Step 1: Migrate active candidates
• Step 2: Migrate historical candidates
• Step 3: Import resumes (optional)
• Limitations