Overview
Gem’s CSV import tool allows you to quickly import lists of candidates, either to an individual job or to multiple jobs in bulk. The most common use case for this is for migrating data when initially implementing Gem, but you may also need to import data for other reasons such as adding candidates from a referral program, a networking event, or a previous hiring campaign. Whatever the reason, you can import candidates into Gem in a few steps. This article covers how to upload CSV files to Gem, to both individual jobs and multiple jobs.
Requirements
- Your team must use Gem ATS.
- You must be an Admin or Standard user. See Gem access types and permissions for more details about user roles.
- You must have the Add and edit applications job access capability.
- The job(s) must already be created in Gem.
How it works
There are two ways to upload candidates via CSV in Gem. The steps are similar, but you start the import from a different place depending on whether you are importing to one job or multiple jobs.
- Single job: On the Talent pipeline page of a particular job.
- Multiple jobs: On the main Jobs page.
In addition, when importing candidates into multiple jobs you need to include the requisition_id field to indicate which job each candidate should be imported into.
See the sample files attached below for templates that you can use when creating your own CSV files:
Gem supports CSV file uploads up to 10MB in size.
Limitations
When you import candidates via CSV:
- Gem only imports the columns included in the example CSV templates. Any additional columns are ignored.
- Import preferences like “overwrite existing fields”, “toggle email finding”, and “toggle data refresh” are not available for CSV imports.
Upload a CSV file to a single job
Follow these steps to upload a CSV file and import candidates into a single job:
- From the Jobs page, select the job you want to upload candidates to.
- If there are no candidates in the job yet, Gem will prompt you to select Import candidates from a CSV file.
- If the job already has candidates, select the Add application dropdown in the top-right corner, then Import applications from CSV.
- This opens the Import candidates via CSV pop-up, which displays the candidate fields that can be imported. Gem will automatically recognize matching column headers from your CSV, but you can also manually adjust them during the upload.
- Select the Next button and either drag-and-drop your CSV file or select the upload icon to choose your file manually.
- Once you’ve selected a file, use the field-mapping tool to match your CSV column headers to Gem’s predefined fields. Use the dropdowns next to each field to correct or confirm mappings.
- Once everything looks good, select the Import candidates button.
You can leave the page and navigate elsewhere in Gem while the import is running - a pop-up will display in the bottom-right corner of the screen showing the progress of the import.
After importing, Gem will:
- Populate the job’s Talent pipeline with the new candidates.
- Display a pop-up in the bottom-right corner with a summary of the import, including candidate names, email addresses, and their assigned job stage.
- Display any errors that occurred during the import process in the same pop-up.
Use this list to quickly review and verify that all candidates were successfully added. If any applications were skipped due to an error, they will be listed in a separate section.
You may need to refresh the page to see updated data in the Talent pipeline view.
Upload a CSV file to multiple jobs
Follow these steps to upload a CSV file and import candidates into multiple jobs:
- From the Jobs page, select the three dots at the top-right of the screen, next to the + New job button.
- Select Bulk import applications.
- This opens the Bulk import candidates via CSV pop-up, which displays the candidate fields that can be imported. Gem will automatically recognize matching column headers from your CSV, but you can also manually adjust them during the upload.
Note that importing candidates into multiple jobs requires the same fields as the single-job import, with the addition of the requisition_id field.
- Select the Next button and either drag-and-drop your CSV file or select the upload icon to choose your file manually.
- Once you’ve selected a file, use the field-mapping tool to match your CSV column headers to Gem’s predefined fields. Use the dropdowns next to each field to correct or confirm mappings.
- Once everything looks good, select the Import candidates button.
You can leave the page and navigate elsewhere in Gem while the import is running - a pop-up will display in the bottom-right corner of the screen showing the progress of the import.
After importing, Gem will:
- Populate new candidates in the Talent pipeline for each job referenced in the CSV.
- Display a pop-up in the bottom-right corner with a summary of the import, including candidate names, email addresses, their assigned job stage, and job requisition ID.
- Display any errors that occurred during the import process in the same pop-up.
Use this list to quickly review and verify that all candidates were successfully added. If any applications were skipped due to an error, they will be listed in a separate section.
You may need to refresh the page to see updated data in the Jobs list.
Reimport candidates
If you need to add more candidates to the same job later, you can go back to step three and repeat the process from there. Don’t worry if you accidentally include duplicate candidates in a subsequent CSV - the system will spot any repeated entries and skip them, so you won’t end up with duplicates.
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.