How to import from another ATS
An admin opens Settings → Data & privacy → Import from another ATS and chooses Start an import. Pick your current ATS, connect it with its API key, choose what to bring over, and review how its stages map to yours. The import runs in the background, picks up where it left off if interrupted, and keeps syncing until you stop it.
Start the import#
Step 1: Open Settings → Data & privacy. Under Import from another ATS, choose Start an import.
Step 2: Under Choose your current ATS, pick yours.
Step 3: Paste the API key or credentials from that ATS, and choose Test connection.
OpenATS shows the steps for each one: which account can create a key, and where it is in that ATS.
Step 4: Choose What to bring over.
Candidates, applications and postings always come across. You choose whether to include archived and hired candidates; notes, scorecards and interviews; offers; resumes and attachments; and Only candidates added since a date.
Step 5: Choose Start import. OpenATS reads the other system’s stages and team.
Step 6: Review the mapping, then choose Start importing → Start background import.
Nothing is imported until you start.
You don’t need to keep the page open: every page of the import is checkpointed, and interrupted work resumes without duplicating anyone.
Reviewing the mapping#
- Stages from your old ATS are grouped by name under Lead, Applicant and Interview. Choose where each one lands in OpenATS, or Create a matching OpenATS stage.
- Or use your old ATS’s pipeline in place of OpenATS’s starter stages.
- Archive reasons map the same way, with Create new reason for any you don’t have.
- Teammates are matched by email. Work by someone who isn’t in OpenATS is credited to you, and the original author’s name is kept with it.
What each ATS brings#
| ATS | Brings across |
|---|---|
| Lever | Requisitions, jobs, candidates, applications and stage history, interviews, scorecards, notes, profile and referral forms (as notes), offers and offer letters, resumes and attachments |
| Greenhouse | Requisitions and openings, jobs, candidates, applications and stage history, interviews, scorecards, notes and emails, offers, resumes and attachments |
| Ashby | Openings, jobs, candidates, applications and stage history, custom fields, interviews, scorecards, notes, offers and offer letters, resumes and attachments |
| Workable | Requisitions, jobs, candidates, applications and stage history, notes and emails, evaluations, offers, resumes and attachments, interviews |
| Teamtailor | Requisitions, jobs, candidates and resumes, talent-pool candidates as leads, applications and stage history, custom fields, interview feedback and scorecards, notes and star reviews, referrals, offers, attachments |
| Recruitee | Requisitions, jobs, candidates with resumes and cover letters, applications and stage history, application-form answers and custom fields, talent pools (as tags), interviews, evaluations, notes, offer letters, attachments |
| BambooHR | Jobs, candidates, applications and their current status, star ratings, notes and resumes (best effort) |
| JazzHR | Jobs and internal job codes, candidates, applications and stage history, notes, comments and emails, ratings, evaluations and feedback, application-form answers, resumes |
| SmartRecruiters | Jobs and requisitions, candidates, applications with stage history and screening answers, interviews, reviews, notes, offers and signed offer letters, resumes and attachments |
| Pinpoint | Requisitions, jobs, candidates, applications and their current stages, interviews, scorecards, offers, notes, resumes, cover letters and offer letters |
| Merge | For Workday, iCIMS, SuccessFactors, Taleo, Jobvite and 50+ more: jobs and requisitions, candidates, applications (current stage, with screening answers), interviews, scorecards (overall recommendation), notes and logged emails, offers, resumes and attachments |
Through Merge#
Merge connects to ATSs OpenATS doesn’t import from directly. You need your own Merge account; Merge’s free plan covers a one-off migration. Merge doesn’t carry stage history, scorecards come across as the overall recommendation only, and offers without compensation.
Keeping in sync#
Until you stop it, OpenATS keeps checking your old ATS for new and changed records, so a team still working there during the switch stays in step: hourly for Lever, Greenhouse, Workable, Recruitee and Merge, and daily for Ashby, Teamtailor, BambooHR, JazzHR, SmartRecruiters and Pinpoint.
Step 1: Open Settings → Data & privacy. Under Import from another ATS, each sync is listed.
Step 2: Choose Stop syncing from {ATS} and confirm.
OpenATS stops checking it and deletes the saved key. Everything already imported stays.
Step 3: Revoke the key in your old ATS too.
Questions about import from another ATS#
Try Merge, which reaches more than 50 ATSs. Or export your candidates to a CSV and use Contact import.
Yes. It’s safe to re-run: people and records already imported are matched, not duplicated. The button reads Import again.
Admins. Data & privacy is an admin section of Settings.
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