Quick answer: An ATS (applicant tracking system) migration fails on data and open jobs, not on the logo. CSV export is not a migration. Expect to recreate jobs, remap stages, and move live resumes as PDF files. Run both systems for about two weeks with a rollback line. Do not cut over on a Friday and hope.
I see the same trap every month. A founder exports a spreadsheet, cancels the old seat, and discovers the resumes never came across. The switch failed because nobody planned what would break.
Why does ATS migration fail on data and open jobs?
Because the logo is the easy part. The hard part is relational data and live hiring work.
Your old ATS holds people linked to applications, stages, files, notes and interviews. A flat CSV flattens that. Parent and child rows stop matching. Stage history becomes a single column. Scorecards and threads often vanish. Vendors that hand you temporary attachment URLs make it worse: Greenhouse has documented signed resume URLs that expire in about seven days, so saving the link instead of the file is a common way to lose the CV.
Open jobs fail the other way. Pipelines, screening questions, email templates and board connections are configuration, not export rows. You rebuild them. If you pretend a one click full migration exists, you are buying a week long cutover fantasy.
Push back hard on “export and hope.” Hope is not a checklist.
What breaks in a typical ATS export?
Almost every ATS gives you a CSV. What it contains is narrower than people expect.
Usually fine:
- Candidate name, email, phone
- Role applied for and application date
- Current stage
- Tags and simple custom fields
Usually a problem:
- Resume and portfolio files. Often a separate bulk export, sometimes a support ticket. Ask about this first.
- Email threads. Correspondence inside the old ATS generally does not move. Keep it in your real mail system if it matters.
- Interview scorecards and feedback. Rarely map field to field across products.
- Stage history and timestamps. You may keep the current stage but lose the path that got there.
- Notes. Often one merged text blob per candidate rather than dated entries.
- Consent and screening answers. Form answers and future opportunities consent usually do not travel with a file drop.
Ask your current vendor two questions in writing before you sign anywhere else: can I export resume files in bulk as real files, and what fields are in the candidate export?
Should you migrate your entire candidate history?
Usually not.
Most historical records are stale contact details on roles you will not run again. Under GDPR and RODO you also need a lawful basis and a retention period. See our GDPR and RODO retention guide for the clock, not legal advice.
Migrate three things:
- Active pipelines. Anyone currently in a live process. Non negotiable.
- Genuine silver medallists. People you would call today. Often under fifty.
- The last 12 months of hires. Useful for reporting continuity and referrals.
Everything else goes to a dated CSV plus a resume archive in your own storage.
What can Canvider take in today?
Be clear about the product. This is where vendors overpromise.
Canvider can take in:
- Bulk Upload CVs: PDF only, onto a job. Scoring is a separate step.
- Add Candidate Manually: one person at a time with email, phone and CV.
- Refresh Applicants: PostJobFree email applications plus LinkedIn applicants for jobs published through Canvider’s LinkedIn integration.
Canvider cannot take in:
- A CSV or ATS export importer for jobs, pipeline history or notes from Greenhouse, Lever or similar tools
- Non PDF bulk uploads (Word and images are rejected)
- Automatic remap of old stages, scorecards or email threads
- One click full migration of five years of history
So plan to recreate open jobs, remap stages by hand, and accept that screening answers are missing for bulk and manual adds, Talent Pool consent is missing on manual adds, and notes are not imported. Reconnect Google or Microsoft mail, LinkedIn, portals, careers or Workloupe, and My Brand.
If setup order for a fresh account matters more than the move, the 48 hour implementation guide walks the first day.
ATS migration checklist: two week practice plan
This is a practice plan for a small team, not a service level agreement and not a promise of zero downtime. Keep the old ATS live for new applies until the rollback checks pass.
Rollback line (write this on day 0): If day 14 spot checks fail (missing resumes, wrong board apply URLs, hiring managers cannot leave feedback), stop sending new applies to Canvider. Keep the old system as the live apply destination until those three items are fixed. Do not cancel the old contract until the rollback line is clear.
Week 1: setup, recreate, PDF bulk
| Day | Do this | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sign up, company profile, careers page | Careers URL opens |
| 2 | My Brand, email template skeleton, real pipeline stages | Stages match how you hire |
| 3 to 4 | Recreate every open job; CriteriaMatch must haves; description templates | Each live role exists with same title and location |
| 5 | Connect LinkedIn and mail if your tier supports it; reconnect portals | Connections healthy, or guided manual LinkedIn ready |
| 6 to 7 | Bulk Upload PDF CVs onto the right jobs; Add Candidate Manually for odd ones; score or analyze | Ten spot checks: name, email, PDF, stage |
Do not import cold history in week one. Active pipelines only.
Rebuild screening criteria before you flood the system. In Canvider that is CriteriaMatch, up to five hard criteria per job. Copying vague old stages into a new login fixes nothing. It was probably managers stopping to log in that made you switch.
Week 2: boards, Refresh habit, close old applies
| Day | Do this | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| 8 to 9 | Post boards with the Canvider apply URL (LinkedIn: manage applicants on an external website) | Every public apply button lands in Canvider |
| 10 | Refresh Applicants daily for PostJobFree and integrated LinkedIn | Team knows the button and checks once a day |
| 11 | Invite hiring managers; one live role for feedback | At least one HM left a comment without being chased |
| 12 | Finish rejection and interview email templates | Templates send from the connected mailbox |
| 13 to 14 | New applies to Canvider only; old ATS read only for archives | Old system takes no new applications; rollback checks pass |
For LinkedIn posting detail, see how to post a job on LinkedIn from your ATS. The critical setting is still external apply URL, not “on LinkedIn.”
Then archive the old system and stop paying at the end of the term. Cold storage stays yours.
What should you check on day 15?
- Did every active candidate arrive with a resume attached? Spot check ten records, not one.
- Did hiring managers leave feedback without being chased? This is usually why you moved.
- Can you still answer why you rejected someone last quarter? If not, your decision history did not survive.
If any answer is no, use the rollback line. Fix the gap. Do not pretend the cutover is done.
Switching to Canvider without the fantasy
Simple is free, no credit card, two listings per year and one user. Enough to run week one on a real role. Pro is €80/month for up to 10 listings a month and 5 users. TalentPool is for people who consented to future opportunities, not a dump of every manual add.
We do not promise one click full migration, zero downtime, automatic legal retention, or non PDF bulk. We promise a clear path: recreate jobs, PDF bulk the live people, reconnect what you need, run parallel for two weeks.
Still choosing? Start with the best ATS for small business in 2026, or compare against Greenhouse for SMB teams.
Frequently asked questions
What is an ATS migration checklist?
A short list of what will break, what you recreate by hand, and a day by day parallel run with a rollback line. It is not a one click import. Plan for resume files, open jobs, pipeline stages, notes, and integrations before you cancel the old contract.
Will I lose candidate data if I switch ATS?
You will lose some, and you should plan for which. Name, email, role, stage and applied date usually export to CSV. Resume files, email threads, interview scorecards, stage history and dated notes usually do not survive intact. Decide what you need before you start.
Can Canvider import my Greenhouse or Lever export?
No. Canvider does not offer a CSV or ATS export importer for jobs, pipeline history or notes from Greenhouse, Lever or similar tools. You recreate open jobs, remap stages, then Bulk Upload CVs as PDF onto each job, or Add Candidate Manually for one offs.
How long does an ATS migration take for a small team?
For a team of about 10 to 300 people, two weeks is a realistic practice plan if you run old and new in parallel. It is not a service level agreement. Week one is setup, recreate jobs and PDF bulk. Week two is boards, Refresh Applicants, hiring managers and closing the old system to new applies only.