The seven data-loss pitfalls that wreck an ATS migration - and how to move records, conversations, and consent off a legacy system clean.
Seamless migration from your current ATS. Guided onboarding and free support - no hidden fees.
A bad ATS migration does not announce itself. The import finishes, the record count looks right, and everyone moves on - until a recruiter texts a candidate who opted out months ago, or a hired person shows up as a brand-new applicant. The damage was done at the export, and nobody caught it.
Switching platforms should make your team faster, not gamble with the pipeline you spent years building. Below are the seven mistakes that quietly lose candidate data during a move off a legacy applicant tracking system, exactly what to protect before you touch a single record, and how to run a cutover you can trust. This is a top-of-funnel risk map; when you want the step-by-step process, pair it with a full migration checklist.
Each one is avoidable. Most happen because the export ran before the plan did.
Most legacy exports hand you names, resumes, and stages - and quietly drop every text and email thread. When the SMS and email history disappears, your recruiters lose the context that told them who was warm, who was ghosting, and what was promised. Insist on migrating the conversation record, not just the contact card.
Consent is data too. If a candidate opted in to texts or replied STOP in your old system and that flag does not carry over, you can restart outreach to someone who opted out. SMS recruiting is regulated (TCPA in the US) and email is governed by CAN-SPAM, so migrate opt-in timestamps and unsubscribe status intact - or you inherit compliance risk on day one.
Your old pipeline stages rarely line up one-to-one with the new ones. When mapping is done in a hurry, active candidates land in "Rejected" and hired people reappear as new applicants. Build the stage and sub-status map before you export a single record, and validate it against a real requisition.
A candidate who applied to three roles over two years can arrive as three separate records. Import without a dedupe rule and recruiters end up texting the same person from three threads. Decide your match key - phone, email, or both - and merge before, not after, the data lands.
A CSV of candidates is easy. The attached resumes, offer letters, and signed documents are the hard part - and the part switchers forget. If the files do not come across, your team re-requests resumes candidates already sent, and that friction costs you the good ones.
Flipping the switch and immediately killing the old system leaves nowhere to check when something looks wrong. Keep the legacy ATS in read-only mode until the new pipeline is validated end to end. A parallel window is your safety net, not a delay.
The most expensive mistake is assuming a clean import is a correct one. Record counts match while fields silently truncate, dates shift time zones, and merge fields point at the wrong column. Reconcile a sample set field by field against the source before you send your first message.
Decide how each of these carries over first. If it mattered in the old system, give it a home in the new one.
Names, contact details, source, applied date, stage, sub-status, notes, and custom fields - the complete profile, not a stripped-down contact card. If a field mattered in the old system, it should have a home in the new one before import.
Two-way SMS and email history is what tells a recruiter who is engaged. Migrate the threads so replies, timestamps, and context land in one centralized inbox instead of vanishing at cutover.
Opt-in timestamps, opt-out (STOP) status, and email unsubscribes must transfer exactly. This is a compliance essential, not a nice-to-have - carry it over and keep automatic opt-out handling intact.
Resumes, offer letters, signed agreements, and onboarding docs. If a candidate sent it once, they should never be asked for it again after you switch.
All your recruiting tools, one platform. Move once, land on a system built to keep every record, conversation, and consent flag intact.
Switching platforms is a stated part of onboarding, with guided setup and free support - no hidden fees. You move onto one branded platform instead of stitching your records across the ~9 disconnected tools most teams juggle today.
Because communication is the core of ATS Mako, not an add-on, candidate replies land in a centralized two-way conversational inbox. Recruiters review applicant details while managing SMS threads without losing context.
ATS Mako keeps business-hours-only sending, automatic opt-out handling for SMS, and automatic unsubscribe handling for email. Your compliance posture is protected as candidates arrive from the old system.
Built for better collaboration: resumes share automatically with assigned interviewers, notification flow is controlled at the office level, and refreshed applicants stay clearly identified so nothing gets lost in the shuffle.
"The MAKO team listened to the recruiting needs for our ICLs and created a program that is second to none. We now have extremely efficient and effective processes with a development team that continues to provide us with updates and impeccable service."
Shanda, Veritas
Exporting candidate records while leaving the conversation history behind. Legacy exports typically hand you names, resumes, and stages but drop every SMS and email thread. That history is what tells recruiters who is warm and what was promised, so migrate the conversations - not just the contact cards - and validate that threads, timestamps, and context all came across.
Protect four things before you move a single record: the full candidate profile (including notes, custom fields, and sub-status), every conversation thread, consent and unsubscribe flags, and all documents and attachments. Map your stages ahead of time, set a dedupe rule, keep the old system in read-only mode as a rollback window, and reconcile a sample set field by field against the source before you send your first message.
Consent is data. If a candidate opted in to texts or replied STOP in your old system and that status does not carry over, you can accidentally restart outreach to someone who opted out. SMS recruiting is regulated (TCPA in the US) and email is governed by CAN-SPAM, so migrate opt-in timestamps and unsubscribe status intact and keep automatic opt-out handling on. This is guidance, not legal advice - confirm your approach with your own counsel.
Yes - keep the legacy system in read-only mode until the new pipeline is validated end to end. A parallel window gives you somewhere to check when a record looks wrong and a way to reconcile counts and fields against the source. Cutting over and immediately killing the old system removes your safety net right when you need it most.
Seamless migration from your current ATS is a stated part of onboarding, with guided setup and free support and no hidden fees. Candidate conversations land in one centralized two-way inbox, consent and unsubscribe handling stay automatic, and resumes share with assigned interviewers so your team stays prepared after the switch. You consolidate onto one branded platform instead of scattering records across roughly nine disconnected tools.
Let us map your migration so records, conversations, and consent land intact - then run your hiring on one branded platform.
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