# Migration offer for applicant tracking software > Explain and scope the transition from inbox folders and hiring spreadsheets to a verified applicant tracking software workflow. A practical procedure with a worked scenario, category-specific checks and an editable worksheet. Source: https://saas-marketing.net/industries/applicant-tracking/migration-marketing/ Topic: SaaS Product Marketing Type: field-guide Published: 2026-09-17 Last updated: 2026-09-17 Publisher: SaaS Marketing (saas-marketing.net) License: CC BY 4.0. Quote or republish with attribution and a link to https://saas-marketing.net/industries/applicant-tracking/migration-marketing/ ## Short answer The decision to replace inbox folders and hiring spreadsheets includes more than selecting a new interface. The head of talent acquisition needs to understand data preparation, permissions, integrations and the work expected from the recruiter. ## Key takeaways - Make transition work visible before the sale. - Inventory what must be preserved. - Use a representative sample with an exception. - Stop the migration claim from becoming a guarantee: workflow automation must not be presented as a guarantee of fair hiring outcomes. --- This field guide uses a recruiting team with repeatable role-based interview stages as its working context. The buying conversation involves the head of talent acquisition, while the recruiter needs to move applicants through a consistent and documented hiring process. Adapt the scope when those roles, dependencies or operating conditions differ. ## Make transition work visible before the sale The decision to replace inbox folders and hiring spreadsheets includes more than selecting a new interface. The head of talent acquisition needs to understand data preparation, permissions, integrations and the work expected from the recruiter. Describe the migration offer as a set of bounded responsibilities. Avoid promising a frictionless transfer when the result depends on source quality, access or unsupported historical fields. ## Inventory what must be preserved List the records, relationships, identifiers, attachments and historical context needed to move applicants through a consistent and documented hiring process. Separate required operating information from material retained only for reference. Identify the authoritative source and the person who can approve a mapping decision. A large file count is not a useful migration specification. The specification should explain what the destination record means and how a reviewer will know it is correct. ## Use a representative sample with an exception Select a permitted sample that includes ordinary records and a known difficult case. Test an interview plan, scorecard and status update with clear permissions after the import or configuration step. A migration that passes only on a clean sample can still fail on duplicates, missing identifiers or historical changes. Record which transformations occurred and preserve a way to reconcile the result with the source. Keep private customer data out of public marketing demonstrations. ## Explain the integration and cutover dependencies Access to career site, calendar and HR system may affect sequencing and ownership. Document which system remains authoritative during the transition and what happens to records changed after the initial export. Agree on a cutover window, a reconciliation method and a rollback decision. Marketing copy should point to these requirements rather than hide them behind an unqualified migration promise. A buyer can make a better decision when the dependency is visible early. ## Define acceptance from the user's perspective The first practical checkpoint is whether the customer can open a sample requisition and complete an interview feedback handoff. Verify that the recruiter can find the right information and perform the required action with appropriate access. Technical import success is only one part of acceptance. The concern "Hiring managers will not submit usable feedback" should have a named test and owner. An unresolved issue should be documented as an exception, not silently removed from the launch checklist. ## Use the handoff to support adoption After cutover, explain how the team will maintain the new routine and where support responsibility sits. The longer-term condition is that recruiters and hiring managers keep eligible applications moving with recorded decisions. Provide a concise change summary, known limitations and recovery instructions. If the offer includes assisted migration, state the scope and exclusions in the commercial discussion. Do not use a successful demonstration to imply that every account can migrate with the same effort. ## Category-specific review Hiring workflows depend on the role, interview plan and people authorized to see feedback. Candidate records can contain sensitive information. Focus the marketing proof on clear coordination and documented decisions, and avoid implying that automation alone establishes fair or legally compliant hiring. Create a synthetic candidate and move the record through a sample interview stage. Check who can submit and view feedback, how missing feedback is handled and how a changed decision is recorded. The exercise should evaluate workflow behavior, not a person's suitability for employment. ## Worked situation A synthetic migration contains 120 source records. The test imports 116 without exception and sends four to review because their identifiers or required fields do not meet the mapping rules. Record the four exceptions and reconcile the 116 accepted records against the source. Do not report "migration complete" simply because the job stopped running. The user must still demonstrate an interview plan, scorecard and status update with clear permissions. The example illustrates reconciliation discipline; it is not a prediction of the error rate in a real applicant tracking software migration. ## Working worksheet | Working item | Category-specific starting point | Question to resolve | | --- | --- | --- | | Current source | inbox folders and hiring spreadsheets | Which records and relationships matter? | | Required workflow | move applicants through a consistent and documented hiring process | What must still work after transfer? | | Connected systems | career site, calendar and HR system | Which system is authoritative during cutover? | | Acceptance exercise | an interview plan, scorecard and status update with clear permissions | How will the sample be reconciled? | | First customer outcome | open a sample requisition and complete an interview feedback handoff | Who approves the result? | Add your evidence, owner and next action to each row. Read the [worksheet instructions](/resources/#using-worksheets) before completing the file. ## Run the review with the people who do the work Bring the recruiter into the review of an interview plan, scorecard and status update with clear permissions. Ask them to identify the input they would actually have, the exception they expect to encounter and the person who receives the output. Then ask the head of talent acquisition which unresolved issue could change the decision. Keep the two answers separate until the team understands whether the obstacle is workflow fit, implementation readiness or commercial priority. Record any dependency on career site, calendar and HR system beside the affected worksheet row. A dependency should have an owner and an observable completion condition. If it changes the scope of the offer, revise the public description before the next campaign. This prevents a useful planning exercise from turning into a promise the delivery team cannot meet. ## When to change the plan Stop the migration claim from becoming a guarantee: workflow automation must not be presented as a guarantee of fair hiring outcomes. If new evidence changes the audience, required workflow or acceptance conditions, update the brief and explain why. Compare later results against the version of the plan that was actually used. ## Continue with the next decision Use the [marketing to sales handoff guide](/industries/applicant-tracking/sales-handoff/) when that is the next unresolved task, or return to the [applicant tracking software marketing overview](/industries/applicant-tracking/) to choose a different route. The [saas product marketing hub](/saas-product-marketing/) provides the broader method. ## Reference and scope The [primary category reference](https://www.greenhouse.com/uk/platform) is a starting point for checking product terminology and current capabilities. This page provides an original planning framework. It does not imply a vendor endorsement, firsthand product test, original market survey or guaranteed commercial result. ## Frequently asked questions ### Where should migration offer for applicant tracking software start? Explain and scope the transition from inbox folders and hiring spreadsheets to a verified applicant tracking software workflow. Confirm the customer situation and the evidence needed for the next decision before selecting a channel, format or tool. ### What category-specific concern should the team investigate? The concern "Hiring managers will not submit usable feedback" needs an observable test or a clear limitation. Also account for the dependency on career site, calendar and HR system; do not assume it is already resolved. ### What does the worksheet include? It contains the working items and category-specific starting points shown on this page. Add your own evidence, owner, status and next review decision. The examples are constructed, not reported results or industry benchmarks. ### How does this connect to customer value? The customer needs to move applicants through a consistent and documented hiring process. A meaningful first checkpoint is to open a sample requisition and complete an interview feedback handoff; the ongoing condition is that recruiters and hiring managers keep eligible applications moving with recorded decisions. Choose the stage appropriate to this piece of work rather than combining all three into one metric.