HRMS migration

Migrate from hireful to Recruit CRM & ATS

Field-level mapping, validation, and rollback between hireful and Recruit CRM & ATS. We move data and schema; workflows are rebuilt natively in Recruit CRM & ATS.

hireful logo

hireful

Source

Recruit CRM & ATS

Destination

Recruit CRM & ATS logo

Compatibility

80%

8 of 10

objects map 1:1 between hireful and Recruit CRM & ATS.

Complexity

BStandard

Timeline

3-5 weeks

Rollback included Accuracy guarantee Field-level validation

Overview

What this migration involves

Moving from hireful to Recruit CRM is a CSV-first migration rather than an API-based migration, which is the central technical constraint shaping this project. hireful does not publish a REST API, so we extract candidate records, vacancy data, application history, and attachments via the platform's built-in CSV export function, normalise encoding (UTF-8), split multi-value fields, and load into Recruit CRM through its REST API. The absence of a hireful API also means GDPR deletion flags, retention timestamps, and EDI benchmarking data do not appear in standard exports and must be captured manually during the scoping call. We map hireful Vacancies to Recruit CRM Jobs, hireful Candidates to Recruit CRM Candidates, and hireful Applications to Recruit CRM Job Applications with status preserved. Hiring manager portal seat assignments become Recruit CRM user role assignments. Workflows, vacancy approval modules, and EDI benchmarking tools do not migrate as code; we deliver a written inventory of these for your admin to rebuild in Recruit CRM. Recruit CRM requires an active subscription for data export on exit, which is a lock-in risk to note before contract renewal on the hireful side.

Field-level fidelity

Every standard and custom field arrives verified.

Schema-aware mapping

AI proposes the map; you confirm before any record moves.

Relationships preserved

Parent–child, lookups, and ownership stay linked.

Full activity history

Calls, emails, meetings — with original timestamps.

Attachments & notes

Documents, uploads, and inline notes move with the record.

Why teams make this switch

Two sides of the same decision

Leaving

hireful logo

hireful

What's pushing teams away

  • Reviewers note the platform lacks a geographic talent-pooling tool, meaning teams cannot easily segment and re-engage candidates by location without manual workarounds.
  • As hireful is optimised for the UK market, international organisations with multi-country hiring needs find the feature set insufficient compared to global ATS platforms.
  • Some users report that the ATS feels less suited to high-volume recruitment operations, with workflows that can become cumbersome as vacancy and candidate counts grow.

Choosing

Recruit CRM & ATS logo

Recruit CRM & ATS

What's pulling them in

  • Agencies choose Recruit CRM for its full customizability — pipelines, stages, and fields can be tailored to any recruitment workflow without developer involvement.
  • Small teams value the built-in CRM and ATS combined in one subscription, eliminating the need to purchase and sync separate systems.
  • The Chrome extension for one-click LinkedIn profile collection streamlines candidate sourcing and reduces manual data entry for recruiters.
  • Responsive customer support with fast issue resolution is consistently cited as a reason teams stick with the platform long-term.
  • Automation options including email sequences and workflow triggers allow recruitment agencies to reduce repetitive manual outreach tasks.

Object mapping

How hireful objects map to Recruit CRM & ATS

Each row shows how a hireful object lands in Recruit CRM & ATS, including any object-level transformations, lookup resolution, or schema-design dependencies.

Typical mapping — final map is confirmed during the sample migration step.

hireful

Candidate

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Candidate

1:1
Fully supported

hireful candidate records (contact details, work history, CV attachment reference, communication history) map 1:1 to Recruit CRM candidate profiles. The hireful candidate ID is preserved in a custom field hireful_candidate_id__c for cross-system audit. CV and document files are extracted from hireful's download interface and re-uploaded to Recruit CRM against the corresponding candidate record; the original file name and upload timestamp are preserved in Recruit CRM's attachment metadata.

hireful

Vacancy

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Job

1:1
Fully supported

hireful Vacancy records (title, description, status, pipeline stage) map to Recruit CRM Jobs. The vacancy pipeline stage from hireful's custom property is mapped to Recruit CRM's pipeline stage on the Job record. Vacancy approval module settings (available on hireful Pro and above) do not migrate; we document the original approval workflow as a configuration note for Recruit CRM rebuild.

hireful

Application

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Job Application

1:1
Fully supported

Each hireful candidate-to-vacancy pairing is an Application record. We map Applications 1:1 to Recruit CRM Job Applications and preserve application status (Applied, Shortlisted, Rejected, Offer Extended, Hired) as a standard field in Recruit CRM. Application timestamps (created date, last modified date) migrate to preserve the original sequence in the candidate pipeline.

hireful

Application Form (custom fields)

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Candidate custom fields

lossy
Fully supported

Custom application forms with bespoke fields are available on hireful Pro and above. We export form field definitions and candidate responses separately, then reconstruct each form as a set of custom fields on the Recruit CRM Candidate record. Custom fields that exceed Recruit CRM's character limits (long-text fields mapped to character-limited text fields) are flagged during scoping for manual review or truncation handling. On hireful Go and Grow plans where only pre-set form fields are available, we map to Recruit CRM's standard candidate fields directly.

hireful

Hiring Manager Portal

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

User / Team Member role

1:1
Fully supported

hireful hiring manager portal seat assignments are extracted from the platform and mapped to Recruit CRM User records with the appropriate role (Admin, Recruiter, Hiring Manager). Unlimited hiring manager seats on hireful map to Recruit CRM's unlimited user model, and we reconcile the total count during scoping. Any portal-specific notes or preferences attached to hiring manager accounts do not carry over and are flagged in the migration report.

hireful

Interview Schedule

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Interview (as Activity or Event)

1:1
Fully supported

Interview scheduling is available on hireful Grow and Pro tiers. Where interviews are recorded as structured events with candidate, vacancy, date, and interviewer assigned, we map them to Recruit CRM Interview records or Activity/Event equivalents. Self-service interview scheduling configurations do not migrate; the scheduling link and calendar integration are noted as a rebuild item in the handoff document.

hireful

Scoring and Evaluation Notes

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Candidate rating or evaluation fields

1:1
Mapping required

Recruiter scoring and evaluation notes stored against hireful Application records are exported as structured score data and mapped to Recruit CRM's rating or evaluation custom fields on the Candidate or Job Application record. Free-text evaluation notes migrate as text fields. Numerical score values are mapped to Recruit CRM's numeric rating scale and flagged if the destination scale differs from the source.

hireful

Job Board Posting

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Job board posting metadata (configuration flag)

1:1
Fully supported

Job board integrations configured in hireful (TotalJobs, Reed, CV Library, Indeed) are recorded as metadata in the migration log indicating which boards each vacancy was posted to. Actual job board postings do not migrate; the postings must be re-created manually in Recruit CRM's job board distribution settings or via VONQ integration post-migration. We provide a posting checklist for each board as part of the handoff document.

hireful

GDPR deletion flags and retention timestamps

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

Metadata field (custom)

lossy
Fully supported

hireful GDPR automated deletion flags and retention period timestamps are stored as system properties and do not appear in the standard CSV export. We extract these values from the hireful admin interface during scoping and carry them as a custom metadata field on each affected Candidate record in Recruit CRM. The destination admin configures a GDPR reminder workflow in Recruit CRM using this preserved timestamp to honour the original retention schedule.

hireful

User Licence

maps to

Recruit CRM & ATS

User

1:1
Fully supported

Recruiter licence counts and unlimited hiring manager seats are mapped to Recruit CRM User accounts. The total active user count from hireful is reconciled against Recruit CRM's user licensing during scoping. Pro-rated licence adjustments for mid-contract hireful exits are not calculated by FlitStack AI; the customer coordinates those with both vendors.

Gotchas + challenges

What specifically takes care here

Platform-specific issues from each side, plus the pair-specific challenges that don't show up on either platform's page on its own.

hireful logo

hireful gotchas

High

No public API means migration relies on CSV exports

Medium

Application form fields vary by plan tier

Medium

GDPR deletion flags must be preserved separately

Recruit CRM & ATS logo

Recruit CRM & ATS gotchas

High

API rate limits are license-scaled and can throttle bulk migration

Medium

Custom field schemas vary per organization and require field-level mapping

Medium

Files and email attachments require separate extraction and re-upload

Low

Email sequences and automation logic do not transfer between platforms

Pair-specific challenges

  • hireful has no public API — migration relies entirely on CSV exports

    hireful does not publish a public REST API or developer documentation. All candidate, vacancy, and application data must be extracted via the built-in CSV export function in the hireful admin panel. We coordinate with the customer's hireful admin to run full exports before migration. Exported CSVs require encoding normalisation (UTF-8), multi-value field splitting, and size-limit review — records exceeding the export limit require manual handling. The absence of an API also means GDPR deletion flags, retention timestamps, and EDI benchmarking data do not appear in standard exports and must be captured manually from the admin interface during scoping.

  • GDPR deletion flags do not appear in hireful CSV exports

    hireful supports automated candidate data deletion based on configurable retention periods and manual deletion requests. These deletion flags and retention timestamps are stored as system properties and do not appear in the standard CSV export. We extract these values from the hireful admin interface during scoping, carry them as a custom metadata field on each affected Candidate record in Recruit CRM, and provide a GDPR retention schedule note for the customer's admin to configure a follow-up reminder workflow in Recruit CRM post-migration.

  • Custom application form fields vary by hireful plan tier

    Custom application forms with bespoke fields are only available on hireful Pro (£7,355/pa) and above. On Go and Grow plans, only pre-set form fields are available. When migrating from a hireful Pro instance with extensive custom form fields, we map each custom field to a custom field in Recruit CRM and flag any that exceed Recruit CRM's field type limitations — for example, long-text evaluation notes mapped to character-limited text fields require truncation handling or manual review before import.

  • Job board postings must be re-created manually in Recruit CRM

    Job board integrations (Indeed, TotalJobs, Reed, CV Library) are configured natively in hireful. These integrations do not transfer to Recruit CRM because they are platform-specific connection credentials. We record which boards each vacancy was posted to as a metadata field in the migration log. The customer's admin must re-create job board connections in Recruit CRM's distribution settings post-migration, or use VONQ integration for broader distribution. We provide a job board re-posting checklist as part of the handoff document.

  • Workflows, vacancy approval modules, and EDI tools do not migrate

    hireful's vacancy approval module (Pro tier), EDI benchmarking and anonymised application tools, and pre-set recruitment workflows are platform-specific configurations that do not have equivalents in Recruit CRM's standard data model. We do not migrate these as code. We deliver a written inventory of every active vacancy approval workflow, EDI configuration, and pre-set workflow in hireful, with Recruit CRM configuration notes for rebuilding each. The customer's admin or a Recruit CRM implementation partner handles the rebuild post-migration.

Migration approach

Six steps for a successful hireful to Recruit CRM & ATS data migration

  1. Discovery and hireful admin CSV export coordination

    We conduct a scoping call with the customer's hireful admin to identify all active vacancies, candidate records, application histories, custom form field sets, and user licence counts. The admin runs full CSV exports from hireful's built-in export function while we simultaneously extract GDPR deletion flags, retention timestamps, and EDI configuration settings manually from the admin interface. We assess the total record count, identify records approaching hireful's export size limit, and confirm which hireful plan tier the data originated from to determine which custom form fields are present.

  2. Data audit, deduplication, and normalisation

    We audit the hireful CSV exports for duplicate candidate records (matched on email address and phone number), outdated inactive records eligible for archival, and data quality issues (missing required fields, malformed dates, multi-value fields requiring splitting). GDPR compliance filters are applied at this stage. The customer reviews the audit report and approves which records to migrate, archive, or suppress. Encoding normalisation (UTF-8) and field splitting are applied to produce the migration-ready dataset before any Recruit CRM import begins.

  3. Recruit CRM schema preparation

    We configure the destination Recruit CRM workspace: custom fields on Candidate matching hireful Pro-tier application form definitions, pipeline stages matching the hireful vacancy pipeline, user roles and seat assignments matching the hireful hiring manager portal structure, and any custom picklist values required for status and stage fields. Schema configuration happens in Recruit CRM's settings before any data import. GDPR deletion timestamp fields are created as custom metadata fields on the Candidate record to carry over the hireful retention schedule.

  4. Attachment extraction and re-upload preparation

    CVs and uploaded documents attached to hireful candidate profiles are extracted via hireful's download interface and stored in a staging file store with filenames mapped to candidate IDs. During Recruit CRM candidate import, we re-upload each file against the corresponding candidate record using Recruit CRM's attachment API, preserving original filenames and upload timestamps. Any files that fail re-upload are flagged in the migration report for manual re-attachment by the customer's admin.

  5. Production migration in dependency order

    We run production migration in dependency order: Jobs (from hireful Vacancies) first, then Candidates (with GDPR deletion metadata), then Job Applications (with status preserved), then User accounts (with hireful portal role assignments mapped to Recruit CRM roles), then Interview history, then Evaluation scores, and finally file attachments. Each phase emits a row-count reconciliation report before the next phase begins. Bulk import uses Recruit CRM's REST API with appropriate rate-limit handling and retry logic.

  6. Cutover, validation, and workflow rebuild handoff

    We freeze hireful writes during cutover, run a final delta migration of any records created or modified during the migration window, then confirm Recruit CRM as the system of record. We validate a random sample of migrated records against the hireful source for field-level accuracy. We deliver the written inventory of vacancy approval workflows, EDI configurations, and pre-set workflows for Recruit CRM rebuild, plus the job board re-posting checklist. We support a one-week hypercare window for reconciliation issues raised by the customer's team.

Platform deep dives

Context on both ends of the pair

hireful logo

hireful

Source

Strengths

  • EDI and D&I tools are bundled on all plans at no extra charge, including anonymised applications and diversity benchmarking.
  • UK-specific job board integrations with TotalJobs, Reed, CV Library, and Indeed are natively supported without third-party plugins.
  • Pricing is straightforward with flat annual rates and unlimited hiring manager seats on all tiers.
  • GDPR automation handles candidate data deletion based on configurable retention periods and supports subject access request responses.
  • A dedicated volunteer management system is included free on charity and NFP tiers.

Weaknesses

  • No public REST API is documented, meaning bulk exports rely on CSV downloads which limits the depth of data we can migrate.
  • International or multi-country hiring features are limited compared to global ATS platforms.
  • The platform is optimised for small to mid-sized organisations and may not scale well for high-volume enterprise recruitment.
Recruit CRM & ATS logo

Recruit CRM & ATS

Destination

Strengths

  • Fully customizable pipelines, stages, and fields without requiring developer involvement
  • Combines recruitment CRM and ATS in one subscription for staffing agencies and small teams
  • Built-in email sequences and automation reduce manual outreach work
  • Chrome extension enables one-click LinkedIn profile collection directly into the CRM
  • Responsive customer support cited across multiple reviews with fast resolution times

Weaknesses

  • Several features are gated as paid add-ons rather than included in the base subscription
  • Email functionality has been reported as unreliable by multiple users
  • Interface occasionally lags during high-activity periods in large pipelines
  • Pricing is considered higher than comparable recruitment CRMs by some customers
  • Limited native reporting — users request pre-made report exports rather than manual data pulls

Complexity grading

How hard is this migration?

Standard HRMS migration. 1 of 7 objects need a mapping; the rest are 1:1.

B

Overall complexity

Standard migration

Derived from compatibility, mapping clarity, API constraints, and data volume across hireful and Recruit CRM & ATS.

  • Object compatibility

    B

    1 of 7 objects need a mapping; the rest are 1:1.

  • Field mapping clarity

    C

    Field mapping is derived from defaults — final spec confirmed during the sample migration.

  • Timeline complexity

    B

    7-object category — typical timelines run 2–7 days end-to-end.

  • API constraints

    B

    hireful: Not publicly documented.

  • Data volume sensitivity

    B

    hireful doesn't expose a bulk API — REST + parallelization used for high-volume runs.

Estimator

Estimate your hireful to Recruit CRM & ATS migration cost

Rule-based pricing — no per-record fees, no manual quotes. Migrations over 2M records are scoped individually.

Step 1

What are you migrating?

Pick a category, then your source and destination platforms.

Category

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about hireful to Recruit CRM & ATS data migrations

Answers to the questions buyers ask most during hireful to Recruit CRM & ATS migration scoping. Not seeing yours? Book a call.

Can't find your answer?

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Straightforward migrations with fewer than 5,000 candidate records, a single active vacancy pipeline, and no custom application form fields complete in three to five weeks. Complex migrations with 15,000+ candidate records, multiple custom form fields (hireful Pro tier), interview schedule history, and file attachment volumes above 1 GB extend to six to ten weeks because of multi-pass CSV normalisation, manual GDPR flag extraction, and attachment re-upload sequencing. The hireful admin's availability to run CSV exports and approve the audit report is the most common timeline variable.

Adjacent paths

Related migrations to explore

Ready when you are

Move from hireful.
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