Migrate from The Applicant Manager to Zoho Recruit

TAM Positions (job title, description, department, status) map directly to Zoho Recruit Job Openings. The position status (active, closed) migrates to the Job Opening status field. We preserve the original TAM position ID as a custom field tam_position_id__c on the Job Opening for audit trail and any cross-reference requirements. Active positions are migrated first so that applicant records can reference the parent Job Opening during import.

TAM Applicant records map to Zoho Recruit Candidates. Core fields (first name, last name, email, phone, application date, source) migrate directly. TAM's Last Name is required per Zoho Recruit's mandatory field policy, so any TAM applicant with a missing last name is flagged in a pre-migration reconciliation report for the customer's admin to correct before import. Custom profile fields on the TAM applicant migrate as custom fields on the Zoho Candidate record, created during the schema design phase.

TAM workflow stages are customer-defined with no standard vocabulary. We collect the complete stage list and sequence during discovery, then configure Zoho Recruit Hiring Pipelines to match. Each TAM stage name maps to a Zoho stage within a Pipeline tied to the relevant Job Opening. Stage order is preserved so candidate progress reflects correctly after cutover. If the destination Zoho account already has pipeline stages configured, we merge TAM's stages into the existing structure and flag any ordering conflicts.

TAM stores applicant files (resumes, cover letters, portfolio items) in a separate password-protected zip archive, not embedded in the CSV export. We extract both packages, cross-reference each file to its applicant record using filename or applicant ID, and attach the files to the corresponding Zoho Recruit Candidate record. Resume parsing is enabled in Zoho Standard and above; we trigger parsing on each uploaded resume so that parsed fields (skills, education, experience) populate Candidate sub-fields automatically after attachment.

TAM custom application questions are defined in the Position configuration with responses stored per Applicant. We extract both the question schema (question text, answer type, required flag) and the per-applicant responses. Questions migrate as custom fields on the Candidate module in Zoho Recruit if they apply across all positions; questions specific to a single position migrate as custom fields scoped to that Job Opening's Candidate layout. Multi-select or free-text screening responses populate the corresponding custom field values during Candidate import.

Hiring team notes, scorecard ratings, and stage-change timestamps tracked per TAM applicant migrate as Notes or Tasks in Zoho Recruit attached to the Candidate record. We preserve the activity timestamp and author by creating a Note with the original author name in the body and the timestamp in the note date. Scorecard ratings migrate as a custom multi-select picklist field rating__c on the Candidate. Stage-change history is preserved as a text area field stage_history__c listing each stage transition with date.

TAM's onboarding paperwork collection includes document metadata and storage references. Document files migrate as attachments to the Candidate record, but Zoho Recruit's onboarding module acceptance depends on the customer's Zoho edition. Enterprise tier includes a full onboarding module; Standard and Professional do not. We migrate the files and flag whether the destination account has onboarding module access, noting that the customer's admin may need to configure the onboarding workflow in Zoho People if HR onboarding is required.

TAM user accounts (recruiters, hiring managers) are tied to applicant assignments and workflow actions. We map TAM users to Zoho Recruit User records by email match. Any TAM user without a matching Zoho User goes to a reconciliation queue for the customer's admin to provision before applicant migration begins, because OwnerId references on Candidate records require a valid Zoho User. We preserve the TAM user's role (recruiter vs hiring manager) as a custom field tam_original_role__c on the Zoho User for audit.

TAM stores the application submission date and source channel per applicant. These migrate to Zoho Recruit's Candidate Created Time (for the application date) and Source picklist (for the channel: Indeed, LinkedIn, Referral, Career Site, etc.). If TAM uses a source value not present in Zoho's standard Source picklist, we create a custom source value during schema setup.

TAM allows custom fields on the applicant profile beyond the standard contact fields. We inventory every active custom field during discovery, map the field type (text, date, number, picklist) to the equivalent Zoho Recruit custom field type, and create the custom field in Zoho before Candidate import. Picklist values from TAM migrate to picklist options in Zoho. Any TAM field with a value not matching a Zoho picklist option is flagged for the admin to resolve.

TAM department assignments on Positions migrate to Zoho Recruit Department records. We create the Department in Zoho first, then link the Job Opening to the Department during import. If TAM uses departments on Applicant records, we create a custom department picklist field on the Candidate record in Zoho.

If TAM tracks interview scheduling data in notes or activity records, we migrate that as Zoho Recruit Interview records. The Interview object in Zoho stores interviewer name, interview type, date and time, location or meeting link, and feedback form responses. We map TAM interview notes to the Interview Notes field and preserve any interviewer attribution as a custom field on the Interview record. Interview feedback forms are recreated in Zoho using the Interview Feedback Form feature available from Professional tier.