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You’ve evaluated your options, weighed the tradeoffs, and selected a new ATS.
Now? It’s time for your system migration. This work will set the stage for everything that comes next—how quickly users adopt the new system, how quickly you see ROI, and the value you create for your teams and your candidates.
We’ve supported hundreds of customers as they migrate from legacy platforms and processes to the Jobvite applicant tracking system. We’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and what you need to do to set your team up for success from day one.
In this guide, we break down what a successful migration to the Jobvite applicant tracking system really looks like, based on what we’ve seen work for teams like yours. Ready to get started?
Why Applicant Tracking System Migrations Fail (and How to Avoid It)
When system migrations fall short, it’s rarely because of the technology itself. More often, it comes down to a few common missteps—ones teams can anticipate and avoid with the right approach.
1. Poor Data Planning (or No Data Cleanup)
Why it fails: Bad data in = bad data out. And if users can’t trust the data, adoption is going to drop fast.
2. Integrations Aren’t Set Up or Tested Properly
Why it fails: When integrations fail, teams are forced to revert to old or manual processes, often undermining the initial investment in the ATS.
3. Lack of User Training and Change Management
Why it fails: An ATS only works if people use it correctly and confidently. Training can’t be an afterthought.
4. Lack of Expert Guidance Throughout the Migration
Why it fails: Migrations aren’t just technical projects, they’re operational transformations. Without experienced specialists to support data cleanup, system configuration, integrations, and user enablement, teams risk extended timelines, missed requirements, and slower ROI.
Now that you know why migrations can fail, let’s get into how you can avoid these common pitfalls.
Preparing Your Data for a Successful Migration to the Jobvite Applicant Tracking System
A successful migration to your new Jobvite applicant tracking system starts with your data. Before anything is moved, it’s critical to understand what information you need to carry forward, what should be cleaned up, and what can be archived.
Taking time to prepare your data upfront helps reduce risk, avoid unnecessary complexity, and ensure your new system reflects how your team actually hires today—not how it hired years ago.
What to Migrate, What to Clean, and What to Leave Behind
The most common reasons teams choose to migrate candidate and recruiting data include:
- Maintaining records of all candidates they’ve previously interacted with.
- Preserving historical recruiting data in a single system of record.
- Re-engaging existing candidate pools for future hiring needs.
In practice, most organizations define a clear cutoff for historical data—such as migrating only the past one to two years of candidate and job data—while retaining older records offline for audit or compliance purposes.
This approach keeps your new applicant tracking system lean, relevant, and easier to manage, without sacrificing access to historical information when it’s needed.
However, before migrating any data to your Jobvite applicant tracking system, it’s important you take the extra step to clean up your data. This includes removing duplicate candidate records, correcting outdated or incomplete fields, and standardizing key information like job titles, statuses, and locations.
Cleaning data upfront helps prevent clutter in your new applicant tracking system, improves reporting accuracy, and ensures teams can trust the information they’re working with from day one.
Setting Up Integrations Without Disrupting Hiring
The only thing worse than manual processes bogging down your team? A new applicant tracking system that doesn’t integrate with your existing tech stack—leaving your TA pros to manually funnel data and information between systems.
Before you go live with your new ATS, make sure your integrations are in place, tested, and working as expected.
Below are the key integrations we typically recommend, along with trusted partners we work closely with to ensure everything connects smoothly from day one.
Job boards & sourcing channels: To post once and reach candidates everywhere.
- Niche and industry-specific job boards
Background checks & screening: To move candidates forward quickly while managing risk.
Interview & scheduling tools: To reduce back-and-forth and speed up decision-making.
- Calendly
- Zoom
- Microsoft Teams
Assessments & skills testing: To support consistent, data-backed hiring decisions.
- Skills assessments (TalentQuest, eSkill, etc.)
- Coding or role-based tests
- Behavioral and personality assessments
HRIS & onboarding systems: To ensure a clean handoff from new hire to employee.
Training Users to Ensure Adoption and Continuity
You can invest in a top-tier ATS, but without real adoption across the team, the ROI won’t follow.
For many teams, a successful transition depends on early, intentional training that walks users through new workflows, what the experience looks and feels like, and where to find what they need—fast.
The goal is simple: when day-one go-live arrives, teams aren’t stuck in how-to mode. They’re moving, confident, and ready to hire.
Supporting Teams Before, During, and After Go-Live
Training shouldn’t start at go-live. And it shouldn’t end there either. The strongest rollouts include structured training before launch, hands-on support during the transition, and ongoing enablement after the fact.
Regular check-ins, refresher trainings, and updates help teams build confidence, adopt best practices, and take full advantage of their new applicant tracking system as hiring needs evolve.
To set teams up for success, training should cover both the how and the why behind the new system. Key trainings to include:
- System navigation and core workflows—how candidates move from application to hire.
- Role-based training for recruiters, hiring managers, and system admins.
- Updated hiring processes and what’s changed from your previous system.
- Candidate communication and collaboration tools.
- Interview scheduling, feedback, and approvals.
- Reporting basics and where to find key hiring insights.
- Integrations and handoffs across your broader HR tech stack.
- Best practices and common pitfalls to avoid early friction.
- New feature enablement as enhancements and updates roll out, so teams continue to get value over time.
Jobvite Applicant Tracking System Migration Checklist
Ready to make your migration to Jobvite’s applicant tracking system a resounding success? Use this checklist to keep your migration on track—from early planning through post–go-live optimization.
Pre-migration readiness:
- Define migration goals and success criteria.
- Assign clear owners for data, integrations, and training.
- Document current hiring workflows and pain points.
- Establish a data cutoff point for historical records.
- Communicate timelines and expectations to stakeholders.
Data preparation & migration:
- Identify which candidate, job, and hiring data will be migrated.
- Remove duplicate, outdated, or incomplete records.
- Standardize key fields (statuses, job titles, locations, stages).
- Map data fields from your current system to the new ATS.
- Validate data accuracy after migration.
Integration setup:
- Identify key integrations (job boards, HRIS, background checks, interview tools).
- Confirm data flow between systems.
- Test integrations in a pre-launch environment.
- Resolve errors or workflow issues before go-live.
Training & enablement:
- Deliver role-based training for recruiters, hiring managers, and admins.
- Review updated workflows and responsibilities.
- Train teams on reporting and analytics.
- Share documentation and support resources.
- Plan ongoing training for new features and updates.
Go-live & launch:
- Confirm system access and permissions.
- Monitor system performance and hiring activity.
- Provide real-time support during initial rollout.
- Address questions and issues quickly.
Post-migration optimization:
- Validate reporting and data integrity.
- Gather user feedback and adoption insights.
- Reinforce best practices through follow-up training.
- Optimize workflows based on early usage.
- Track efficiency, adoption, and ROI over time.
From Migration to Momentum—with Expert Guidance
An ATS migration is more than a system change, it’s an operational shift. And how that shift is supported makes all the difference.
At Jobvite, we don’t treat migration as a simple hand-off. Our team of product experts are available to advise on best practices, troubleshooting assistance, configuration and workflow support, go-live planning, and more. And because every organization is different, support is tailored to your needs—so you have the right level of expertise at every stage.
The result? A steady, structured transition that drives adoption, momentum, and faster ROI.
Ready to see how Jobvite supports migrations that deliver real results? Schedule a demo today.
