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Importing candidates from a CSV

Preparing your candidate spreadsheet, running the import and why some records get skipped

Written by Luke Pitkin

Bring your spreadsheet of candidates across in one go.

Hey! Luke here, founder of Giig šŸ‘‹

Got your candidates in a spreadsheet? Importing a CSV is the quickest way to get them into Giig. Spend five minutes tidying the sheet first and it'll save you an hour of fixing things afterwards. Import is available on Starter and above, and only the account Owner can do it.

Download the import template

Don't start from a blank spreadsheet. Grab our template, it already has every column in the right format.

  1. Click the upload icon at the top right of the platform (next to the inbox icon)

  2. On the Import page, click Go under Import Candidates

  3. Click Download CSV Import Template, top right. The template downloads straight to your computer

Preparing your spreadsheet

  1. Got candidates spread across a few sheets or tabs? Combine them into one big sheet first. One file, one import

  2. Split names into First Name and Last Name columns. Leave them in one column and you'll end up with a load of candidates with "null" as their surname. Copilot or ChatGPT can split them for you in seconds

  3. Make sure every candidate has an Email. It's how Giig spots duplicates (more on that below)

  4. Save it as a .csv file. It needs at least two rows of people, a file with just one person in it won't import

Here's what a filled-in template looks like:

Tag your records as they go in

This is the bit people miss, and it's a big one. Fill in the Tags column and every candidate gets tagged the moment they land in Giig. No going back through hundreds of records afterwards to tag them by hand.

  1. In the Tags column, type the tags for each candidate separated by commas

  2. For example, Construction,Project Management,Birmingham tags that record with three separate tags: Construction, Project Management and Birmingham

  3. Each row can have different tags, so tag every candidate with whatever's relevant to them

This is the only way to give individual candidates different tags in an import. The import tags you'll see later go on everyone.

šŸ’” Pro tip: use the same spelling as the tags you've already set up in Giig. Type "Constrction" in your spreadsheet and you'll get a brand new "Constrction" tag. Check your list first: Creating your custom tag structure.

Running the import

  1. Back on Import Candidates, drag your CSV into the box (or click it to choose the file)

  2. You'll land on Map Your Data. Each column from your CSV is listed on the left, with the Giig field it'll go into under Data Point on the right

  3. Most columns match up on their own. Run your eye down the Data Point list: anything showing Do Not Import gets skipped. If it should come in (like Source), click it and pick the right field

  4. Got extra columns for your own custom fields? Here's how to map those: Importing a CSV with custom fields

  5. Want to double check the data first? Click Preview Your CSV. Happy? Click Add Tags

Adding import tags

Next up is Add Import Tags. These tags are global: every single candidate in this import gets exactly the same ones, on top of anything from your Tags column. Giig pre-fills CSV Import and today's date, which is handy if you ever need to find "everything from that import" later.

Want to tag people individually (one as Site Manager, another as Quantity Surveyor)? Don't do it here. Put those in the Tags column of your spreadsheet instead.

  1. Add any extra tags you want on the whole batch, e.g. Spring Job Fair

  2. Click Import Candidates

You'll see Import Complete with a count of how many came in. Big file? You can leave the page and Giig carries on in the background. Click View Database to see your new candidates.

Check it worked

Open a couple of the candidates you just imported. Contact details sit top right, and on the Info tab you'll see every tag top left: the ones from your spreadsheet plus your import tags.

šŸ’” Pro tip: test with five rows before you import five thousand. If something's off, you've only got five records to fix instead of an afternoon of clean-up.

Why some candidates are missing

  1. They were already in Giig. Giig checks each candidate's email address, and anyone who already exists gets skipped so you don't end up with duplicates. So "251 uploaded but only 9 appear" means the other 242 were already there

  2. No email, no duplicate check. Candidates without an email address can slip through and create duplicates, so fill that column in wherever you can

  3. Your file only had one row. It needs at least two

One more thing: a CSV import brings in the candidate's details, not their CV. Got a folder of CVs too? Use Bulk importing CVs (mass parse).

Undoing an import

Imported the wrong file? It happens. Message us with the date of the import and roughly how many records were in it, and we'll clear out everything from that import for you.

šŸ“¹ Watch a Full Giig Walkthrough

Need a hand?

Look, software's only useful if it actually helps you place people faster, that's the whole point of Giig. If something's not clicking, or you think a feature's missing that would make your life easier, tell me. I'm not a faceless support team, I'm the guy who built this thing. Email me: support@giighire.com

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