Skip to main content

Importing a CSV with custom fields

Mapping your own custom fields when you import a spreadsheet into Giig

Written by Luke Pitkin

Your old system tracked all sorts of extra bits. Here's how to bring them with you.

Hey! Luke here, founder of Giig šŸ‘‹

The standard import template covers the basics: names, emails, phone numbers, job titles and so on. But if your spreadsheet has extra columns like Right to Work, Notice Period or Driving Licence, you don't want to lose them on the way in. The good news is you don't have to. Set the fields up in Giig first, add the columns to your spreadsheet, and you just tell Giig which column goes where when you import.

Before you start: set up your custom fields

Giig can only fill in a custom field that already exists. So if you haven't already, create every field you want to bring in, with the same options your spreadsheet uses. Here's how: Setting up your custom fields.

šŸ’” Pro tip: open your spreadsheet next to your Custom Fields page and go down the columns one by one. Anything that isn't a standard field needs a custom field. Five minutes of this saves you a re-import.

Download the import template

Don't start from a blank spreadsheet. Grab our template, it already has every standard 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

Adding your custom field columns

  1. Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets

  2. Add a new column to the end for each custom field. Naming it the same as the field in Giig (e.g. Right to Work) makes the next bit easier

  3. Fill in the values. For Dropdown and Radio fields, use exactly the same wording as the options you set up, e.g. UK Citizen, not "british citizen"

  4. For Checkbox fields where more than one option applies, separate them with commas, e.g. Hybrid,Flexible

  5. Save it as a .csv file

šŸ’” Pro tip: your CSV needs at least two rows of people. A file with just one person in it won't import.

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 record gets tagged the moment it lands 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 record separated by commas

  2. For example, Luke,software,london tags that record with three separate tags: Luke, software and london

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

This is the only way to give individual people 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. Standard columns like First Name and Email match up on their own. Your custom field columns start as Do Not Import, so click each one and pick the matching custom field from the list (they're at the bottom, under the line)

  4. Anything you don't want brought in, leave as Do Not Import. Want to double check the data first? Click Preview Your CSV

  5. 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 Nursing, another as Midwifery)? 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. Nursing Database 2026

  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 people you just imported and go to the Info tab. You should see your tags (including CSV Import and the date) top left, and your custom fields filled in on the right.

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.

Contacts and companies too

Same idea for Import Companies and Import Contacts & Companies. Each one has its own Download CSV Import Template button on its import page, so grab the right one. Just make sure your fields are set up on the Contact or Company tab in Custom Fields, not the Candidate one.

If a field comes through blank

  1. Check you picked the custom field on the Map Your Data screen. Anything left as Do Not Import gets skipped

  2. Check the value matches one of the field's options (a typo means Giig can't match it)

  3. Check the field exists on the right record type (Candidate, Contact or Company)

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

Did this answer your question?