Zoho Recruit | Import Candidates from Documents

Import Candidates from documents

Zoho Recruit's import options help you and your hiring teams upload candidate details with ease. Whether you're an individual recruiter looking to add your candidate's profiles or part of an organisation handling large-scale hiring, we provide flexible import methods tailored to your needs.

Availability 

Available for

Profile Permissions

Only users with the Import My Candidates and Import My Organization Candidates can access this option.

Modules

Candidates

Plans

All Plans of Zoho Recruit

Editions

Staffing Agency and Corporate HR

Import Methods

We offer two primary Import Methods
  1. Import from Spreadsheet
  2. Import from Document (Resume)
For each of these methods, users have two flexible options that accommodate different organizational needs:

Import Types  

  1. Import My Candidates
    You will be the candidate owner for the records imported using this option.
  2. Import My Organization Candidates
    You will have the option to select the candidate owner during the import process. Please ensure that candidate owner details are included in the column list of your spreadsheet that you are trying to import.

What does this option mean for you?

 Import My Candidates 

 

 Import My Organization’s Candidates 

 

Allows individual recruiters to import their candidate data

Enables team-wide candidate imports with ownership distribution.

Ideal for recruiters importing personal candidate lists (e.g., LinkedIn, networking events).

Ideal for organizations conducting large-scale hiring (e.g., job fairs, job portals).

The recruiter importing the data is the default and only candidate owner.

Recruiters can assign different candidate owners within the organization.

The recruiter who imports the data is the only one who can access these candidates.

Ensures all team members have access to the imported candidates.

Useful when recruiters have their own set of candidate profiles stored in spreadsheets or databases and want to add them to the system.

Useful when multiple recruiters need to collaborate on a shared talent pool.

Example : A recruiter gathers resumes from LinkedIn and networking events. Instead of adding each one manually, they use Import My Candidates to upload them quickly.

Example : A company collects resumes from a job fair. The HR team uses Import My Organization’s Candidates to upload all profiles, so multiple recruiters can access them.

1. Import From Spreadsheet

Import from Spreadsheet allows you to upload candidate data using Excel or CSV files, either individually or in bulk. The data from your spreadsheet columns will be mapped to the corresponding fields in the system based on your configuration.
  1. Go to the Candidates module and click Import > Import from Spreadsheet.
  2. In the Import from Document page, select your preferred import option:
    1. Import My Candidate
    2. Import My Organization Candidate
  3. Upload your file (CSV, Excel, etc.)
    Note: If multiple files are selected, importing them will take some time. When the import activity is completed, the status will be notified through an email.
  4. (Optional) If you want to review candidates before adding them, enable Manual Candidate Approval.
  5. Decide how to manage existing candidates: Skip, Overwrite, Clone.
  6. Select a unique field like Email or Candidate ID for Find duplicate using, then click Next.
  7. Advanced Options:

    1. Character Encoding 
      Defines the encoding format for the imported file. This ensures special characters and symbols are correctly processed. (e.g., UTF-8).
    2. Workflow Automation
      Set up automated actions like emails or status updates during import automated emails, notifications, or follow-ups. 
    3. Date/Time Format
      Ensures correct parsing of dates in the uploaded file. (e.g., MM/dd/yyyy).
    4. Source Tracking 
      Specifies where the candidate data is coming from, helping with tracking and analytics. Eg: Job Portals, Employee Referrals, LinkedIn, Career Website, etc.
    5. Tags 
      Allows you to add keywords or labels to candidates for easier searching and filtering.
    6. Associate with Job Openings 
      Allows you to directly associate the imported candidates to specific job openings.
  8. Match your file columns with the correct fields in the system
  9. Review the Import Summary and click Import to complete the process.

2. Import From Document (Resume & CV's)  

Import from document lets you upload candidate documents (Resumes, CVs, etc.) and parse their details, individually or in bulk. The parsed details are filled in fields based on the mapping you have configured under Setup > Resume Management > Resume Parser Mapping.
  1. Go to the Candidates module and click Import > Import from Document.
  2. In the Import from Document page, select your preferred import option:
    1. Import My Candidate - Add the resume as your candidate.
    2. Import My Organization Candidate - Add it as a shared candidate for the organisation. 
  3. Choose how to manage existing candidates: Skip, Overwrite, Clone
  4. Advanced Options:
    1. Associate with Job Openings 
      Allows you to directly associate the imported candidates with specific job openings.
    2. Source Tracking 
      Specifies where the candidate data is coming from, helping with tracking and analytics. For example: Job Portals, Employee Referrals, LinkedIn, Career Websites, and so on.
    3. Tags 
      Allows you to add keywords or labels to candidates for easier searching and filtering.
  5. After uploading, review the extracted details on the Parsing Review screen. Make any necessary edits, then click Update.

    NotesNote:
    For Import My Candidate - Candidate Owner field is locked to the importing recruiter
    For Import My Organisation's Candidate - You can assign candidate ownership to different users in your organization.
  6.  Review the Import Summary and click Import to finalise the process.