Practical Guide · 6 Min Read

Your hiring spreadsheet will break. Here's when and how to migrate.

Every startup begins hiring from a spreadsheet. It works for the first 3–5 hires. Then columns multiply, candidates slip through cracks, and someone accidentally deletes the 'Final Round' tab. Here's a practical guide to making the switch before the chaos costs you a great hire.

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Signs Your Spreadsheet Is Failing

If any of these sound familiar, it's time to migrate:

  • You've lost track of a candidate mid-process — they applied, but nobody followed up
  • Multiple people are editing the same sheet and overwriting each other's notes
  • You can't tell how long candidates have been waiting for a response
  • Your 'pipeline' is really just a color-coded column with no automation
  • You're spending more time updating the spreadsheet than talking to candidates

Step 1: Export Your Data

Download your spreadsheet as CSV. Clean up column headers to match: Name, Email, Phone, Role, Status, Notes.

Step 2: Import to ATS

Most modern ATS tools (including Keelzo) support CSV import. Map your columns to ATS fields in 2 minutes.

Step 3: Set Up Your Pipeline

Create stages that match your actual process: Applied → Screening → Interview → Offer → Hired. Start simple.

Migration Checklist

Export current candidates as CSV — include name, email, role applied for, current status, and any notes
Choose an ATS with CSV import — don't re-enter data manually
Create your pipeline stages (keep it to 4–6 stages initially)
Import historical candidates and assign them to correct stages
Post your next open role through the ATS, not the spreadsheet
Archive the spreadsheet — don't try to run both systems in parallel

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers about how to migrate from spreadsheets to an ats (step-by-step guide).

For a team with fewer than 200 candidates in their spreadsheet, the entire migration takes 30–60 minutes. Most of the time is spent cleaning up the CSV and mapping columns. The actual import to Keelzo takes under 5 minutes.
Not if you export properly. Download your spreadsheet as CSV, verify all columns are included, and import. Keelzo maps columns automatically and shows a preview before finalizing. Keep the original spreadsheet as a backup.
The tipping point is typically 3–5 active candidates or 2+ open roles at the same time. At that point, the manual overhead of a spreadsheet exceeds the 5-minute setup cost of a free ATS.

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Migrate in 5 minutes. Seriously.

Keelzo imports your spreadsheet, sets up your pipeline, and gets you hiring — all in one coffee break.