Migrating from BambooHR to Lever requires transforming flat application records into an opportunity-centric model while navigating strict API rate limits.
There is no native migration path from BambooHR's ATS to Lever. BambooHR uses a flat, application-centric model where candidates are tied directly to specific job applications. Lever uses an opportunity-centric model where a single Candidate Profile has multiple Opportunities attached to it. The fundamental gap is data model architecture: BambooHR's disconnected application records must be consolidated into Lever's unified Contact → Opportunity structure without creating duplicate profiles that break reporting. Every migration requires navigating BambooHR's API extraction limitations, Lever's strict 2 requests-per-second POST rate limit, and the complex logic of merging flat records into a relational CRM model.
Read this first
Pair-specific gotchas that catch teams out. Each one has cost somebody a weekend.
Do not skip the stage mapping review with your talent team
BambooHR statuses like "On Hold" have no clean Lever equivalent. If you default these to "Archived," you may lose candidates your recruiters intended to revisit.
The runbook
Work top to bottom. Tick steps as you go — your progress is saved in this browser.
01 Discovery Scope candidates, pipelines and the compliance obligations that come with them.
Objective Agreed scope across candidates, applications, jobs and interview history, with legal signed up on retention.
Keep these open
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Inventory every object in BambooHR
Count candidates, applications (a candidate can have many), jobs and requisitions, interviews, scorecards, offers, and resume files. Applications and scorecards usually outnumber candidates several times over, and resume files dominate storage.
Data Profiler Get real record counts instead of estimating from memory -
Settle retention and consent with legal
Candidate data is heavily regulated: GDPR right-to-erasure, EEOC/OFCCP record-keeping, and per-region retention windows that conflict with each other. Decide what may be migrated at all before you scope anything else — this frequently shrinks scope substantially.
Migrating candidate records whose consent has lapsed or whose retention window has expired creates a new compliance breach in the target system.
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Map the hiring pipeline and agree the target stages
Document every job's pipeline, stage, and rejection reason, then agree the Lever model with talent leadership. Stage definitions drive every funnel metric you report, so changing them silently rewrites your hiring analytics.
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Catalogue integrations and the job-board estate
List job boards, careers-site integration, HRIS, background check, assessment platforms, calendar and email. The careers site and job boards are customer-facing, so their cutover needs its own plan and its own testing.
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Build the business case and choose the window
Model licence delta, effort and recruiter productivity dip. Time the window against your hiring cycle: a migration during peak graduate recruitment or a hiring surge will fail on people, not technology.
Vendor Evaluator Score Lever against alternatives on weighted criteria -
Define the scope
Decide if you are migrating all historical data or only candidates active in the last 24 months.
Don't move on until
- Counts confirmed for candidates, applications, jobs and offers
- Retention and consent obligations confirmed with legal
- Hiring-stage model agreed with talent leadership
02 Data Audit Audit candidate data with compliance sitting next to you.
Objective Profiled exports with duplicates, expired records and resume files all quantified and triaged.
Keep these open
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Export and profile candidates, applications and jobs
Profile each object separately and reconcile against API counts. Watch the candidate-to-application ratio: a mismatch usually means applications have been silently truncated by pagination.
Data Profiler Profile the BambooHR export for nulls, outliers and type drift -
Quantify duplicate candidates and agree survivorship
The same person applies repeatedly over years with different emails and name spellings. Measure the duplicate rate and agree survivorship rules — which record wins and what happens to the application history attached to the losers.
Merging candidates without agreed survivorship rules destroys application and interview history that you may be legally required to retain.
Data Cleaner Strip empty rows, stray whitespace and dead columns -
Identify records outside their retention window
Flag candidates whose consent has expired, who have exercised erasure, or who fall outside regional retention. Exclude them from scope and document the exclusion — you need to show the decision was deliberate.
PII & Compliance Scanner Find regulated fields before they land in a new system -
Inventory resume files and attachments
Count files, total volume and MIME types, and check every attachment still resolves to a live URL. Expiring signed download URLs are the classic reason a resume migration completes with a large fraction of empty files.
Resume download URLs are often short-lived signed links. Fetch files close to load time or they will 404 mid-migration.
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Verify relationship integrity
Confirm every application links to a live candidate and a live job, and every scorecard to a real interview. Orphaned applications produce a funnel report that does not tie to anything.
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Clean, normalise and produce masked test data
Normalise emails, phone formats and locations, standardise timestamps to UTC, and generate a masked dataset for the sandbox. Real candidate data in a sandbox is a compliance breach in most jurisdictions.
PII Masker Generate a safe copy for sandbox and vendor testing -
Audit your data
Identify active candidates, rejected applicants, hired employees, and archived jobs.
BambooHR → Lever specifics
- How it works
- You export applicant data from BambooHR, map the columns in a spreadsheet to Lever's required fields, and upload the file.
- When to use it
- Small datasets (under 1,000 records) where historical context does not matter.
- Pros and cons
- It is free and requires no engineering bandwidth. However, it is highly manual and prone to breaking relational data. BambooHR's native exports miss candidate notes, interview feedback, and file attachments — the CSV contains only the fields available in the standard applicant report.
- Deduplication audit
- Search Lever for any candidate email that appeared in multiple BambooHR applications. Verify they have one profile with multiple opportunities, not multiple profiles.
Don't move on until
- Duplicate candidate rate quantified with a merge policy agreed
- Records outside retention identified and excluded
- Resume and attachment inventory complete with total volume
03 Field Mapping Map the candidate-application-job triangle before anything else.
Objective A signed mapping covering objects, stages, rejection reasons, scorecards and EEO fields.
Keep these open
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Map the candidate, application and job model
ATS platforms differ on whether a person or an application is the primary record. Establish this first: getting it wrong means one candidate becomes five, or five applications collapse into one, and the entire field map has to be redone.
Candidate-centric and application-centric models are not interchangeable. Confirm which Lever uses before mapping any field.
Schema Mapper Opens pre-loaded with the BambooHR → Lever field pair -
Map pipeline stages and rejection reasons exhaustively
Enumerate every stage and rejection reason across all jobs, including retired values on historical applications, and map each explicitly. Unmapped rejection reasons are both a reporting gap and, in regulated hiring, a compliance one.
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Decide EEO and diversity data handling
These fields are separately regulated and often legally required to be stored apart from the candidate record. Confirm with legal whether they migrate at all, and how Lever isolates them.
EEO data usually cannot be migrated into ordinary custom fields without breaching the segregation rules that govern it.
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Map interviews, scorecards and feedback
Structured scorecards rarely have a native equivalent. Decide whether to reconstruct them, flatten them into notes, or keep them only in the archive — and be explicit that flattening loses the ability to report on them.
JSON to CSV Converter Flatten nested API responses into a reviewable sheet -
Plan resume and file migration
Confirm size limits, MIME support and whether Lever re-parses resumes on upload. Re-parsing can overwrite carefully curated candidate fields with worse machine-extracted values, so test it deliberately.
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Set load order and freeze the spec
Users, then jobs, then candidates, then applications, then interviews and scorecards, then files. Keep source IDs in custom fields, then version and sign off the spec.
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Map the fields
Document exactly how BambooHR fields translate to Lever.
Don't move on until
- Candidate/application/job model mapped and reviewed
- Every stage and rejection reason explicitly mapped
- EEO and diversity field handling agreed with legal
04 Test Migration Pilot whole candidate journeys, not isolated records.
Objective A sandbox pilot where candidate journeys, funnel metrics and resume files all verify.
Keep these open
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Configure the Lever sandbox with the agreed pipelines
Create jobs, pipeline stages, scorecard templates, user roles and custom fields first. Loading applications before the stages exist puts every candidate in a default stage and invalidates the pilot.
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Select complete candidate journeys as the pilot slice
Take 100-200 candidates with all their applications, interviews, scorecards and files — including repeat applicants, hires, rejections at every stage, and candidates on multiple jobs. Repeat applicants are where the model mapping actually gets tested.
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Run the load in dependency order with logging
Jobs, candidates, applications, interviews, then files, logging each request against its source ID. Track file uploads separately: they fail for different reasons and at different rates than record writes.
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Verify journeys and funnel metrics
Confirm each candidate sits at the right stage on the right job with their history intact, and that per-stage funnel counts match BambooHR for the pilot jobs. Funnel mismatches point straight back to stage mapping.
Migration Validation Tool Diff the pilot batch against source before scaling up -
Open every pilot resume and check re-parsing
Actually open the files rather than trusting the upload count, and check whether re-parsing has overwritten any candidate fields. A resume that uploaded as a zero-byte file still counts as a success in most logs.
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Put recruiters in front of the pilot data
Have recruiters work their own pilot requisitions end to end. They immediately spot missing feedback, wrong stages and unreadable history that reconciliation cannot see.
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Run a sandbox test
Push 5% of your BambooHR data into a Lever sandbox environment. Contact Lever support to provision a sandbox if you do not already have one — this is typically available on Professional and Enterprise plans.
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Rebuild automations
Once the data is live, rebuild your Slack notifications, interview scheduling triggers, and HRIS syncs in Lever.
Don't move on until
- Candidate-application-job relationships intact for the pilot
- Funnel counts per stage match source for pilot jobs
- Resume files open correctly for every pilot candidate
05 Cutover Switch recruiting without dropping a live candidate.
Objective All in-scope recruiting data live in Lever, careers site and boards repointed, recruiters working.
Keep these open
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Pre-load historical candidates and closed jobs
Load closed requisitions, rejected candidates and archived applications while BambooHR stays live. Only active pipeline and the final delta need to move in the window.
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Publish the runbook including the careers-site switch
A timed sequence with owners and abort criteria, treating the careers site and job boards as first-class steps. They are candidate-facing, so a failure there is publicly visible in a way a data defect is not.
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Freeze BambooHR and take the final delta
Stop new applications and let recruiters finish in-flight actions, then export everything changed since the pre-load. Coordinate with anyone actively interviewing so feedback is not entered into the old system mid-freeze.
Interview feedback entered in the old ATS during the freeze is lost, and it is the data recruiters most immediately notice missing.
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Load active pipeline and reconcile stages
Load active candidates and applications, then verify every active candidate is at the correct stage on the correct job before repointing anything. Active-stage accuracy is what recruiters check first on day one.
Migration Validation Tool Confirm the final delta landed before you reopen -
Repoint careers site, job boards and integrations
Switch the careers-site integration, repost or migrate live job ads, and repoint HRIS, background check, assessment and calendar integrations. Then submit a real test application through the careers site and every major board.
Job ads left posted against the old ATS keep collecting applications that never reach the new system.
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Go/no-go and switch recruiters over
Call the decision against the exit criteria, then move recruiters with support on hand for the first day. Keep BambooHR read-only — candidate records have retention obligations that outlast the migration.
Don't move on until
- Historical load complete and reconciled before the freeze
- Careers site and job boards posting into Lever and verified
- Active candidates confirmed at the correct stage
06 Validation Prove the funnel, the files and the compliance position.
Objective Reconciled recruiting data, funnel parity with baseline, and a defensible compliance record.
Keep these open
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Reconcile every object including files
Compare counts for candidates, applications, jobs, interviews, scorecards and files, with field-level spot checks on a sample. Count files separately — they are the object most likely to be quietly short.
Migration Validation Tool Reconcile BambooHR and Lever record-for-record -
Tie funnel and time-to-hire reporting to baseline
Rebuild funnel conversion, time-to-hire, source effectiveness and offer-acceptance reporting and compare to pre-migration figures. Variances trace back to stage mapping and to how application timestamps were handled.
Time-to-hire depends on stage-transition timestamps. If those were approximated, the metric will differ even with identical records.
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Verify file integrity at scale
Sample-open resumes across the whole load and compare file sizes against source. Zero-byte and truncated files are common and never surface in an upload success count.
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Confirm retention, consent and EEO configuration
Verify retention rules, consent state and EEO segregation are correctly configured in Lever, and that excluded records genuinely did not migrate. File this as your compliance evidence.
PII & Compliance Scanner Produce the compliance evidence your auditor will ask for -
Test workflow, notifications and candidate-facing paths
Fire every stage automation, interview scheduling flow, rejection template and offer approval, and submit a live application through the careers site. Candidate-facing emails going out wrong is a brand problem, not just a bug.
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Sign off and schedule decommission
Get written acceptance against the Discovery criteria, retain BambooHR read-only for the period your retention policy requires, take a final archive export, and diarise cancellation.
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Record count validation
Compare the number of BambooHR applications against the number of Lever opportunities created. Compare unique candidate emails against unique Lever Candidate Profiles. The opportunity count should match applications; the profile count should be less than or equal to applications (due to deduplication).
Data Profiler Prove field completeness held up through the load
BambooHR → Lever specifics
- Field-level validation
- Spot-check 50 random candidates to verify resumes attached correctly, notes transferred with correct timestamps, stage assignments match your mapping table, and custom fields populated as expected.
Don't move on until
- Reconciliation complete across candidates, applications and files
- Funnel and time-to-hire reporting tie to baseline
- Retention and EEO configuration verified, acceptance signed
Field mapping reference
The field-by-field mapping for each object. Use this as the starting point for your mapping spec.
Object/ Equivalent
| BambooHR field | Lever field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Name (firstName, lastName) | Contact: name | Lever uses a single concatenated string. |
| Contact: emails [] | Used as the deduplication key when checking for existing Candidate Profiles. | |
| Phone | Contact: phones [].value | Include type ("mobile", "home") if available in source. |
| Job Title | Opportunity: headline | Extracted from the BambooHR application record. |
| Status (New, Accepted, Declined, etc.) | Opportunity: stage | Requires explicit mapping — see stage mapping section below. |
| Resume Attachment | Opportunity: files | Must be downloaded from BambooHR via API and uploaded to Lever as a multipart file. |
| Candidate Notes | Profile: notes | BambooHR's /applicant_tracking/applications/{id}/comments endpoint returns interviewer comments, but the response does not include the author's user ID in all cases. |
| Source / Referral | Opportunity: sources [] | Map BambooHR's source field to Lever's source tag array. |
| Custom Fields | Opportunity: custom fields via tags or Lever's custom fields API | BambooHR custom fields require querying /meta/lists/ to resolve dropdown IDs to display values before mapping. |
| EEO Data | Lever: EEO fields (if enabled) | Lever's EEO collection is handled separately and may not accept imported values depending on your Lever plan and compliance settings. Confirm with Lever support. |
| Application Date (dateCreated) | Opportunity: custom field | Lever's API does not allow backdating the createdAt timestamp on opportunities. Store the original BambooHR application date in a custom field to preserve historical accuracy for reporting. |
| Tags | Opportunity: tags [] | Direct string mapping. |
| Archive Status | Opportunity: archive reason | Map BambooHR's terminal statuses (Declined, Withdrawn) to Lever archive reasons via POST /opportunities/{id}/archived. |
Risk matrix
Per-object risk for this pair. Plan extra validation around anything marked high.
| Object | Risk | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate Notes | high | BambooHR API and CSV exports often drop historical notes; requires specific API endpoints |
| Resumes/Attachments | high | Must be downloaded individually from BambooHR and re-uploaded to Lever via API |
| Historical Interview Data | high | BambooHR's lightweight evaluation data has no structured equivalent in Lever |
| Multi-Application Candidates | medium | Same person across jobs must be consolidated into single Lever profile with multiple Opportunities |
| Pipeline Stage Mapping | medium | BambooHR's rigid statuses must be mapped to Lever's customizable pipeline stages |
| Star Ratings | medium | No direct equivalent in Lever; must be serialized into notes or custom fields |
| Custom Fields | medium | BambooHR custom fields require type-by-type transformation to Lever equivalents |
| Source Tracking | low | Map BambooHR application sources to Lever source values |
| Tags | low | Direct mapping to Lever tags with normalization |
| Offer Data | medium | BambooHR hire records require field-level mapping to Lever's offer structure |
The hard parts
What makes this specific migration difficult, beyond the mechanics.
Model Translation
BambooHR's flat application records must be split into Lever's distinct Candidate Profile and Opportunity objects. Failure to separate creates duplicate profiles.
Lever Rate Limits
Lever strictly limits application POST requests to 2 per second. Bulk imports require intelligent queueing and exponential backoff to prevent silent data loss.
BambooHR API Limitations
BambooHR's API has limited extraction capabilities. Candidate notes and attachments are difficult to extract and often missing from standard CSV exports.
Multi-Application Deduplication
A candidate who applied to three jobs must have one Lever Profile with three Opportunities. Creating separate profiles breaks reporting and forces manual merges.
Resume Extraction
BambooHR stores resumes as file IDs requiring separate API calls. Files must be downloaded individually and re-uploaded to Lever via its API.
Tools used in this playbook
All free, all run entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
FAQ
How do I export candidate notes from BambooHR?
BambooHR's native CSV export has limitations and often drops historical candidate notes. You must use the BambooHR API to extract complete candidate histories and attachments programmatically.
What is the Lever API rate limit for creating opportunities?
Lever strictly rate-limits application POST requests to 2 per second. Exceeding this limit will result in a 429 TOO MANY REQUESTS error, requiring your migration script to use exponential backoff.
How does Lever's data model differ from BambooHR?
BambooHR uses a flat, application-centric model where candidates are tied directly to specific jobs. Lever uses an opportunity-centric model, where a single candidate profile can have multiple distinct opportunities attached to it.