A Glossary of Essential Make.com Terminology for HR Workflow Automation

In today’s fast-paced HR and recruiting landscape, leveraging powerful automation platforms like Make.com is no longer a luxury—it’s a necessity. To effectively build and manage intelligent workflows that streamline everything from applicant tracking to onboarding, HR professionals need a clear understanding of the core terminology. This glossary demystifies key Make.com concepts, translating technical jargon into practical insights for optimizing your HR operations and saving countless hours.

Scenario

A Scenario in Make.com is the fundamental building block of your automation. It represents an entire workflow, from its starting point (trigger) through a series of modules that perform specific actions. Think of it as a blueprint for a complete automated process, such as “Automatically create a new candidate record in your ATS when a form is submitted” or “Send a personalized rejection email after a candidate interview.” Each scenario is designed to achieve a specific outcome, connecting various apps and services to automate tasks that would otherwise consume significant manual effort in HR and recruiting.

Module

A Module is a specific operation or action within a Make.com scenario, interacting with an app or service. Each module performs a single, well-defined task. For instance, in an HR workflow, a “Gmail” module might be used to “Send an Email,” or an “Applicant Tracking System” module might “Create a Candidate.” Modules are the individual steps that, when chained together, form the complete automated process of a scenario. Understanding how to select, configure, and connect different modules is key to building robust and efficient HR automations.

Connection

A Connection is the secure link between Make.com and a specific third-party application or service (like your ATS, HRIS, email provider, or calendar). Before a module can interact with an app, a connection must be established, typically by authenticating with your credentials for that service. This secure handshake ensures Make.com has the necessary permissions to perform actions on your behalf. For HR teams, managing connections properly ensures data privacy and smooth operation across all integrated systems, from candidate CRMs to onboarding platforms.

Webhook

A Webhook is a powerful “listener” module that waits for data to be sent to it from another service, effectively acting as a real-time trigger for your scenarios. When an event occurs in a source application (e.g., a new applicant submits a form, a contract is signed), that app sends a data payload to the webhook’s unique URL, instantly initiating your Make.com workflow. In HR, webhooks are invaluable for immediate processing of new job applications, interview scheduling requests, or any event requiring rapid, automated follow-up.

Router

A Router module allows you to split a single data stream into multiple paths within a scenario, enabling different actions to be taken based on specific conditions. For example, after receiving a new job application, a router could direct candidates for Role A down one path (e.g., send to hiring manager A) and candidates for Role B down another (e.g., send to hiring manager B), or even a third path for auto-rejection. Routers are essential for creating dynamic, intelligent HR workflows that adapt to varying data inputs and business rules.

Filter

A Filter is a decision-making tool within a Make.com scenario that allows you to conditionally pass data to the next module. It evaluates incoming data against defined criteria, and only if the criteria are met will the data continue through that path of the scenario. For instance, you could use a filter to process only job applications where the candidate has a specific skill, or to send offer letters only to candidates with a “Hired” status. Filters are critical for ensuring that your HR automations target the right data and execute actions only when appropriate, reducing unnecessary processing and improving data accuracy.

Iterator

An Iterator module takes a collection of items (an array) within a single bundle of data and processes each item individually. For example, if a webhook receives an application with multiple attached resumes or certifications, an iterator can process each attachment separately. This allows subsequent modules to perform actions on each individual element, such as parsing each resume or saving each certificate to a document management system. Iterators are indispensable for handling batches of related data within a single HR event.

Aggregator

An Aggregator module does the opposite of an iterator: it collects multiple bundles of data into a single, combined bundle. This is incredibly useful when you’ve processed individual items (e.g., using an iterator) and now need to consolidate the results. For instance, after parsing multiple sections of a resume individually, an aggregator could combine the extracted skills, experience, and education into a single summary document or database entry. Aggregators help streamline the final output of complex HR workflows, presenting a unified view of disparate data points.

Data Store

A Data Store is a native Make.com database that allows you to persistently store and retrieve small amounts of data directly within Make.com, independent of your external apps. This can be used to keep track of custom counters, temporary lookup tables, or flags that influence scenario behavior. For HR, a data store could track the number of candidates processed today, store a list of internal IDs for specific job openings, or manage custom onboarding checklists across different departments, providing flexible, custom data management within your automations.

Data Structure

A Data Structure defines the expected format of data, typically using JSON. It allows you to specify the types of fields (e.g., text, number, boolean) and their relationships within a data bundle. By defining a data structure, you can ensure that data flowing through your scenario is consistent and properly validated. This is particularly useful for HR workflows where precise data mapping is crucial, such as standardizing candidate information across different sources before inputting it into an ATS or HRIS, preventing errors and ensuring data integrity.

Operations

Operations represent the number of actions executed by modules within your scenarios. Each time a module successfully performs its task, it consumes one operation. If a scenario processes 10 applications and each application goes through 5 modules, that’s 50 operations. Understanding operations is critical for managing your Make.com usage and subscription costs. For HR departments running high-volume recruiting or onboarding processes, optimizing scenarios to minimize unnecessary operations can lead to significant cost efficiencies while maintaining robust automation.

Webhook Response

A Webhook Response module is used at the end of a scenario that starts with a webhook. It sends a confirmation or specific data back to the originating service after the scenario has completed its processing. For example, after an applicant submits a form and your Make.com scenario has successfully created a candidate record and sent an acknowledgment email, the webhook response can send a “success” message back to the form application. This provides immediate feedback to the source system, ensuring a complete and transparent data exchange.

Schedule

A Schedule determines when and how frequently a Make.com scenario will run. Unlike webhook-triggered scenarios that run instantly, scheduled scenarios operate on a predefined timetable—e.g., every 15 minutes, once a day, or on specific days of the week. This is ideal for routine HR tasks such as generating daily reports on new hires, syncing employee data between systems overnight, or sending weekly check-in reminders. Schedules provide the backbone for recurring, time-sensitive automations that keep HR operations running smoothly without constant manual intervention.

Error Handling

Error Handling in Make.com refers to the mechanisms for gracefully managing issues that arise during scenario execution. This includes features like “error routes” that divert data to a different path if a module fails, or “rollback” functions that undo changes. Robust error handling is vital for HR workflows to prevent data loss or incomplete processes—for example, if an ATS API fails during candidate creation, error handling can ensure the application data is saved elsewhere or retried, preventing critical information from being lost and ensuring a seamless candidate experience.

Mapping

Mapping is the process of linking data fields from one module’s output to another module’s input within a scenario. For instance, after a “New Applicant” module extracts an applicant’s name and email, you would “map” those fields to the corresponding “Candidate Name” and “Candidate Email” fields in a subsequent “Create Candidate” module in your ATS. Effective mapping ensures that data flows correctly and accurately between all your integrated HR systems, maintaining data integrity and enabling personalized communications and actions throughout the employee lifecycle.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: The Definitive Guide: Migrating HR & Recruiting from Zapier to AI-Powered Make.com Workflows