“`html

A Glossary of Core Make.com Terminology for HR Professionals

For HR and recruiting professionals navigating the complexities of modern talent management, automation is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Platforms like Make.com (formerly Integromat) offer immense power to streamline workflows, eliminate manual errors, and free up valuable time for strategic initiatives. However, understanding the core terminology of such a platform is crucial for unlocking its full potential. This glossary provides clear, practical definitions of key Make.com concepts, framed specifically for HR and recruiting leaders looking to build more efficient, human-centric operations.

Scenario

In Make.com, a Scenario is the fundamental building block of any automation. It represents a single, complete workflow designed to achieve a specific outcome. For HR professionals, a scenario might automate the entire candidate intake process, from form submission to ATS entry and initial screening. Each scenario is composed of a series of modules connected in a logical sequence. Understanding how to construct and manage scenarios allows HR teams to conceptualize and implement complex automations, transforming multi-step manual tasks into seamless, automated processes that save significant time and reduce the likelihood of human error in recruiting or onboarding workflows.

Module

A Module is a specific, self-contained action or event within a Make.com scenario. Think of it as a single step in your automated HR process. Modules can perform various functions, such as “Watch New Emails” in an inbox, “Create a Record” in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS), “Send an SMS” to a candidate, or “Update a Row” in a Google Sheet. Each module interacts with a specific app or service, executing a distinct task. HR professionals will use modules to integrate different HR tech tools – like an HRIS, background check service, or communication platform – into a unified, automated workflow, ensuring data flows correctly and actions are performed consistently.

Connection

A Connection in Make.com is the authenticated link between your Make.com account and a third-party application or service, such as your ATS (e.g., Workday, Greenhouse), CRM (e.g., Keap), or an email marketing tool (e.g., Mailchimp). This secure link allows Make.com modules to interact with the external service’s API on your behalf, granting permission to read, write, or update data. For HR teams, establishing connections is the first step to integrating their diverse tech stack, enabling seamless data transfer between systems like job boards, candidate databases, onboarding platforms, and payroll systems, thus creating a single source of truth for employee data and preventing data silos.

Webhook

A Webhook is a powerful “listener” module in Make.com that enables real-time communication between different web applications. It acts as an endpoint that passively waits to receive data from another service when a specific event occurs. In HR, webhooks are invaluable for triggering automations instantly. For example, a webhook could be set up to receive data immediately when a candidate submits an application form, when an interview is scheduled in a calendar app, or when a new employee is added to an HRIS. This real-time capability allows HR teams to initiate subsequent actions, such as sending confirmation emails, updating records, or notifying recruiters, without delay, improving responsiveness and candidate experience.

Iterator

The Iterator module is used to process collections of items, such as a list of candidates from a spreadsheet, multiple job applications from a single source, or a group of new hires in an onboarding batch. When a module outputs an array of data, the Iterator breaks that array down into individual bundles, allowing subsequent modules in the scenario to process each item one by one. This is extremely useful in HR for tasks like sending personalized emails to a list of eligible candidates, processing multiple resume attachments, or creating individual records for each new employee from a bulk import, ensuring every item in a collection is handled systematically and correctly.

Router

A Router module allows a single incoming data bundle to be sent down multiple different paths within a scenario, based on specific conditions. This enables sophisticated branching logic for your HR automations. For instance, after a new candidate application is received, a router could direct candidates with specific keywords in their resume down a “high-priority” path, while others go down a standard review path. Or, it could differentiate between internal and external applicants, sending them to different onboarding workflows. Routers empower HR professionals to build dynamic, adaptive workflows that cater to various scenarios and criteria, ensuring the right process is applied to the right individual at the right time.

Data Store

A Data Store in Make.com is a persistent, customizable database within the platform itself. It allows you to store and retrieve data directly within your Make.com account, independent of external applications. This can be incredibly useful for scenarios where you need to temporarily store information that isn’t readily available in your existing HR systems, or for tracking custom metrics. For example, an HR team might use a Data Store to log specific interview feedback points, track referral bonuses, or maintain a blacklist of candidates who have withdrawn applications multiple times, enabling more complex decision-making within automated workflows without relying on external databases.

Google Sheets

The Google Sheets integration in Make.com allows HR professionals to automate interactions with Google Sheets documents, a commonly used tool for tracking, reporting, and managing various HR data. Modules for Google Sheets can perform actions like adding new rows, updating existing data, searching for specific information, or retrieving entire ranges of cells. This enables HR teams to automate tasks such as populating candidate tracking sheets, generating reports on recruiting metrics, managing employee training registrations, or even acting as a simple database for smaller-scale HR initiatives, making it a flexible bridge between manual data management and advanced automation.

API (Application Programming Interface)

While not strictly a Make.com term, understanding APIs is fundamental to advanced automation. An API is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. Make.com leverages APIs to connect with various services. Many HR systems provide APIs that allow developers and automation specialists to build custom integrations. For HR professionals, familiarity with the concept of APIs means understanding the underlying mechanism that enables their ATS to talk to their HRIS, or their onboarding platform to pull data from their payroll system, unlocking deeper and more tailored automation possibilities beyond off-the-shelf connectors, significantly expanding integration capabilities.

Schedule

The Schedule setting in Make.com determines how frequently a scenario is triggered to run automatically. Scenarios can be scheduled to run at fixed intervals (e.g., every 15 minutes, once a day, weekly) or at specific times. For HR, scheduling is essential for automating recurring tasks that don’t rely on real-time triggers like webhooks. Examples include generating weekly candidate reports, sending out monthly employee engagement surveys, initiating background checks every Monday morning, or archiving old employee data on a quarterly basis. Effective scheduling ensures that routine HR processes are executed consistently and reliably without manual intervention, freeing up HR staff for more strategic work.

Filter

A Filter is a decision-making tool within a Make.com scenario that allows only specific data bundles to pass to subsequent modules, based on defined conditions. It acts as a gatekeeper, ensuring that actions are only performed when certain criteria are met. In HR, filters are invaluable for refining workflows. For instance, a filter could ensure that only candidates from a specific location or with a minimum number of years of experience proceed to the next stage of the application process. Or, it might ensure that onboarding emails are only sent to new hires in a particular department. Filters ensure precision and relevance in automated HR processes, preventing unnecessary actions and targeting communications effectively.

Error Handling

Error Handling in Make.com refers to the strategies and modules used to manage unexpected issues or failures that might occur during a scenario’s execution. This is critical for building robust and reliable HR automations. Make.com provides tools like ‘Error Handlers’ that can catch errors (e.g., an application not found in the ATS, a connection failure) and execute alternative actions, such as sending a notification to an HR admin, retrying the operation, or logging the error. Implementing error handling ensures that even when things go wrong, your HR processes don’t completely break down, protecting data integrity and minimizing disruptions in critical workflows like hiring or payroll processing.

Variables

Variables in Make.com allow you to store and manipulate data dynamically within a scenario. These can be temporary values calculated during a run, or more persistent values stored in a Data Store. Variables enable scenarios to be highly flexible and personalized. For HR, variables are crucial for creating dynamic content, such as personalizing email templates with a candidate’s name and job title, calculating custom offer details, or constructing dynamic URLs for onboarding resources based on employee roles. By using variables, HR professionals can ensure that automated communications and data manipulations are tailored to each individual, enhancing the candidate and employee experience.

Blueprint

A Blueprint in Make.com is a saved template of an entire scenario, allowing you to easily reuse and share complex automations. Instead of rebuilding a common workflow from scratch every time, you can create a blueprint. For HR teams, this means standardizing successful automation patterns. For example, an HR department might create a blueprint for a standard “New Hire Onboarding” scenario that can be deployed for different departments or roles with minor adjustments, or a “Candidate Interview Scheduling” blueprint. Blueprints promote consistency, accelerate the deployment of new automations, and facilitate collaboration across an HR operations team, ensuring best practices are propagated.

Operations

Operations in Make.com are the units of usage that reflect the actions performed by your scenarios. Each time a module successfully executes an action, it consumes one operation. For example, retrieving new emails, creating a record in your ATS, or sending an SMS all count as operations. Understanding operations is important for HR teams managing their Make.com budget and usage. By optimizing scenarios (e.g., using filters effectively, batching data where possible), HR professionals can minimize the number of operations consumed, ensuring their automations run efficiently and cost-effectively while delivering maximum value to their recruitment and talent management efforts.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Make.com: The Blueprint for Strategic, Human-Centric HR & Recruiting

“`