How to Seamlessly Sync Your ATS and HRIS Data Using Make.com for Optimal HR Operations

In today’s fast-paced HR environment, inefficient data transfer between your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) and Human Resources Information System (HRIS) can lead to errors, delays, and a fragmented employee experience. Manual data entry is not only time-consuming but also prone to human error, directly impacting your organization’s efficiency and data integrity. This guide provides a practical, step-by-step approach to leveraging Make.com to create robust, automated data synchronization between your ATS and HRIS, ensuring a seamless flow of candidate and employee information from hire to retire. By eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring real-time data consistency, you empower your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than administrative overhead.

Step 1: Define Your Integration Goals and Data Mapping

Before diving into Make.com, a clear understanding of your integration objectives is paramount. Identify precisely which data points need to transfer between your ATS (e.g., candidate profiles, offer details) and HRIS (e.g., employee ID, personal details, department, start date). Map out the exact fields in each system that correspond, noting any data transformations required (e.g., converting “Pending” status in ATS to “Pre-Boarding” in HRIS). Consider the triggers for data transfer—is it on offer acceptance, or when a candidate reaches a specific stage? Documenting this upfront ensures your automation addresses specific pain points and delivers tangible value, preventing scope creep and rework down the line.

Step 2: Set Up Your Make.com Account and API Connections

Once your data flow is mapped, establish your environment within Make.com. Begin by creating an account and familiarizing yourself with its intuitive interface. The next critical step is to connect your specific ATS and HRIS platforms to Make.com. This typically involves using the built-in app connectors Make.com provides, which often require API keys, client IDs, and secret keys from your ATS and HRIS providers. Ensure these API credentials have the necessary permissions (read, write, update) to access and manipulate the required data fields. Properly configuring these connections is the foundation upon which your entire automation will be built, enabling Make.com to communicate securely and effectively with both systems.

Step 3: Design the ATS-to-HRIS New Hire Data Flow

This is often the most critical automation: syncing new hires from your ATS to your HRIS. In Make.com, this involves creating a new scenario. Start with a webhook or a scheduled trigger that monitors your ATS for new hires (e.g., candidate status changes to “Offer Accepted” or “Hired”). The next module will be your ATS connector, set to “Watch for new candidates” or “Get candidate details.” Subsequently, use a “Map” or “Transform” module if data needs reformatting. Finally, use your HRIS connector to “Create a new employee record,” populating fields using the data retrieved from the ATS. Thoroughly map each ATS field to its corresponding HRIS field to ensure accurate data transfer and prevent discrepancies.

Step 4: Configure HRIS-to-ATS Status and Employee ID Updates

Beyond new hires, maintaining consistent status updates and employee IDs across both systems is crucial. For instance, once an employee record is created in the HRIS and an employee ID is assigned, this ID often needs to be written back to the ATS for historical tracking or future integrations. Design a separate Make.com scenario (or extend an existing one) to handle this. The trigger might be an update in the HRIS (e.g., a specific employee record being modified or a periodic check for new employee IDs). Use the HRIS connector to retrieve the updated information, and then use the ATS connector to “Update candidate details,” ensuring the ATS record reflects the accurate HRIS employee ID and any relevant status changes (e.g., “Onboarded”).

Step 5: Implement Robust Error Handling and Notifications

No automation is foolproof, and data discrepancies or API limitations can occur. Implementing robust error handling is vital for maintaining data integrity and operational continuity. Within Make.com, utilize error handlers, often found in the flow control modules, to define what happens if a step fails (e.g., an API call to the HRIS fails). This could involve sending an email notification to the HR team with details of the failure, logging the error in a spreadsheet, or attempting a retry. Proactive error notification ensures that issues are caught and addressed promptly, preventing data loss or incorrect records from propagating across your systems.

Step 6: Test, Refine, and Deploy Your Automation Scenarios

Thorough testing is the cornerstone of any successful integration. Before deploying your Make.com scenarios into production, test them rigorously using dummy data in both your ATS and HRIS environments (if available, or create test records). Run through every possible scenario: new hires, status changes, and any edge cases you’ve identified. Pay close attention to data types, formatting, and field mapping to ensure everything transfers as expected. Debug any issues, refine your mapping, and optimize the flow for efficiency. Once confident, activate your scenarios in your live environment, but continue to monitor closely during the initial rollout phase to catch any unforeseen issues.

Step 7: Monitor and Maintain for Ongoing Performance

Automations are not a “set it and forget it” solution; ongoing monitoring and maintenance are essential for long-term success. Regularly review your Make.com scenario logs for errors, unexpected behavior, or performance bottlenecks. Periodically revisit your integration goals to ensure the automation still aligns with your evolving business needs. As your ATS and HRIS platforms release updates or your HR processes change, you may need to adjust your Make.com scenarios. Proactive maintenance ensures your data sync remains efficient, accurate, and scalable, continuously delivering value to your HR operations.

If you would like to read more, we recommend this article: Zero-Loss HR Automation Migration: Zapier to Make.com Masterclass