A Glossary of Webhooks and Automation for HR Professionals

In today’s fast-paced HR and recruiting landscape, automation isn’t just an advantage—it’s a necessity. Understanding the foundational concepts that power these automated systems is crucial for HR leaders, recruiters, and operations professionals looking to optimize workflows, reduce manual errors, and scale their teams efficiently. This glossary provides clear, actionable definitions for key terms related to webhooks and automation, empowering you to better leverage technology for a more strategic and productive talent acquisition and HR management process.

Webhook

A webhook is an automated message sent from one application to another when a specific event occurs. Think of it as a “reverse API” or a user-defined HTTP callback. Instead of making continuous requests (polling) to check for new data, webhooks allow an application to “push” information directly to another system the moment something changes. For HR, this could mean instantly notifying an ATS when a candidate submits an application on a career page, or triggering a follow-up email sequence in a CRM as soon as an interview is scheduled. Webhooks are fundamental for creating real-time, event-driven automations that save countless hours in manual data transfer and synchronization, ensuring your HR systems are always up-to-date and responsive.

API (Application Programming Interface)

An API, or Application Programming Interface, is a set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate with each other. It defines the methods and data formats applications can use to request and exchange information. Essentially, an API acts as an intermediary, enabling seamless interaction between disparate systems without requiring direct access to their underlying code. In an HR context, an API might allow your ATS to pull candidate data from a skills assessment platform, or enable a payroll system to receive new hire information from an HRIS. Understanding APIs is key to building robust integrations that connect your entire HR tech stack, from recruitment to onboarding and beyond, streamlining operations and reducing manual data entry errors.

Payload

In the context of webhooks and APIs, a payload refers to the actual data being transmitted between applications. When an event triggers a webhook or an API call, the payload is the body of the message that contains all the relevant information about that event. For example, if a candidate completes an application, the webhook’s payload might include their name, email, resume link, applied position, and submission timestamp, typically structured in a format like JSON. Effectively understanding and parsing the payload is critical for automation, as it dictates what data points can be extracted and used in subsequent steps of a workflow, such as mapping candidate details to specific fields in your ATS or CRM.

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)

JSON, or JavaScript Object Notation, is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. It is the most common format used for sending data between a server and a web application, especially with APIs and webhooks. JSON represents data as collections of name/value pairs and ordered lists of values, similar to how objects and arrays work in programming languages. In HR automation, you’ll frequently encounter candidate profiles, job descriptions, or application details delivered as JSON payloads. Proficiency in recognizing and understanding JSON structures is essential for configuring automation tools like Make.com to correctly extract, transform, and use the specific data points needed for your recruiting and HR workflows.

Automation Workflow

An automation workflow is a sequence of automated steps designed to complete a specific business process without manual human intervention. It typically starts with a “trigger” event and proceeds through a series of “actions” and “conditions” until a desired outcome is achieved. For HR and recruiting professionals, automation workflows can transform repetitive tasks like resume screening, candidate communication, onboarding documentation, or even background check initiation. By mapping out a workflow, you can ensure consistency, reduce errors, and free up your team to focus on strategic, high-value activities rather than administrative overhead. Effective automation workflows are the backbone of scalable, efficient HR operations, driving significant time and cost savings.

Integrations

Integrations refer to the process of connecting different software applications or systems to enable them to work together and share data seamlessly. In the context of HR and recruiting, integrations are vital for creating a cohesive tech stack where your ATS, HRIS, CRM, payroll system, assessment tools, and communication platforms can all “talk” to each other. This eliminates data silos, reduces manual data entry, and ensures data consistency across all systems. For example, integrating your ATS with an onboarding platform means that once a candidate is hired, their data automatically flows into the onboarding system, triggering the necessary paperwork and tasks. Strategic integrations are paramount for building an efficient, error-free, and scalable HR infrastructure.

Trigger

In an automation workflow, a “trigger” is the specific event or condition that initiates the sequence of actions. It’s the starting point that tells the automation system, “Something has happened; now do this.” Triggers can be diverse and depend on the application or system being monitored. Common HR-related triggers include a new candidate applying to a job, an interview being scheduled, an offer letter being accepted, a new employee being added to the HRIS, or even a specific date arriving (e.g., a candidate’s 90-day anniversary). Identifying and configuring the correct triggers is the first and most crucial step in designing any effective HR automation, as it dictates when and how your automated processes begin to run.

Action

An “action” in an automation workflow is a specific task or operation performed by a connected application in response to a trigger. Once a trigger event occurs, the automation system executes one or more predefined actions to achieve the desired outcome. Examples of HR-related actions include sending an automated email to a candidate, updating a candidate’s status in an ATS, creating a new record in a CRM, scheduling an interview in a calendar application, generating an offer letter, or sending a notification to a hiring manager. Actions are the building blocks that dictate what actually happens in your automated process, transforming raw data from triggers into tangible, productive steps that advance your HR operations.

Data Mapping

Data mapping is the process of matching data fields from one system to corresponding data fields in another system during an integration or automation. For instance, when a new candidate applies (trigger) and their data is sent via a webhook, data mapping ensures that the “Candidate Name” field from the application form correctly populates the “First Name” and “Last Name” fields in your ATS or CRM. This step is critical for data integrity, ensuring that information is accurately transferred and stored across different platforms, preventing errors, and enabling consistent reporting. Effective data mapping is foundational for seamless HR automation, allowing you to move candidate and employee data reliably between your various HR tech tools.

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)

An Applicant Tracking System (ATS) is a software application designed to help recruiters and employers manage the entire recruitment process, from job posting to hiring. An ATS streamlines tasks such as collecting and storing resumes, screening candidates, scheduling interviews, and communicating with applicants. In the context of automation, an ATS often serves as a central hub where candidate data is aggregated, updated, and acted upon. Automation can be used to enrich candidate profiles within the ATS, move candidates through different stages of the hiring pipeline, or trigger communications based on their status, significantly improving efficiency and candidate experience. Integrating your ATS with other HR tools via webhooks and APIs is key to unlocking its full potential and scaling your hiring efforts.

CRM (Candidate Relationship Management / Customer Relationship Management)

While commonly associated with sales (Customer Relationship Management), CRM principles are equally vital in recruiting as Candidate Relationship Management. A CRM system helps organizations manage and analyze customer or, in our case, candidate interactions and data throughout the candidate lifecycle, with the goal of improving relationship building and driving hiring success. For HR, a recruiting CRM can track passive candidates, nurture talent pipelines with targeted communications, and manage employer branding efforts. Automation plays a crucial role here, allowing recruiters to automatically segment candidates, send personalized outreach based on specific criteria, and track engagement, ensuring that no potential talent falls through the cracks and fostering long-term relationships with future hires.

Low-Code/No-Code Platforms

Low-code/no-code platforms are development environments that allow users to create applications and automate workflows with minimal or no traditional coding. Low-code platforms use visual interfaces with pre-built components and drag-and-drop functionality, while still allowing developers to add custom code when needed. No-code platforms take this a step further, enabling business users with no coding background to build applications and automations purely through visual interfaces. For HR and recruiting professionals, these platforms (like Make.com) democratize automation, making it accessible to create custom integrations and workflows for tasks like applicant screening, onboarding, or data synchronization without relying heavily on IT resources. This empowers HR teams to rapidly prototype and deploy solutions that directly address their operational bottlenecks.

HTTP POST Method

The HTTP POST method is one of the most fundamental methods used in the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to send data to a server to create or update a resource. Unlike a GET request, which retrieves data, a POST request is used when you want to submit data, such as form submissions, file uploads, or, crucially, sending a webhook payload to trigger an event in another application. In HR automation, when a new applicant submits their details via a web form, that data is typically sent to your ATS or an automation platform using an HTTP POST request. Understanding the POST method is key to configuring outgoing webhooks and API calls, ensuring that your valuable candidate and employee data is correctly and securely transmitted between systems to initiate automated processes.

Authentication (API Keys/OAuth)

Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user or an application attempting to access a secured resource, ensuring that only authorized entities can interact with your systems. In the context of APIs and webhooks, common authentication methods include API Keys and OAuth. An API Key is a simple token that identifies the calling application. OAuth, on the other hand, is a more secure, token-based authorization framework that allows an application to access resources on behalf of a user without needing their password. For HR automation, securely authenticating your integrations is paramount to protect sensitive candidate and employee data, preventing unauthorized access and maintaining compliance with data privacy regulations. Correctly configuring authentication is a critical step in building trustworthy and secure automated workflows.

Real-time Data

Real-time data refers to information that is delivered immediately after it is collected or generated, providing an up-to-the-minute view of a situation or process. In HR and recruiting, leveraging real-time data means having instant access to critical information, such as new applicant submissions, updated candidate statuses, or changes in employee records, as they happen. Webhooks are a primary enabler of real-time data, pushing notifications and payloads to connected systems the moment an event occurs, rather than waiting for scheduled data synchronization. This immediacy allows for instant actions, like triggering an automated initial candidate response within seconds of an application, or updating HR dashboards instantly, enabling faster decision-making, improved responsiveness, and a superior experience for both candidates and employees.

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