Most HR teams know when their recruitment software is no longer doing its job: when approvals start getting chased over email, every hiring manager runs the process a little differently, and teams start creating manual quick fixes because the software isn’t matching their actual hiring requirements.
Still, many organisations decide to stay with the same system because switching recruitment software feels harder than dealing with current problems. They worry about picking the wrong software, losing years of candidate data, slowing down ongoing hiring, or learning a new system on top of a busy workload. But most of the disruption they fear comes from poor planning, not the switch itself.
Choosing the right HR technology is only half the decision. Moving to it smoothly matters just as much, so this guide covers what changing your applicant tracking system (ATS) really involves, including the most common concerns, what a well-planned transition looks like, and the questions you should ask before making the move.
Before an ATS migration, the same four concerns tend to come up:
Data is usually the first concern. Your current system may hold years of applications, candidate records, talent pools, and compliance documents. Losing access to all of that feels like a big risk.
The key is recognising that not all of it needs to move to your new system. Before you speak to any recruitment software provider, sort your data into three groups:
This turns the recruitment software migration into a scoped decision rather than an all-or-nothing one. And a good provider will work through this process with you, rather than promising to move everything to the new platform.
The recruitment process rarely pauses. At any point, you might have candidates mid-process, interviews booked, and an offer waiting on approval. Switching systems halfway through feels like a good way to lose candidates or confuse them.
This is one of the most common reasons organisations delay, but it’s also one of the easiest to plan around. Live vacancies don’t need to move systems mid-process, as covered in “Running both systems side by side” below.
Even when the current system is frustrating, people know how to use it. That familiarity can make a new platform feel disruptive at first.
HR teams may worry about learning new processes themselves while also helping hiring managers and other users adjust. That’s why training should be built into the recruitment software implementation process, not left until the system is ready to launch.
This gives your teams an opportunity to understand how the new system works, see their recruitment process being configured, and test common tasks before going live.
Changing recruitment software takes work and time from your HR team, and often from IT and procurement too. For a lean and already stretched team, that’s a real cost.
How much of the work falls on your team depends largely on the provider. Some providers leave most of the setup to you, while others do most of it on your behalf, which makes the change much easier to manage alongside day-to-day recruitment.
A well-managed switch comes down to clear steps, clear responsibilities, and good planning. Here’s what it usually involves:
Before any work starts, you should know what happens and when.
Rather than treating implementation as one large project, break it into clear milestones that guide the organisation from initial planning through to go-live.
A typical handover timeline may include:
Clear milestones make the implementation process easier to follow and give everyone involved a shared view of what has been completed, what is coming next, and what needs attention before go-live.
Implementation is easier when you have one person who understands your setup and guides you through the process. Without one, your team may have to rely on support tickets and help guides while still managing day-to-day recruitment.
Ask the provider who will be your main point of contact during implementation and whether they’ll continue to support you after go-live.
You don’t have to move every live vacancy on the same day. In fact, it’s common to run both systems in parallel for a period.
Vacancies that are already well underway can stay in the existing system until they’re filled. New vacancies from an agreed date can then begin in the new platform.
This approach may sound less tidy than a single cutover, but it can make the change easier to manage because candidates and hiring teams are not unnecessarily moved between systems halfway through a process.
It’s tempting to copy your old templates straight across. But they were probably built around the limits of your current system. Rebuilding them gives you a chance to set things up properly this time.
Ask yourself:
A switch is one of the few chances to tidy up your processes instead of carrying old workarounds into a new system.
While comparing recruitment software providers, ask the following questions before committing to one:
The answers tell you a lot about how the transition is likely to go.
At BigRedSky, the transition is built around the same principles covered above. Our recruitment software is configurable and easy to use, so lean teams can focus on hiring rather than managing a complex system. Here’s what you can expect from us when you make the switch:
Switching recruitment software can take weeks rather than months when the provider handles the setup. With BigRedSky, recruitment can be live in four to six weeks and onboarding in six to eight, with the BigRedSky team doing the build work. If existing data needs to be migrated, that is scoped separately and can extend the timeline, so it is worth raising early.
Configuration means setting up existing software to match your process, such as workflows, templates, approval steps and application questions, without changing any code. Customisation means building new functionality for one organisation, which involves development work. BigRedSky is highly configurable out of the box, so most organisations get a system that fits their process through configuration during implementation. Where more tailored needs come up, the BigRedSky team works with customers on what is possible.
Often, yes, but it depends on which systems you use, so check integrations early in the selection process rather than after you have committed. Ask each provider which platforms they already connect with and how information moves between systems. BigRedSky integrates with HR and payroll platforms including Aurion, Chris21, Ascender, HR3 and Sage Micropay, as well as job boards such as SEEK and LinkedIn. The full list is on the integrations page.
So, how difficult is it to switch recruitment software?
There is work involved, and organisations should expect to spend time making decisions, preparing their processes, training users, and testing the new platform.
But that’s very different from the disruption many teams expect, like having to stop recruitment, move everything at once, or work out the entire transition alone.
A well-managed ATS migration is a planned project. Live vacancies are handled separately from new ones, data is scoped rather than assumed, templates are reviewed instead of copied, and your team learns the system before relying on it.
If your current system is holding your team back, talk to the BigRedSky team. We can walk you through what a switch could look like for your organisation.
