Import a List into Bullhorn Automation

The Import tool in Bullhorn Automation lets you bring in a list of contacts using a .CSV file. Use it to add records that you want to enroll in an automation but cannot easily replicate with a standard Bullhorn Automation list.

Common Reasons You Might Need This Article

• You want to import an opt-out list from a previous email marketing tool into Bullhorn Automation.
• You have a list of contacts who RSVPed to an event or signed up for a newsletter and want to enroll them in an automation.
• You want to add contacts to an existing imported list.
• You want to remove contacts from an imported list.
• You want to search for contacts on an imported list using additional criteria.

Before You Start

• The Import tool must be enabled for your account. If you do not see Import in your menu, contact your Bullhorn administrator or Support.
• Each import file can contain only one record type — either Candidates or Sales Contacts, not a mix of both.
• Email address is required for every record. Records without a valid email address will fail validation.
• If you are a Bullhorn ATS user, import records into the ATS first so they sync automatically into Bullhorn Automation.

Download the Import Template

1. In Bullhorn Automation, select your name in the upper right corner to open the Settings menu, then select Import.
   
2. Follow the first three steps shown on the Import page.
   
3. Select the template download link in step one. The Bullhorn Automation Import Template downloads automatically as a .CSV file with pre-existing column headers. Do not change the column titles in this template.

Add Your Data to the Import Template

The table below lists all available columns in the Import Template. Email is the only required field. Do not add custom columns or change the column headers — Bullhorn Automation only maps data from the pre-existing columns.

Column Title	Required?	Record Type	Notes
Email	Yes	Candidate or Sales Contact	Email address of the candidate or contact. This field is required.
First Name	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Last Name	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Name	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Source	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Status	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Type	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Position	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Company	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
City	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
State	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Zip Code	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Date Added	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Mass Mail Opt Out	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Is Deleted	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
ATS Candidate/Sales Contact ID	No	Candidate or Sales Contact	Provide the ATS ID in this column to merge Bullhorn Automation imported records to their ATS record.
Category	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Owner Email	No	ATS User
Owner First Name	No	ATS User
Owner Last Name	No	ATS User
ATS Owner ID	No	ATS User
Phone Number	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Date of Birth	No	Candidate or Sales Contact
Date Available	No	Candidate or Sales Contact

1. Add each contact's email address in the Email column (Column A). Including a First Name and Last Name is recommended. Records imported using this method exist only in Bullhorn Automation, not in your ATS — include all information that applies to the available columns.
2. Save the file in .CSV format. If the file is not saved as a .CSV, Bullhorn Automation will not be able to read the file.

Create the Bullhorn Automation List

After saving your completed .CSV file, follow these steps to import it into Bullhorn Automation.

1. Navigate to the Import page in Bullhorn Automation.
2. Select the type of contacts you are importing. Each import file can contain only one record type — either Candidates or Sales Contacts.
3. To add contacts to an existing list, enter the list name in the Select Existing List box. To create a new list, select Create New List and enter a name in the New List Name field. The name you enter here will appear on the Lists A collection of ATS records that meets specified criteria, such as a scheduled end date or a low NPS response. page.
   
   
4. Select Select File and Start Import.
5. In the file window that appears, select your .CSV file and select Open to upload the file to Bullhorn Automation.
   
6. Bullhorn Automation validates the contacts in your file. If any records fail validation, you will be prompted to download a file containing the failed records. The file includes a Validation Errors column explaining why each record failed. The two possible validation errors are:
   • Invalid email: The email address is not in a valid format.
   • Email is not unique, a candidate with this email already exists in this file: A duplicate email address appears on a separate row in the same file.
     

Confirm the Import Completed Successfully

After your .CSV file is imported, Bullhorn Automation sends a confirmation email if any contacts were successfully validated. When you receive this email, your list has begun syncing in Bullhorn Automation.

To confirm the import was successful, go to the Lists page and verify that the number of successfully validated contacts appears on your list.

After confirming the list has synced, add the list to an automation as you would any other list.

If Your Import File Fails to Upload

The Import tool loads and validates the entire file in memory before processing. Very large files can cause upload errors.

If your file fails to upload, confirm the following:

• The file is saved in valid .CSV format.
• All required fields are populated. Email address is required for every record.
• If the file is valid but still fails to upload, break the file into smaller batches and upload each batch separately. Files under 50,000 records upload reliably.

Add Contacts to an Existing Imported List

Each imported list is created as a One Time list. Bullhorn Automation creates a record for each unique email address added to an imported list. To add more contacts to an existing imported list, go to the Imports page, enter the list name in the Select Existing List box, select the list, and upload the additional .CSV file.

Search for Contacts on an Imported List Using Additional Criteria

You can search for contacts on an imported list combined with additional criteria, as long as data exists for the fields you want to search on. To do this, create list logic with the first condition set to In List > [your list name], then add any additional criteria as needed.

Remove Contacts from an Imported List

To remove contacts from an imported list, use the import template. List only the email addresses of the contacts you want to remove, and enter TRUE in Column N (Is Deleted) for each corresponding row. Save the file as a .CSV.

Go to the Imports page and upload the file to the list you want to remove contacts from. After successful validation and sync, the list count decreases to match the number of records that were validated. For example, if your list had 10 contacts and you deleted 2, the list count updates to 8.

Removing a contact from an imported list does not delete the contact's Bullhorn Automation record. If the contact exists on another Bullhorn Automation list or was added through an automated import, the contact record remains in your Bullhorn Automation instance.