Imported from the CSV.
The fields Spectacled can map a column to.
- Name, or first and last name
- Email and phone
- LinkedIn URL
- Current title and current company
- Location
How to import candidates from Bullhorn into Spectacled.
Export your candidates from a Bullhorn list view to CSV, then upload the file to Spectacled. Each file takes up to 500 rows, common column names are mapped for you, and anyone already in Spectacled is merged rather than copied.
Updated · Bullhorn steps from Bullhorn's own knowledge base
How do you export candidates from Bullhorn?
Bullhorn exports the columns of a list view to a CSV file. By default only admin users can export, so ask your Bullhorn admin if you don't see the option.
How many records you can export at once depends on your Bullhorn user type, from 5,000 to 20,000 depending on the record type. More columns lower that number.
- Set up the candidate list viewShow the columns you want to bring over: first and last name, email, mobile, title, current company and city. Leave the Submissions column off: Bullhorn adds each candidate's five latest submissions to the file, which makes it much bigger.
- Select the candidatesTick the records you want, open the Selected menu and choose the CSV export.
- Download the fileWait for the processing message to finish, then download. If it times out, export in smaller batches.
- Split it into files of 500 rowsSpectacled imports up to 500 rows a file. In Excel or Google Sheets, copy the header row into each new file and save it as CSV.
How do you import the CSV into Spectacled?
Open the Candidates page, choose Import candidates from the list options menu, and the import walks you through three steps.
- UploadDrop the CSV. Each row needs a name, an email or a LinkedIn URL; phone, title, company and location are optional. A template is there to download.
- ReviewHeaders such as First Name, Mobile and City are mapped for you. Change any column or set it to Ignore, with a sample from row 1 and filled and empty counts.
- Invite, if you wantTick Send portal invite emails to invite everyone with an email to the candidate portal, using a template you can edit. It's off by default.
- ImportRows go in batches while the window stays open. Each candidate is tagged with the source Bulk import.
- ResultsCreated, invites sending, skipped and failed, with the reason for each row and a CSV of the rows to fix.
What happens to candidates you already have?
A row that matches someone already in Spectacled by email or LinkedIn URL is merged into that record instead of creating a second one, so you can upload the same file twice safely.
- New contact and profile details are added to the existing record.
- Who owns the candidate, their status and their source stay as they were, and an archived record stays archived.
- The row shows as Skipped: "Already exists — merged into existing candidate".
- A row with no name, email or LinkedIn URL, or with an email that isn't valid, fails with the reason, and the rest of the file still imports.
What does a CSV import bring over, and what doesn't it?
The CSV import brings candidates' contact and profile fields. Everything else in Bullhorn moves through a full migration.
Moved in a full migration.
On the Agency plan, our team does it for you.
- Résumés and other files
- Notes, activity and submission history
- Clients, contacts and jobs
- Placements
Bullhorn's final, or full, backup is the copy with every résumé. Plan the switch around your renewal date.
What should you check after the import?
Five minutes of checks, then put the candidates to work on a live job.
- Fix the rows that didn't importDownload the CSV of skipped and failed rows from the results, correct them and upload that file.
- Open the Bulk import segmentEvery imported candidate is in it on the Candidates page. Spot-check names, titles and locations.
- Look at candidates without an emailThey imported, but they can't be invited to the portal or added to an email sequence until they have one.
- Rank them against an open jobRun Find best matches on a job to see your Bullhorn candidates graded against it.
Importing from Bullhorn: questions
How many candidates can I import at once?
Up to 500 rows per CSV file. Split a larger Bullhorn export into several files and import them one after another; a candidate who appears in two files with the same email or LinkedIn URL is merged, not duplicated.
Can I import résumés from Bullhorn?
Not through the CSV import, which brings contact and profile fields only. Résumés and other files are in Bullhorn's final, or full, backup. On the Agency plan our team runs the migration, and which records and files move is agreed in writing before you give Bullhorn notice.
Will the candidates get an email when I import them?
Only if you tick Send portal invite emails on the Review step. It's off by default. When it's on, each imported candidate with an email gets an invitation to set up a candidate portal account, sent in the background after the import.
What happens if a candidate is already in Spectacled?
A row that matches an existing candidate by email or LinkedIn URL is merged into that record. New details are added, and the owner, status and source stay the same. The row is reported as skipped, so re-uploading a file never creates duplicates.
Which columns does Spectacled read?
Name (or first and last name), email, phone, LinkedIn URL, current title, current company and location. Common header names, such as First Name, Mobile, Employer and City, are mapped automatically. Any other column can be ignored.
Can I import clients, contacts or jobs from a CSV?
No. The CSV import is for candidates. Clients and contacts are created as you work, when a new company books a call or a deal is won, and on the Agency plan our team brings them over in the migration.
Who can run an import?
Anyone on your team who can add candidates. AI assistants connected through the Claude connector can't run bulk imports, because an import can send portal invites.
Sources
- Bullhorn Knowledge Base, Exporting Data from Bullhorn, checked October 30, 2026.
- Bullhorn Knowledge Base, Requesting a Data Backup, checked October 17, 2026.
