Personio Integration Guide
Overview
Connect Personio so the people you save in Jack & Jill are submitted as applications on your Personio jobs. Jack & Jill also reads back what happens in Personio, so a hire or a rejection there shows up in your pipeline in Jill.
Personio’s API is narrower than most applicant tracking systems. It lets Jack & Jill submit an application and read applications, but not move, reject, tag or attach files to one that already exists. Read What it does not do before you connect, so you know what to expect.
What it does
- Submits an application on the linked Personio job when you save a candidate, request an intro, or a candidate accepts an intro
- Matches existing people by email, so someone who already has an application on that job is reused, not submitted twice
- Reads changes back, so a hire or a rejection made in Personio shows up in Jill
Prerequisites
- A Personio account where you can create API credentials
- A Jack & Jill account with at least one active role
Getting started
1. Create API credentials in Personio
In Personio, open Settings → Integrations → API credentials and create a credential. Enable both recruiting scopes:
| Scope | Why it’s needed |
|---|---|
personio:recruiting:read |
List your jobs, look up applications, and read back hires and rejections |
personio:recruiting:write |
Submit applications |
Copy the client ID and the client secret. Keep the secret private: anyone who has it can read and submit applications in your Personio account.
2. Connect it in Jack & Jill
Open Integrations → Personio, paste the client ID and the client secret, and test the connection. Jack & Jill asks Personio for an access token and checks which scopes it carries. If a scope is missing, the test names it. The test never submits anything, so it cannot prove the credential is allowed to submit until the first real application.
3. Choose which actions sync
| Event | What it does in Personio |
|---|---|
| Shortlist | Submits an application on the linked job |
| Request intro | Submits an application if there is not one yet |
| Complete intro | Submits an application if there is not one yet |
Only these three are offered. Personio’s API cannot move or reject an application, so there is no pass, hire or stage-move option. See What it does not do.
4. Link a role to a job
Open a role’s Configure Role → Integrations → Personio section and pick the matching Personio job. Once a role is linked, actions on that role sync to that job.
Every job Personio returns is listed. Its API does not say whether a job is open, so Jack & Jill cannot hide closed jobs. Pick one that is open for applications.
How syncing works
When an action you turned on fires, Jack & Jill:
- Looks for the person on the linked job by email
- Submits an application if they are not there, with their name and email
- Waits for Personio to show the new application, then records it against the candidate in Jack & Jill
Personio can take several seconds to show a new application, so a push can take up to about 20 seconds. If it is still not visible, Jack & Jill keeps the submission on record and only reads from then on. It does not submit again.
About every 15 minutes, Jack & Jill reads the applications that changed on your linked jobs. A hire shows in Jill when the application reaches Personio’s hired stage, and a rejection or withdrawal shows when it reaches rejected or withdrawn. Changes in Personio reach Jill on that read, not instantly.
What it does not do
- Moves, rejections and hires from Jack & Jill. Once an application exists, Jack & Jill cannot move it to another stage or reject it. Passing on a candidate, requesting an intro after a shortlist, and marking a hire in Jack & Jill change nothing in Personio. Move the application in Personio itself. Jill picks up a hire or a rejection from there.
- Resumes. Personio takes a file only when an application is submitted, and Jack & Jill does not send one. Candidates arrive with a name and an email.
- Phone number and LinkedIn profile. Only the name and the email are sent.
- Notes and tags. Jack & Jill does not write notes or tags to Personio.
- A source for your reports. Candidates do not carry a Jack & Jill source or recruiting channel, and there is no setting for one.
- A link back. Candidates do not link to their page in Personio.
- Anonymised applications. Personio removes the candidate from applications it has anonymised, such as old rejected ones. Jack & Jill skips those. A fresh rejection or hire is read normally, so you are affected only if Personio anonymises an application before the next read.
- Which stage a new application starts in. Personio decides that, not Jack & Jill. Applications Jack & Jill submits start where Personio puts any new application for that job.
FAQ
Will this create duplicate candidates? No. Jack & Jill looks the person up by email on the linked job first. Personio also refuses a second application from the same email on the same job, and Jack & Jill treats that refusal as “already there”.
Can the same person apply to two jobs? Yes. A duplicate is per job, so the same person on two linked jobs has two applications.
Will my team or the candidate get an email when Jack & Jill submits someone? Jack & Jill has no way to ask Personio to suppress its own emails. Check which notifications and automations your Personio account sends for new applications before you connect, and tell the candidate’s recruiter if anything fires.
How is the candidate’s name sent? Personio needs a first and a last name. Jack & Jill splits the name on the last space. A one-word name is sent with - as the last name.
Why does a job I want not appear? Jack & Jill lists the jobs Personio returns to your credential. Check the credential can see that job.
Why did a rejection in Personio not show up? Jill reads changes about every 15 minutes. If Personio anonymised the application before that read, Jack & Jill skips it.
What happens if I disconnect and reconnect? Your Personio data stays as it is. Reconnecting starts syncing again from that point.
Can I change which events sync after setup? Yes. Open Integrations → Personio and toggle them.
What if I add a new role after setup? Link it to a Personio job. Candidates on that role sync after the link exists.
Rate limits. Personio allows 150 requests a minute per token. Jack & Jill backs off and retries when it is told to slow down.
For more questions, see the FAQs page.
Support
Email support@jackandjill.ai.