Read on for the lowdown on updates that we've made
Back in October 2023 we dropped you an email about capping the standard retention period for candidate data. We had a lot of questions and feedback, so since then we’ve made a few changes to make things much clearer. We’re now rolling out the new and improved storage options. Read on for the lowdown.
What’s happening to customer data?
From 1st July 2025, candidate data will be deleted after two years.
Why?
Did you know that data storage has a carbon footprint? In fact, according to Greenly, global data storage now accounts for more carbon emissions than the commercial airline industry.
Also, holding on to candidate data for too long is a risky business. Data protection laws like GDPR mean you’re responsible for keeping personal information safe - and storing it longer than necessary could land you in hot water (hello, hefty fines!).
Plus, outdated data isn’t just a compliance headache - it can clutter your system, slow down processes, and make it harder to find the best talent.
What that means for you
Any candidate data two years old will be deleted from 1st July 2025.
We already provide you with data retention tools which anonymise candidate and application information after a certain period of time, which is controlled by you. Many of our customers already use these tools to enforce a one-year data retention policy, which we think is best-practice when it comes to retaining candidate data.
Candidates will still be warned when their data is about to be deleted.
What data is being deleted after two years?
- Candidates
Inactive candidates and all their profiles including files, applications, questionnaires, contracts, integrations and onboarding data this candidate has previously filled out. (Inactive is defined as the candidate not having logged in or applied for a job in two years.)
- Jobs & Applications
All closed jobs or jobs without activity for two years, along with their applications. This will also delete any completed questionnaires that have been filled out as part of the application, contracts, integration data e.g. (scores and reports) and onboarding data and files that are linked to the application.
- Audit Logs
All audit logs will be deleted after two years even if the candidate, job or application is still active. This includes emails sent, job auditing (who edited etc), application auditing (who moved where etc), what the candidate has done on the site and what searches have been made.
The Data Protection section of Manage has been updated to reflect these changes.
What data is NOT being deleted?
Data used to configure your ATS will not be deleted.
This includes:
- Questionnaires
- Questions
- Job Templates
- Onboarding Packages / Workflows
- Contract Templates
- Authorisation Policies
- Integrations & Integration Instances
Will this affect reporting?
Yes. Reporting will only show the amount of data you choose to retain. Any historical reports beyond this period can be downloaded from Insights before 1st July 2025.
Can I keep candidate data for longer?
We know that sometimes you’ll need to keep things around a little bit longer so you can buy more storage if you need it.
To get more storage, click here: Get More Storage
Multi-tenancy Organisations
Organisations that share one platform CANNOT have different data retention values. If you share a platform across multiple organisations, you will need to align on your data retention needs.
Organisations that have platforms across multiple countries CAN have different data retention values for Candidates and Job & Applications (to accommodate national data storage laws), however this is not possible for Audit Logs.
What else has changed?
- We’ve simplified the way you anonymise(1) candidate data
- You can choose different data storage options for internal vs external candidates
- You can define a separate time for both Jobs & Applications as well as Audit Logs
- We’ve changed our processes from soft deleting(2) to hard deleting(3)
(1) Anonymised
The candidate’s personal data is anonymised but reporting data is unaffected. You are however left with a lot of candidates in your system taking up space and showing in searches
(2) Soft Deleted
The data is hidden from view but still existing in the data and takes up storage space
(3) Hard Deleted
The data is completely removed and cannot be recovered, storage space is freed
Need more info?
Just drop your Account Manager an email and they’ll get back to you asap.