.png?height=120&name=Firefish_Icon_2019_RGB_72dpi%20(2).png){kind=icon}
Top tips for keeping your candidate data cleansed and engaged
Cleansing your recruitment database is great practice because it means you and your team only spend time on the candidates you can help (and make money from!).
Candidates you want to remove from your database are:
-
Candidates who are non-compliant
-
Candidates deemed not appropriate (archived)
-
Candidates who are unengaged (dead data).
When you cleanse your database of these candidates, they will be automatically removed from your potential matches, searches, talent pools and job alerts too.
That way, you're not wasting time sifting through irrelevant candidates and can focus on the real money-makers.
There are different guidelines to follow when cleansing your database based on your reason for removing the candidate.
The 3 main reasons are as follows (Click to jump straight to the section):
It's important to cleanse your database of any candidate data that might be deemed non-compliant. There are a few different reasons a candidate might not be compliant.
Here's what they are:
Consent Never Requested
Sometimes, when a candidate has been added to your database manually or via email registration, you will select the legal basis for processing their data as ‘Not applicable at this point’.
When you do this, the candidate will remain in the 'never requested' section of the compliance to-do list on your dashboard until the candidates gives you their consent or the candidate is deleted.
You have 28 days to get their explicit consent from the day you add the candidates to your database - otherwise you need to remove them.
How to cleanse these candidates
Check out the Knowledge Bank article on how to manage candidate compliance for guidance on removing these candidates
We recommend cleansing the 'never requested' list once a week.
Consent Expired
Candidates who have not responded to a consent request after 28 days will move into the ‘Consent expired’ list on your compliance to-do list.
At this stage, they could be a risk to your business unless you take action.
At this stage, you either need to re-process the candidate under Legitimate Interest (if applicable) or remove the candidate from your database.
How to cleanse these candidates
Check out the Knowledge Bank article on how to manage candidate compliance for guidance on removing these candidates
We recommend cleansing the 'Consent expired' list once a week.
Tip: If you'd like to learn more about the different legal basis for processing candidates, read this article.
Expired Details
If a candidate's compliance documents have expired, they will appear on the Expired Details section on the dashboard.
Compliance documents include things like DBS checks, Health & Safety certificates, CSCS cards or Security Clearance - anything the candidate needs in order to do the job.
When you see a candidate appear in this section, reach out to them immediately and ask for updated documentation.
How to cleanse these candidates
The expired candidate details' of this article will explain how to best remove these candidates from your database.
We recommend reviewing and actioning your Expired Details list every month.
Tip: If you'd like to learn more about creating candidate compliance details specific to your business needs, read this article.
Not Appropriate
If you decide a candidate isn't worth having on your database anymore, you can archive them to prevent anyone from wasting their time reaching out.
We recommended you clear out your archived section regularly to prevent a build-up of irrelevant data.
Archived Candidates
Any candidates you have moved to the archived section of your database because you have deemed them unsuitable will remain on your database (although archived) unless you remove them.
How to cleanse these candidates
To remove archived candidates, it's a good idea to search by last updated dates so you can bring the most stagnant records to the top to delete.
Find more info on building candidate searches here.
We recommend cleansing out your archived candidates once a quarter.
Tip: If you'd like more info on how to archive or delete candidates, read this article.
Unengaged Candidates
When a candidate has become completely unengaged with your brand, it can be demotivating to continue reaching out to them. It can be difficult to let go of these contacts, but it's better for everyone involved if you cleanse these contacts from your database.
Unsubscribed from Job alerts
If a candidate hasn't engaged with you for a long time (e.g. 18 months or so) and they have also unsubscribed from job alerts, it's probably time to delete them.
How to cleanse these candidates
To remove unengaged candidates who have unsubscribed from job alerts, create a candidate search first.
Create a list of candidates whose profile was last updated more than 2 years and their job alerts are set to 'unsubscribed (marketing)'. They should also have an availability status that is NOT 'happy in current position' or 'currently in contract'.
We recommend that you run this search and delete process once a quarter.
Tip: Once you've created this search, save it so that you only need to amend the dates when you need to run the cleansing process again the next quarter.
Unsubscribed from email
If a candidate hasn't engaged with you for a long time (e.g. 18 months or so) and they have also unsubscribed from email, it's probably time to delete them too.
How to cleanse these candidates
To remove unengaged candidates who have unsubscribed from job alerts, create a candidate search first.
Create a list of candidates whose profile was last updated more than 2 years and their job alerts are set to 'unsubscribed (marketing)'. They should also have an availability status that is NOT 'happy in current position' or 'currently in contract'.
We recommend that you run this search and delete process once a quarter.
Tip: Once you've created this search, save it so that you only need to amend the dates when you need to run the cleansing process again the next quarter.