Delete, Archive or Un-Archive a Candidate

How to delete, archive or un-archive a candidate in Firefish.

• Overview

• Delete a candidate

• Can you un-delete a candidate?

• Deleted candidates

• Bulk delete multiple candidates

• Archive a candidate

• Unarchive a candidate

• Bulk archive multiple candidates

• Additional Info

Screens, such as the candidate record, give you the option to delete or archive a candidate.

Some screens, such as candidate search results, also allow you to bulk delete/archive multiple candidates.

Deleting vs Archiving

Archiving a candidate performs the actions listed below and excludes them from the default candidate searches. Their details remain on the system however, and you can still view them by searching on archived candidates.

When you archive a candidate they will:

• Not show up in Potential Matches or live searches

• Have any open To Do items closed

• Retain the ability to apply to Adverts, but they will be automatically not-progressed

• Retain access to their Candidate Portal

• Retain their Marketing Preferences settings

• Continue to receive Job Alerts, if they have already opted in to those

You have the option to unarchive, or delete them, at a later date.

Archived candidates will appear in the Data Retention to-do list for review when their archive expires, (this is based on your data retentions setting which is 2 years by default).

⚠️ Deleting a candidate permanently deletes most of the candidate's data.

When you delete a candidate they are initially set to status "Marked for deletion".

You then have a 48 hour grace period where you can cancel the delete process.

Within the 48 hour period, the candidate's record will be treated the same ways as an archived candidate (details above), but after 48 hours you will not be able to cancel the process and the candidate's data will be deleted.

Where can I do this?

You can both delete and archive candidates from the Delete button on the following screens:

• Candidate record (in Tasks)

• Candidate search results

• Data Retention / Consent / New Registrations to-do lists

And also the Not Progressing button on:

• Adverts (Applications tab)

Delete a candidate

To delete a candidate from a candidate's record click on Tasks. This will open a menu popup.

Click the Delete button to see the available options.

(If you find that the Delete option is greyed out that means you don't have permission to delete candidates).

Select Delete and click Confirm.

This marks the candidate for deletion and a bin icon is displayed in the header section. A tooltip on the bin icon will show that the candidate has been marked for deletion, who marked them and when they did it.

The candidate is not-progressed from jobs, no longer receives job alerts etc, but their data is not yet removed. You have 48 hours where you have the option to "Unmark for Delete", after which the data is deleted.

Unmark for Delete

When a candidate has been marked for deletion there is a 48 hours grace period where you can cancel the deletion.

You do this by clicking the Unmark for Delete button on the candidate record.

You will then be asked to Confirm the change.

This will generate the candidate unarchive email and you will also have the option to add an action note.

Using the "Unmark for Delete" button will not undo any actions performed at the stage of marking a candidate for deletion.

⚠️ After the 48 you will no longer get the "Unmark for Delete" option and the candidate data will be deleted. There is no way to recover the data after this.

Deleted candidates

When the 48 hour grace period ends, the candidate will be deleted from the system and the action can no longer be undone.

The bin icon which is displayed in the header section will have a tooltip that tells you the deletion service has been run, who marked the candidate for deletion and when they did it.

There will also be an action in the Recent Activity section of the candidate's record which will show when the deletion service deleted the candidate.

Delete multiple candidates

Some pages such as candidate search results and the Data Retention to-do list allow you to select multiple candidates and bulk delete them.

This will present you with your delete/archive options.

The process is the same as when you delete a single candidate but there is an additional step to prevent accidental bulk deletes. To enable the Confirm button you first need to enter the number of candidates to be deleted.

If the Delete option is greyed out, and you can't select it, that means your user role doesn't have permission to bulk delete candidates. By default only Superusers and Recruitment Managers have permission to do this.

Archive a candidate

To archive a candidate from their candidate record click on Tasks. This will open a menu popup.

Click the Delete button to see the available options.

Select Archive, then select the reason that you are archiving the candidate. You can also optionally add some action notes and change the candidate's star rating.

Once you've done that click Confirm.

The candidate is now archived and an archive bin icon is displayed in the header section.

When the candidate is archived, their Candidate Portal login will remain active to allow them to make updates to their records without requiring a password reset.

In the Candidate Portal itself, the archived candidate will still be able to access all of the pages and can still apply to adverts, however they will automatically receive the ‘Action – Not Progressing’ email template after a time delay which can be configured by a System Administrator.

If an archived candidate does apply to an advert, they will still show up on the advert’s ‘Applications’ tab, flagging that they have re-engaged and could potentially be un-archived.

Archived candidates will retain their Marketing Preferences settings. This means if they were subscribed to Job Alerts, Email or SMS marketing when they were archived, they will continue to receive them.

A Candidate's Marketing Preferences can be found on the Subscriptions tab of their record.

Unarchive a candidate

If the candidate later wishes to re-engage with your company, or if you decide to Unarchive them, you can do this by searching for the candidate (ensuring you have selected Archived or All from the Status drop down in the candidate search).

Once you're on the right candidate record, click the Unarchive button in the middle of the record.

Using the "Unarchive" button will not undo any actions performed at the stage of archiving the candidate.

Archive multiple candidates

Some pages such as candidate search results and the 3 Consent to-do lists allow you to select multiple candidates and bulk archive them.

This presents you with the same options as when you delete a single candidate but, as with the bulk delete described previously, you will be asked to input the number of candidates to be archived before the Confirm button is enabled.

The reason, action notes, and star rating (if you select one) will be applied to all the selected candidates.

Additional Info

When I delete a candidate what data is retained?

Some data is retained depending on the candidate's history. For example, if the candidate progressed to offer stage on a job then their name and other information relevant to their job progress is retained.

I deleted a candidate but I can still see their data?

Initially, when you delete a candidate, they are "marked for deletion." At this stage there data is not yet deleted, but they are not-progressed on jobs etc.

This is because there is a 48 hour grace period where you still have the option to cancel the delete. During this time their data will still be visible and if you go onto the candidate record you will see the "Unmark for Delete" button.

After 48 hours the candidate will be deleted. This is processed automatically once a day so the data will still be visible until that process has run.

Can a candidate make a request to be deleted?

Candidates can make a request to be deleted by using the Request to Remove button in the My Account section of their candidate portal. A notification email will then be sent from the system email address to the email address in your Company Information section.

Why is the delete option greyed out / disabled?

The delete option will be greyed out if you do not have permission to perform that action. If you think that's not correct please see your Superuser.