Data Retention Policies

Overview

Use Data Retention Policies to choose your organisation’s default rule for how candidate data is retained.

The selected policy becomes the default setting for candidate records and helps define how long information is kept for unsuccessful candidates, successful candidates, and situations where consent or legal obligations require different handling.

Quick start

1. Review the summary of each retention policy.
2. Select the policy you want to use as the default.
3. Click Set As Default to save your choice.
4. Look for the on-screen confirmation message to confirm the change was saved.

Main sections / fields / actions

Policy options

This page includes six retention policies. Each one provides a different approach to how candidate data is kept or removed.

Policy 1 — Minimal

Use this policy if you want to keep unsuccessful candidate data for only a short period.

• Unsuccessful candidates: delete after 3 months
• Successful candidates: keep only the information needed for employment records

Policy 2 — Standard

Use this policy if you want a balanced retention approach for normal recruitment activity.

• Unsuccessful candidates: keep for up to 12 months
• Successful candidates: keep only the information needed for employment records and remove unnecessary recruitment data

Policy 3 — Talent Pool

Use this policy if you may want to consider unsuccessful candidates for future roles.

• Unsuccessful candidates: keep for up to 24 months where consent has been given
• Successful candidates: keep employment records and remove the rest

Policy 4 — Legal or Regulatory

Use this policy if your organisation may need to keep records for longer due to legal or regulatory requirements.

• Unsuccessful candidates: usually keep for 12 months, with longer retention where required by law
• Successful candidates: keep employment records for the legally required period where applicable

Policy 5 — User-Controlled

Use this policy if you want to allow more flexibility around deletion requests.

• Unsuccessful candidates: keep for up to 12 months unless deletion is requested sooner
• Successful candidates: keep employment records and remove extra recruitment data when appropriate

Policy 6 — Immediate Deletion

Use this policy if you want the most privacy-focused approach for unsuccessful candidates.

• Unsuccessful candidates: delete as soon as a negative decision is made
• Successful candidates: keep only the information needed for employment records

Set as default

After selecting a policy, click Set As Default to make it the system’s default retention rule.

How to choose a policy

Choose Policy 1 or 6 if you want minimal retention

These options reduce the amount of candidate data kept after recruitment decisions are made.

Choose Policy 2 for a standard approach

This option is suitable for many organisations that want a practical balance between future recruitment needs and data minimisation.

Choose Policy 3 if you keep a talent pool

This option is useful when you want to contact suitable candidates again in future, but it should only be used where the required consent is in place.

Choose Policy 4 if legal retention rules apply

This option is suitable when your organisation must keep certain records for compliance, legal, or regulatory reasons.

Choose Policy 5 if deletion requests are a priority

This option supports situations where candidate requests may affect how long information is kept.

Step-by-step tasks

Set the default retention policy

1. Read the description of each policy.
2. Select the policy you want to use.
3. Click Set As Default.
4. Confirm that the success message appears.

Review your organisation’s approach before changing it

Before changing the default policy, make sure the chosen option matches your organisation’s recruitment process, compliance obligations, and privacy expectations.

Troubleshooting

I am not sure which policy to choose

Speak to the relevant compliance, legal, HR, or data protection contact in your organisation before applying a new default policy.

I changed the policy but do not see the expected result straight away

Some retention-related processes may not take effect immediately. Allow time for the system to apply the updated default setting.

I cannot save the new policy

Make sure you have the correct permissions to change system settings. If the option is unavailable or the change does not save, contact your administrator.

I did not see a confirmation message

Refresh the page and check which policy is currently selected. If needed, apply the setting again and watch for the confirmation message.

Data behaviour does not match the selected policy

Check whether there are other rules or exceptions in place for specific candidate records. If the issue continues, raise it with your support team and include details of the affected records.

FAQ

Q: Does changing the default policy affect future records only?

A: It sets the default retention behaviour going forward. Existing records may also be affected by future retention processes, depending on how your organisation uses the setting.

Q: Does this page automatically collect candidate consent?

A: No. If your chosen policy depends on consent, that consent must already be collected and recorded through your organisation’s usual process.

Q: Can I change the default policy later?

A: Yes. You can return to this page and choose a different default policy at any time, subject to your access rights and internal policy decisions.

Q: Will selecting a stricter policy immediately delete old data?

A: Not always. Retention-related changes may be applied through normal system processing rather than instantly.

Q: Who should decide which policy to use?

A: The decision should usually be made by the appropriate people in your organisation, such as HR, legal, compliance, or data protection leads.