This guide helps recruitment administrators understand and configure the 'Keep Candidates' feature to manage how long candidate profiles are stored in ELMO's recruitment system.
What is the 'Keep Candidates' Setting?
The 'Keep Candidates' setting is an automated data retention feature that allows recruitment administrators to control how long candidate profiles remain in the ELMO system. This functionality helps organisations manage data storage efficiently while maintaining compliance with privacy regulations.
Key Benefits:
Automated Data Management: Reduces manual effort in cleaning up old candidate records.
Compliance Support: Helps maintain data retention policies and privacy regulations.
Flexible Control: Administrators can set retention periods based on organisational needs.
How to Configure the Setting
1. Navigate to Administration → Recruitment → Candidate Configuration.
2. Under the General tab, locate the "Keep Candidates" setting.
3. Select your preferred retention timeframe from the dropdown options (Year or Month).
4. Click Save to apply the changes.
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Note: The deletion process runs automatically on the 1st of each month.
Understanding Deletion Criteria
Important Terminology:
'Expiry time frame' - The time period selected in the Keep Candidate Profiles field.
'Expiry date' - The calculated date when a candidate becomes eligible for deletion.
How Expiry Date is Calculated:
The expiry date is calculated from whichever of these dates is the most recent for each candidate:
The date the candidate was created in the system, OR
The date the candidate last logged into the external career portal, OR
The date of their last application.
Deletion Requirements:
A candidate will only be deleted when ALL of these criteria are met:
The candidate's expiry date is reached or exceeded
AND the candidate has NEVER been made an offer
AND the candidate does NOT have any applications within active Requisitions (Requisitions in 'Open' or 'On Hold' status)
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Important: These strict criteria ensure that valuable candidate data is never accidentally deleted. Candidates with any recent activity, offers, or active applications will always be preserved regardless of the retention timeframe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to candidates with active applications?+
Candidates with applications in active requisitions (Open or On Hold status) will never be deleted, regardless of the retention timeframe.
Will candidates who were made offers be deleted?+
No, any candidate who has ever received an offer will be permanently preserved in the system.
How often does the deletion process run?+
The automated deletion process runs once per month on the 1st of each month.
What if a candidate logs into the career portal after their profile is marked for deletion?+
If a candidate logs into the external career portal, their expiry date is recalculated from that login date, effectively resetting their retention period.
How do I manually delete a candidate?+
For step-by-step instructions on manually deleting candidates, please refer to our guide: How to delete a Candidate Account?