Solutions · Privacy
GDPR and candidate data: a practical checklist for small teams
This is a practical overview, not legal advice. GDPR applies to candidate data whatever tool you use — a spreadsheet, an inbox or an ATS. The habits below matter more than the software.
A GDPR checklist for candidate data
- Know your lawful basis (usually legitimate interest or consent for talent pools)
- Tell candidates what you store, why and for how long (a privacy notice on your job ad)
- Collect only what you need for the hiring decision
- Set a retention period and delete or anonymize rejected candidates after it
- Be able to find, export and delete one person's data when they ask
- Limit access to people involved in hiring; avoid emailing CV files around
Why spreadsheets make this harder
Copies of a hiring sheet end up in inboxes and downloads folders, which makes deletion requests and retention hard to honour. Keeping candidates in one shared place — whatever tool that is — makes it much easier to find and remove someone's data.
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Get startedQuestions people ask
How long can I keep candidate data under GDPR?
GDPR doesn't set a fixed number; you must justify it. Many EU employers use 6–12 months after the hiring decision, with consent for longer talent-pool storage. Check with your local data protection authority or a lawyer.
Is a spreadsheet GDPR compliant?
Compliance depends on how you process data, not the tool. Spreadsheets are allowed but copies and sharing make retention and deletion harder to control.
Related
- Background checks guide
- HR compliance software
- Recruitee alternative (GDPR-focused ATS)
- A recruitment tracker spreadsheet alternative for small teams
- A lightweight applicant tracking system for small teams
- An ATS for small recruitment agencies and boutique firms
- An affordable ATS for startup hiring
- A flat-price ATS with no per-seat fees
- RecruitFlow.io pricing
RecruitFlow.io is an independent product, not affiliated with Recruiterflow.com or any other tool named here. Competitor pricing is summarized from public pages and may change.