Are you storing old candidate data in your CRM? If dead data is clogging up your database, it’s time to cleanse it! Hanging onto dead data is a counterproductive habit many recruiters need to ditch.

So what can you do to make sure you’re only talking to engaged and active candidates? Cleanse your data regularly – it’s as simple as that!

Every good recruitment website should collect clean and relevant data through a web form. But no matter how hard we try, bad data can slip through the net and into our database.

Whether you cleanse your data manually or with the help of a bulk archive/delete functionality, irrelevant candidates will be automatically removed from your potential matches, searches, Talent Pools and job alerts.

With dead data out of the picture, you’ll no longer waste time on the wrong candidates, and instead focus on working an active network of candidates that are ready to convert.

Still not convinced? Here’s how a cleansed database will benefit your recruitment process.

The benefits of a cleansed database

You’ll be ready to recruit directly from your CRM.

You’ll have a bubbling network of active candidates that are likely to convert.

You’ll be reporting on accurate and active data.

You’ll have a buzzing database full of candidates ready to show prospects.

What candidates should I remove?

Candidates you want to remove from your database are:

Candidates who are non-compliant – This covers any candidate that’s been inputted manually, ‘never consented’ or has a consent window that’s about to expire. In line with GDPR practices, you need to delete them from your database.

Candidates that you’ve deemed no longer appropriate – We’re all familiar with the candidates that aren’t worth having on your database. Your first step would be to archive them, but if they’re no longer relevant it’s best to delete this data.

Candidates who are unengaged – Unengaged candidates are those no longer engaging with your content. Essentially, they’ve become a number on a subscriber list that’s no longer bringing you any value. To keep your database brimming with activity it’s best to let these candidates go!

Duplicate candidates – The best recruitment CRMs won’t have duplicates, but if your database does, it’s time to delete those candidates. If you don’t, you’ll get stuck thinking your database is full of hundred candidates, when actually a large percentage of this is duplicated content.

When to remove dead data:

Now you know the benefits of a cleansed database, it’s time to start making database cleansing part of your routine. Here’s when to do it…  

Once a week: For non-compliant candidates or those logged as ‘consent expired’ it’s recommended you cleanse this data once a week.

Once a month: Review and cleanse any candidate’s that have expired documents like DBS checks or Health & Safety certificates once a month.

Once a quarter: Once a quarter, cleanse your database of candidates that have unsubscribed from job alerts or your email marketing. It’s also good to weed out any candidates that you deemed no longer a promising placement.

We all know that cleansing data isn’t the most exciting part of recruiting, but it’s a necessary part of the role that will help you change the way you recruit. Without needing to sift through dead data, you can laser-focus on candidates that are ready to convert. At the heart of it, this is what recruitment is about!