7 recruitment data management hacks no one talks about!

A mistake in recruitment data management is like a domino effect, where one small error can unravel everything. 

The best way to avoid such recruitment data management problems is to set hiring goals and identify key KPIs, automate data collection with integrated tools, and ensure compliance with data privacy regulations. 

Want to learn how to master these practices? Keep reading!

What is recruitment data management?

Apart from such structured candidate data, recruitment data management also involves unstructured data, such as emails, interview notes, and social media profiles. Data management provides valuable insights only when both types of candidate data are properly organized.

A good recruitment data management system can help you automate candidate data collection, protect sensitive information, and make efficient hiring decisions. Over time, this improves your employer brand and makes your hires more cost-effective.

What are the best recruitment data management practices?

1. Identify your goals and define your metrics

Having clear objectives about candidate data allows you to align your recruitment data management practices with your expected outcomes. These goals help you determine which types of candidates you need to target. 

For example, if your goal is to build a talent pool for upcoming recruitment cycles, you’ll focus on collecting resumes of passive candidates that possess the required skills and qualifications.

Apart from these smaller goals, good data management tools and systems can help you achieve broader organizational goals, such as reducing key metrics such as time-per-hire and cost-per-hire. 

This makes it important for you to identify the key recruitment metrics to track your progress. Regularly monitoring these metrics helps you determine whether your goals are being met. 

2. Prepare your candidate database 

For example, if you wish to retrieve candidate information based on basic demographics, prepare your candidate database by organizing fields such as preferred work mode, geographical location, qualifications, and work experience.

To speed up and simplify the data entry(opens in a new tab) process, you can use OCR tools that convert images of resumes or forms into Excel spreadsheets. It reduces your manual work and errors by quickly extracting names, emails, and qualifications of your candidates. 

If your database includes candidates from previous hiring cycles, check whether their qualifications, skills, or job preferences have changed. You can use web scraping tools(opens in a new tab) that automatically gather publicly accessible data to update candidate information. This makes your candidate database more accurate and reliable. 

3. Automate the data collection process

By using the right tools, you can automatically pull candidate data from major job boards, such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor. The different types of tools and software that can help you with this are:

• Applicant tracking systems (ATS)
• Candidate relationship management system (CRM)
• Candidate sourcing tools 
• Social media scraping tools 
• Chrome extensions

4. Ensure data privacy and accuracy 

You can protect your candidate data using the following steps:

• Obtain clear consent from candidates before collecting their data, and brief them on how you will use it.
• Use data management tools that provide encryption and secure storage. 
• Regularly audit your candidate database to avoid using incorrect or outdated information.
• Restrict access to candidate data to only selected people.
• Set up auto-delete cycles in your systems to remove the data of unsuccessful candidates after a specified period.
• Have a data protection plan ready in case of any breaches. 
• Educate your team members on data protection laws and train them on how to handle data securely. 

5. Use integrated tools for data centralization 

Such integrated tools centralize your recruitment data in one place and enable a smooth flow of data between platforms. By centralizing data through integrated tools, you can avoid silos and improve your data management efficiency.

Integrated tools can help you reduce unnecessary data, minimize data entry errors, and maintain consistent data across platforms.

For example, when a candidate applies via a job board, the data is automatically sent to your ATS or CRM system. This creates a single candidate profile for the entire system, rather than multiple ones for each platform. 

6. Clean and update data regularly 

These audits include regular cleaning of duplicate candidate profiles, correction of inaccuracies, and updating outdated information. 

You can schedule automated audits that recur either weekly/monthly or quarterly/annually. For frequent audits, focus on fixing errors, such as duplicate profiles, and on identifying missing candidate details. Use annual/quarterly audits to keep up with irregular changes, such as job switches or skill changes. 

Such audits not only keep your database up to date but also help you avoid legal risks. Without them, your recruitment data analytics reports would show incorrect findings. 

7. Follow data protection laws 

Certain common laws that you need to follow (especially in the U.S) are as follows:

• Laws protecting the rights of candidates to know and have access to their data that you collect and use. If they request deletion, you need to comply. 
• Protecting sensitive health information and medical records (if any).
• Governing the access you have to the candidates' criminal records and credit reports for conducting background checks. Candidates need to be informed. 
• Avoid discrimination based on age, race, colour, nationality, ethnicity, disability, or religion during the recruitment process. Conduct a diversity hiring process.

Ensure you establish organizational protocols and policies that define your candidate data management practices, as this demonstrates professionalism and helps you build a strong employer brand. 

Recruiting data management FAQs

1. How can I ensure data privacy and compliance in recruitment?

Additionally, focus on regular data audits and retention policies to keep your database up to date. Train your recruitment team members in data privacy regulations and practices. 

2. How do I integrate recruitment data across different tools?

You can also use third-party integration tools to connect job boards, social media platforms, and background check tools with your central system to reduce data silos. This way, you and your team can have a unified view of candidate data.

3. What metrics should I track for recruitment data analysis?

• Time-to-hire: Measures how long it takes from posting a job to hiring a candidate.
• Cost-per-hire: The total cost spent on recruiting efforts divided by the number of hires.
• Source of hire: Tracks which channels (e.g., job boards, social media, referrals) are bringing in the best candidates to your organization.
• Quality-of-hire: Assesses the performance of new hires over a set period.
• Candidate experience metrics: Assess how candidates feel about your hiring process, which can further impact your employer branding.

4. What are the different recruitment data management tools? 

• Applicant Tracking System (ATS): It automates the management of job postings, applications, and candidate data. 
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM): This tool focuses on managing candidate relationships, tracking interactions, and ensuring efficient communication with active and passive candidates.
• Dashboards: They offer real-time data insights and visualize key metrics for better decision-making.
• Reporting Tools: These provide in-depth analysis of your database and help you strategize your recruitment process. 

Summary 

• Identify your recruitment goals and define your key metrics based on these goals.
• Prepare a structured candidate database that highlights the key fields you are interested in.
• Automate your data collection process to avoid any manual errors.
• Secure candidate data by ensuring its accuracy and restricting access.
• Centralize the database using integrated tools that ensure a smooth flow of data between platforms.
• Conduct regular audits to update the candidate database. 
• Abide by the national data protection laws.