Saas recruitment software and the four contract questions that matter more than any feature: data location, exit, sub processors and what happens to candidate records when you stop paying

The four questions to settle before signature

1. Where is the data and who processes it. Region, sub processors by name, and whether support staff elsewhere can view records. Get it in writing, because it is the answer you will need if anybody asks.
2. What does deletion actually do. Candidates can ask to be removed, and you need to comply and evidence it. Ask whether deletion removes the record or hides it, and whether backups are covered.
3. What happens at the end. Full export in a usable format, a stated period to retrieve it, and confirmed destruction afterwards. Payroll and recruitment are the two systems where the exit clause matters most.
4. How is retention enforced. Candidate data cannot be kept indefinitely because storage is cheap. A product that can apply a retention rule automatically turns a policy into a control.

Why candidate data deserves extra care

Unsuccessful candidates never entered a relationship with you and are frequently unaware that their details are still held years later. That makes recruitment records one of the most common sources of subject access and deletion requests, and one of the least well managed.

The practical answer is a retention period, applied automatically, with a clear notice at application. Both are cheap to implement at the start and awkward to retrofit onto a database of fifty thousand old applications.

What the delivery model does not change

Accountability. The vendor processes on your instructions, and the obligations to candidates remain yours. A security questionnaire answered well by a vendor is evidence of diligence rather than a transfer of responsibility.

Access control inside your own organisation is the part most often neglected. Recruitment records contain salary expectations, interview notes and sometimes health or adjustment information, and the default permissions in many products are broader than any employer would choose deliberately.

Availability, which bites in bursts

Recruitment is bursty: an assessment window, a careers page during a campaign, an offer deadline. Outages matter disproportionately at those moments and not at all the rest of the time, which makes an average availability figure a poor guide.

Ask about the careers page specifically. It is usually the only part of the system candidates see, and its availability affects applications you will never know you lost.

Common questions

How long can we keep unsuccessful candidate records?

Only as long as there is a reason, which is usually a defined period after the process ends. Set the period, apply it automatically, and say so at application.

Can we keep a talent pool of past applicants?

With a lawful basis and notice, often yes. Doing it silently by never deleting anything is the version that causes problems.

Does SaaS mean our data is less secure?

Not usually, and it does move the risk to credentials and permissions. Those are the things to manage rather than the hosting.

Coverage by country

• Employer of record vendors covering Singapore
• Employer of record vendors covering Mexico
• Employer of record vendors covering Spain
• Employer of record vendors covering Colombia
• Employer of record vendors covering United Kingdom
• Employer of record vendors covering France
• Employer of record vendors covering Hungary
• Employer of record vendors covering New Zealand