A pan-European recruitment agency held tens of thousands of candidate records with no systematic expiry. We built a GDPR retention engine — automatic consent renewals, scheduled purges, a complete audit log — that keeps 38,000 records provably compliant.
Typical results
38k
Records governed
31%
Consent renewal rate
24 mo
Standard retention window
Figures reflect typical results for this kind of automation.
The challenge
GDPR requires candidate data to be deleted when consent lapses, but the agency's reality was 38,000 records across the ATS, inboxes and shared drives with no reliable retention dates. Roughly 9,500 records had already outlived their legal basis, only 61% of the active database had valid consent, and the compliance officer burned 30 hours a quarter on manual cleanups.
Before and after
Expired records held
−100%Consent coverage
+64%Quarterly purge admin
−100%The automation
We gave every record a retention clock that resets on genuine contact and drives the whole lifecycle. Ninety days before expiry, a Make scenario sends a personalized consent-renewal email; one click keeps the candidate in the pool for another 24 months. Non-responders are purged on expiry day across the ATS, mailboxes and file storage in a single pass, while placements and legal holds are excluded automatically. Every action is logged with timestamp and legal basis.
How it works
- 01
Clock starts
Every candidate record carries a retention clock that resets on genuine contact — application, interview, reply.
- 02
Renewal outreach
Ninety days before expiry, candidates get a consent-renewal email; a click keeps them in the pool for another term.
- 03
Scheduled purge
Non-responders are deleted on expiry day across the ATS, mailboxes and file storage in one pass.
- 04
Exceptions protected
Records under active placement or legal hold are excluded automatically and reviewed quarterly.
- 05
Audit trail
Every renewal, deletion and exception is logged with timestamp and legal basis, export-ready.
Starts from
- ATS candidate records
- Retention clocks
Delivers
- Consent-renewal emails
- Scheduled purge
- Audit-ready log
The impact
The backlog of 9,500 expired records clears in the first month, and expired data no longer accumulates, so compliance sits at a provable 100%. Consent coverage climbs from 61% to full, 31% of candidates actively renew, and quarterly purge admin falls from 30 hours to zero. GDPR audits close without findings.
Questions about this automation
What resets a candidate's retention clock?
Only genuine contact counts: a new application, an interview, a reply to a recruiter or a renewed consent. Newsletters and automated messages do not reset the clock. The rules are agreed with the compliance officer up front, and each record shows its current expiry date in the ATS.
Where is candidate data deleted from?
On expiry day, the purge runs across every place the data is stored: the ATS record, attached CVs in file storage and related threads in recruiter mailboxes. Each deletion is logged with a timestamp and legal basis, so the agency can show exactly what was removed and when.
How are active placements and legal holds protected?
Records tied to an active placement, an open dispute or a legal hold are excluded from the purge automatically and kept on a separate list. That list is reviewed every quarter, and once a hold ends the record returns to its normal retention clock and renewal cycle.