Make Sure Your Candidates' Data is Safe During Recruitment

How to Make Sure Your Candidates' Data is Safe During Recruitment

Contributed by Amelia Dermott

During recruitment, you'll inevitably receive massive amounts of personal data from boatloads of potential employees. A resume is deeply personal, and you need that information in order to come to a decision. When you're receiving all of this data, you need to have a bulletproof system in place. These people are trusting you with their sensitive information, and you need to prove to them that you're worth their trust.

Limit Submission Methods

Don't encourage your candidates to send you their information through at third party service, especially if you have no control over the security standards that system uses. Make sure resumes can be submitted directly and securely to you. Frequently update the security credentials on your website, and use https connections for sending and receiving any data. Avoid using outsourced services whenever possible, especially where personal information may be exchanged.

Use a VPN in Your Office

Every business needs to be using the safest possible internet. VPNs and proxy software are the easiest ways to assure that everything you're sending and receiving is difficult for malicious people or bots to access. The kind of VPN you'll need largely depends on what kind of equipment you use in your office. You might need to be specific when you make that decision. Do you need the right VPN for Windows, or the best VPN for a Mac device? Make sure the service you select is geared towards what you use.

Regularly Delete Stored Data When You're Supposed To

Most businesses store applications or resumes for a certain amount of time. For most businesses, 90 days is the cutoff. Are you sure your back log of information is actually being deleted every 90 days? If you aren't getting rid of it and you become the victim of a cyber attack, you're jeopardizing far more than your employees and your customers. You're jeopardizing everyone who has ever sent anything to you, and the consequences of doing so can be almost impossible to recover from.

Don't Print Things Unless You Need To

Keeping electronic data safe is hard enough. Keeping physical data safe makes things even more complicated. If you're printing everything out and passing it around the office, how can you be sure that you're getting all of that information back? Are you sure that all paperwork containing personal information was properly destroyed and disposed of? Don't feel inclined to print everything you receive. You're less likely to lose track of documents that can become a liability later on.

Never Delay Security Updates

Security updates apply to more than just the recruitment process - they apply to everything your team does in their office. Even one person delaying their updates to their antivirus software can put the whole HR team at risk. Make sure everything is updated as often as the prompts come up, or even more frequently if that's what your HR team recommends. Update all of the equipment you use to send and receive a candidate's information on a regular basis, because outdated technology is much harder to keep secure. Make sure every employee understands your company's policy regarding email attachments, and what should and should not be opened. Always keep the conversation going with your IT professionals.

Every office can benefit from better security in every area - the hiring cycle is merely one thing on a much longer list. In order to have thorough security in one area, you need to have it in all areas. Your employees, your customers, your clients, and your potential candidates all deserve the same level of concern for their privacy.

 

 

See also:

https://www.brightmove.com/cyber-crime/

https://www.brightmove.com/cyber-security/