A recruiter sends a promising candidate to a new client: a PDF by email, with the name, phone number, current employer and a profile link still on it. The client does not reply. Three weeks later the candidate mentions that the client called her directly and offered her the job. The agency cannot show which version was sent, when, or under which terms. In another office a colleague removes the details by hand in a word processor, forgets the employer name in the footer on page two, and that employer turns out to be a sister company of the client. Neither case is unusual: profiles are built by hand, outside the system, slightly differently every time. This article explains how to send anonymised candidate profiles to clients from your Applicant Tracking System: why hand-made profiles go wrong, what an anonymised profile is and is not, what to leave out and what to keep, what to record on every submission, when to reveal the identity, how the approach differs per segment, and how to check with your own data how profiles are really used.
Anonymised profiles matter in every segment, for different reasons. Recruitment agencies use them to show a client the fit before the client knows who the candidate is. Executive search firms protect senior candidates who cannot risk their current employer hearing about a move. Staffing desks offer several pool candidates to a planner who needs skills and availability at a glance. Secondment firms send consultant profiles in response to assignment requests. In-house recruitment teams use them so hiring managers judge a first selection on the requirements rather than on a name or a photo. In every case the question is the same: does the client or manager see what is needed to judge the fit, and nothing that identifies the person before that is agreed?
Why hand-made profiles go wrong
- Details are removed by hand, so a name stays in a footer, a file name, the document properties or an email address in the text
- Every recruiter uses a different format, so clients compare candidates on layout instead of content
- The profile is built outside the system, so nobody can show later which version went to which client on which date
- Free text gives the person away anyway: a unique job title at a well-known company in a small region is as good as a name
- The identity is revealed in a follow-up call or email without the candidate having agreed to it for that client
None of this is bad intent. Recruiters are under time pressure and a document that is edited by hand is quick. But a profile that leaks the identity, or that cannot be traced afterwards, costs more time than it saved.
What an anonymised profile is and is not
An anonymised profile is a standard document generated from the candidate record. It shows what the client needs to judge the fit and leaves out what identifies the person or allows direct contact. It is not anonymous in the legal sense: you still know who the candidate is, and a combination of details can point to one person, so it remains personal data. The candidate’s consent before submission is needed just as much for an anonymised profile as for a full CV, the retention period applies to the sent versions, and a candidate who asks what was shared with which client gets that answer in a data access request. An anonymised profile also does not replace your agreed client terms; it reduces the chance of a client going around you, while the terms and your records of what was sent decide what happens when it does.
What to leave out and what to keep
Agree one template for the whole team and let the system fill it, instead of deciding per document:
- Leave out — name, phone number, email address, home address, photo, date of birth, profile links, names of referees, and the name of the current employer
- Generalise — the employer as sector and size, the home address as region or travel time, a rare job title as a common description of the role
- Keep — a role summary, relevant experience per period, skills from your shared skills list, languages, certificates, availability and notice period, and the recruiter’s assessment from the scorecard
- Only when agreed — the salary expectation, when the candidate has agreed it may be shared with this client
- Identify — a candidate number instead of a name, the same in the profile, in your emails and in the client’s reply
Check the generated document as a whole before sending: file name, document properties and free text are where names usually survive.
What to record on every submission
Every profile that leaves the system becomes part of the candidate record and of the vacancy. Record the version that was sent, the date, the client and the contact person, the vacancy, the candidate number, the consent date, who sent it, and a response deadline for the client. Before sending, check the off-limits agreement with that client and whether the candidate was already submitted to the same client, also under another candidate number or by a colleague. When the client later says they already knew the candidate, the recorded version and date are what you rely on, not someone’s memory of an email.
When to reveal the identity
Reveal the identity only when the client has shown interest and the candidate has agreed to be named to that specific client. Record both moments: the date of the client’s interest and the date and channel of the candidate’s agreement. Send the full CV as a new recorded version, so the record shows exactly when the client learned who the candidate is. If the candidate declines, record that as a withdrawal reason for this vacancy, not as a rejection by the client. Keep the next-action date on the candidate while you wait for either side, so a profile that was well received does not stall between interest and introduction.
Differences per segment
Agencies usually reveal the identity when the client wants a first conversation. Executive search firms often present a fully anonymised overview from the documented longlist first and reveal names only for the shortlist, sometimes only at the first meeting. Staffing desks need speed: a short profile with skills, certificates and confirmed availability, and a planner who answers with the candidate number. Secondment firms keep consultant profiles current after every assignment, so the next request does not go out with last year’s experience. In-house teams use the anonymised version for the hiring manager’s first review only and reveal names before the interview; the entry criteria per stage decide who moves on, not the profile layout.
Let the system help
Most of the work around anonymised profiles repeats with every submission and suits automation: generating the profile from the template, assigning the candidate number, removing contact details and document properties automatically, warning when free text contains something that looks like a name, an email address or a phone number, storing the sent version with the submission, and creating a task when the client’s response deadline passes. An artificial intelligence helper can draft the role summary from the recorded experience and point out details in free text that might identify the candidate. The recruiter checks the draft, decides what goes in and decides whom to submit; artificial intelligence does not replace recruiters and does not choose candidates on its own. Access to the full record behind a candidate number follows your user roles and access rights.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Editing by hand — every manual edit is a chance to miss a name in a footer or in the file name
- Revealing by default — a full CV sent along “just in case” undoes the anonymised profile and the candidate’s agreement
- No recorded version — without the sent document in the record, a discussion about who introduced the candidate first has no basis
- Identifying free text — a unique combination of title, employer type and region gives the person away as clearly as a name
- Outdated profiles — a profile generated months ago and sent again misses the current availability and experience
Questions teams ask
- Do we still need the candidate’s consent for an anonymised profile? — Yes; the candidate agrees to being presented to a client, whether the profile is anonymised or not
- Does an anonymised profile stop a client from hiring directly? — It reduces the chance, but your agreed client terms and the recorded submission decide what happens when it occurs
- Should the salary expectation be on the profile? — Only when the candidate agreed it may be shared with this client; record that agreement
- Is an anonymised profile still personal data? — Usually yes, because you can link it back to the person; retention periods and access requests apply
- Can in-house teams use the same approach? — Yes, for the first review by hiring managers, with names revealed before the interview
Check it with your own data
Count from your own records, per client and per segment: how many submissions were sent, how many had a generated profile stored with them and how many were sent as an attachment from outside the system, how many identity reveals have no recorded candidate agreement, how many profiles were sent after the client’s response deadline had already passed for an earlier one, and how long it took from submission to the client’s first response. Look at how many submissions led to an interview and whether that differs per client, and keep those figures next to your time-to-fill. Review open submissions awaiting a reveal in your weekly pipeline review. Report the number of submissions behind each figure. Do not compare with industry averages; how your own profiles are received is the number that matters.
A practical start
- Agree one profile template for the whole team, with clear rules on what to leave out, generalise and keep
- Generate profiles from the candidate record instead of editing documents by hand
- Use a candidate number in every profile and in all communication with the client until the reveal
- Record the sent version, date, client and response deadline with every submission
- Reveal the identity only after the client’s interest and the candidate’s recorded agreement
Show the fit, protect the person
An anonymised profile lets a client judge the fit while the candidate stays protected until both sides want to go further. Generate it from the record, leave out what identifies the person, use a candidate number, record every version that is sent, and reveal the identity only with the candidate’s agreement. Explore the product or book a demo — we show how profiles, candidate numbers and submissions are set up in BoldATS for your segment.