Recruiter guide | Updated 20 October 2026

How to keep applicant data private when you recruit by email

A CV holds a person's name, phone number, address, work history and often a photo or ID details. Applicants send it to you trusting you'll look after it. When applications arrive by email, that data spreads quickly: into your inbox, your downloads folder, a colleague's forwarded message, a shared drive. This guide covers simple habits that keep it under control, and what to look for in any tool that touches your applicants' files.

Know where the copies are

Privacy problems usually start with scattered copies, not with a dramatic breach. Every time a CV is downloaded, forwarded or pasted into a chat, there is one more place it can be forgotten or seen by the wrong person. Pick one home for each opening, such as a single folder per role, and save CVs there instead of leaving them across your downloads folder, desktop and sent mail.

Limit who can see them

Share a shortlist, not the whole pile. When a hiring manager needs to see candidates, send only the people you are putting forward.
Prefer a link or shared folder to forwarding. Forwarded emails multiply the copies and you can't take them back.
Lock your computer and mailbox. A screen lock and a strong, unique email password protect more applicant data than most other measures.

Clients and hiring managers often don't need a candidate's phone number or home address at the first stage. Where it fits your process, share the skills and experience first and pass on contact details once there is real interest.

Choose tools carefully

Before you use any app, extension or online service on applicant files, find out:

Where the files go. Does the tool work on your own computer, or are CVs uploaded to someone else's servers?
What it does to your mailbox. Does it only read, or can it move, delete or mark messages?
Whether you need an account. An account means your information is held by the provider.
What the privacy notice says, in plain words, not just that one exists.

Uploading a batch of CVs to a free online tool is the same as handing those people's details to a stranger. Read the notice first, and ask yourself whether your applicants would be comfortable with it.

Delete what you no longer need

Decide how long you keep applications for filled roles, and write it down. Some employers keep strong candidates on file for future openings, but that is best done with the applicant's knowledge. Check the data-protection rules that apply where you operate, as they differ between countries, and delete old folders on a schedule rather than when you remember.

How Applicant Packager handles this

Applicant Packager is a free Windows app that was built around keeping the work on your own computer:

Processing happens on your computer. It connects to your Thunderbird mailbox or an IMAP account directly from your machine.
It reads your mailbox without changing it. It doesn't move, delete or mark any messages.
It saves only the attachments you select, into folders organized by search, role and applicant, and it won't overwrite files that are already there.
No account is needed.

It can't make the rest of your process private for you. Where you store the folders, who you share them with and how long you keep them are still your decisions. The full details are in the product privacy notice.

Download Applicant Packager free