This article explains how to permanently delete a candidate's personal data from the Candidate Details page. Use this when you need to remove a candidate's identifiable information from the system — for example, in response to a GDPR request.
⚠️ Important Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. All personally identifiable information (name, email address, phone number, etc.) will be removed from the system. The candidate record will become unreachable. Anonymised statistical data will be retained and will continue to appear in Insights dashboards.
Who can delete candidates
All Account Admin users can delete candidates by default.
Account Admins can also extend this capability to all recruiters in the account via General Settings. This setting applies to all recruiters at once — it cannot be assigned to individual recruiters.
Steps
Open the Candidate Details page for the candidate you wish to delete.
Select the three-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the page to expand the options menu.
Select Delete candidate from the list of options.
Enter a reason for deletion in the text field provided. The reason must be at least 5 characters and will be recorded in the audit log.
Select Permanently delete to confirm. Select Cancel if you wish to exit without deleting.
What happens next
Once confirmed, the candidate's personally identifiable information is permanently removed from the system. The candidate record will no longer be accessible. Anonymised data associated with the candidate will be retained for reporting purposes in Insights dashboards.
All deletion actions are recorded in the audit log, including the reason provided and the identity of the user who performed the deletion.
Allow Recruiters to delete candidates
By default, only Account Admins can delete candidates. To extend this capability to all recruiters in your account:
Go to General Settings in your account.
Locate the Delete Candidates section.
Toggle on Allow recruiters to delete individual candidates.
Once enabled, all recruiters in the account will have access to the delete option. To remove this access, toggle the setting off.
⚠️ Important This setting applies to all recruiters in the account. It cannot be enabled for individual recruiters only.
FAQ
Will deleting a candidate also remove them from my ATS?
No. Deletion only removes the candidate's data from Harver. Any records held in your Applicant Tracking System (ATS) or other third-party systems are not affected.
Will the candidate's video interview recordings also be deleted?
Yes. Any recorded video interview content associated with the candidate will be permanently deleted along with their other personal data.
The candidate was deleted, but the link in our ATS still opens. What will users see?
When a user follows a link to a deleted candidate's profile, they will see a page indicating that the candidate could not be found. This may be because the candidate has been deleted.