A recruitment agency runs on two kinds of relationship at once. Clients are the companies paying for hires, and candidates are the people being placed. Both need careful records, but the records serve different purposes and should be kept for different lengths of time. A CRM for recruitment agencies has to respect that split, or the database gradually becomes unreliable for everyone who uses it.
Many agencies begin with a spreadsheet of candidates, an email folder for each client and a note in the diary for each call. That can work for a small desk, but once several consultants share candidates and vacancies, the same person may be submitted twice, a client may hear about a candidate who has already declined, and placement details may be recorded in different ways.
This article covers how to structure client and candidate records, how to handle vacancies and submissions, where business development fits alongside candidate work, and how to set retention rules that match UK data protection expectations. It is written for agency owners and desk managers. It is general guidance rather than legal advice.
Why a CRM for recruitment agencies should separate clients and candidates
Different purposes, different data
A client record holds the company, its hiring managers, the roles it is working on and the commercial terms agreed. A candidate record holds a person's skills, experience, availability and preferences, and often details they have shared in confidence. Mixing the two into one record type makes it hard to control who sees what, and harder still to apply the right retention rules later.
Linking the two without duplicating personal data
The useful link is the submission. When a candidate is put forward for a vacancy, the CRM should record that event against both the candidate and the role, with the date, the consultant and the client's response. Each side keeps its own record, and the connection shows the full history without copying personal data into several places.
It also helps to agree who can see what before any data goes in. A consultant working in one sector may need candidate records for that sector only, while a desk manager needs the full picture. Setting those permissions early is far easier than changing them once the database has grown.
Vacancies that reflect the client's real brief
A vacancy record is only as good as the brief behind it. Hiring managers often describe a role in general terms, and the consultant needs to turn that into specific, recorded requirements before anyone is approached. The clearer the brief, the less time is spent on submissions the client will reject.
Turning a client brief into a live vacancy
A useful vacancy record captures the fields that shape the search:
- Client, hiring manager and the internal consultant responsible
- Role title, location and whether the role is remote, hybrid or on site
- Contract type, start date and the pay range the client has approved
- Must-have skills and the experience the client will accept
- Exclusive or non-exclusive status, with the date the terms were agreed
Keeping vacancy status honest
Vacancies go stale. A role may be filled by another agency, put on hold or cancelled, and the record should show that clearly. Agree with each client how often status is reviewed, and let the CRM prompt the consultant when a vacancy has not been updated for a while.
When several agencies work the same role
Clients sometimes brief more than one agency for the same role. In that case, the record should show exactly which candidates were submitted, when, and under what terms, so there is no argument later about who put a person forward first. Agree the rules for each vacancy with the client before the first submission goes out.
Candidate pipelines and submissions
The candidate side of the desk depends on accurate, current information. Consultants need to know who is available, who is open to moving and who has already been put forward for a particular role. Good candidate records make the next call quicker and the next submission more accurate.
What to record about each candidate
Skills, sector experience, notice periods, salary expectations and motivation are the details that help consultants match people to roles. Notes should be factual and dated. Opinions can be useful, but they should be written with care, because candidates can ask to see what is held about them.
Keep the record in plain English, avoid guesses about personal circumstances, and never record anything that would be unfair or unnecessary to the job. If a candidate later reads their file, every line should still make sense and be defensible.
Submissions and candidate consent
Good practice is to speak to a candidate before their details go in front of a client, and to confirm they are happy for their CV to be shared for that specific role. The CRM should record that consent with a date, so the team can show the sequence of events if a question comes up later.
Keeping candidate availability current
Availability can change quickly, and records are often out of date. A candidate who was not looking in the spring may be actively interested by the autumn, and a notice period can shift without warning. A short, regular check-in, recorded with a date, keeps the desk working from current facts instead of an old conversation.
Business development as a separate activity
Finding new clients and hiring managers is a different job from working candidates and vacancies. It needs its own pipeline, activity tracking and follow-up rhythm. When business development is an afterthought in the CRM, good conversations with hiring managers go unrecorded, and the next call starts from nothing.
Prospecting and account planning
Business development records should show which companies the agency is targeting, who the decision-makers are, what hiring they are known to be doing and when they were last contacted. Account plans for the most important clients can sit alongside the vacancy list, so the consultant sees the wider relationship and not just the open role.
Follow-up that does not rely on memory
Set a follow-up date for every live conversation, and make the desk view show overdue calls. Consultants often have many conversations in progress at once, and a simple reminder is more useful than a long list of notes nobody revisits.
Recording market intelligence
Consultants often hear about hiring plans before a role is advertised, from a conversation, a news story or a candidate. Recording that intelligence with a date and a source lets the desk decide which companies to approach first. It also stops the team chasing a vacancy that has already been filled elsewhere.
Placements, guarantees and the hand-off to finance
A placement is the point where the commercial record and the candidate record meet. The CRM should show the start date, the role, the client, the agreed terms and any guarantee period that applies. Those details matter for billing, for replacements if a placement ends early and for the management reports that show where the desk's effort is paying off.
Recording placements accurately
A placement record should be created once, from the confirmed offer, and linked to the candidate and the vacancy. Changes such as a later start, a withdrawn offer or a revised salary should be recorded against the placement with a date, so the history is clear when invoices are checked.
Passing placement data to accounts
Many agencies keep their invoicing in accounting software such as Xero or Sage. The CRM and the accounts system do not need to be the same product, but the placement reference, client name and invoice dates should match on both sides. A regular reconciliation step catches gaps early.
Guarantee and replacement tracking
Where a placement carries a guarantee, the record should show the end date of that period and any agreed replacement terms. If a candidate leaves early, the consultant can see at once whether a replacement is due and what the client was told at the time. That keeps the conversation calm and based on written facts.
Data retention for recruitment agencies
Recruitment data is personal data, and UK data protection rules apply to it. The general principle is that personal information should be kept only for as long as it is needed for the purpose it was collected for, and that people can ask what is held about them. How long each type of record should be kept, and what your legal obligations are, should be agreed with an adviser for your own business.
Setting retention periods
Agree a retention period for each type of record, for example candidate records with no contact for a long time, closed vacancies and historic placements. Build the rule into the CRM as a review task or a flag, and record when a record is deleted or anonymised. The ICO publishes guidance on the storage limitation principle, which is a useful starting point for this conversation.
Subject access and communication preferences
Candidates can ask for copies of the personal data an organisation holds about them. This is known as a subject access request. A recruitment CRM should make it possible to find everything held about one person quickly, and to record communication preferences, so that messages are only sent where they are allowed to be sent.
Deleting or anonymising on schedule
A retention rule only works if something carries it out. Schedule a regular review, for example each quarter, that lists records past their retention period and either deletes them or removes the personal details while keeping anything still needed for accounts. Record the date of each review so the process can be shown to work.
FAQ
Should candidates and clients be kept in the same CRM?
They can share one CRM, but they should be separate record types with their own fields, permissions and retention rules. Linking them through submissions and placements shows the full history while keeping each set of personal data where it belongs. Access should be limited, so each consultant sees only what their role requires.
How long should a recruitment agency keep candidate data?
There is no single period that suits every agency, because the answer depends on the purpose of the records and on your legal obligations. A common approach is to agree how long each type of record is kept, review candidates who have had no contact for a long time, and delete or anonymise records when the period ends. Take advice on your own situation before you finalise the rules.
What is the difference between a CRM and an applicant tracking system?
An applicant tracking system is built mainly to manage applications for a specific job, usually from the employer's side. A CRM focuses on the relationships behind the work, such as client accounts, candidate networks and business development. Recruitment agencies often need elements of both, which is why the design matters.
Can a recruitment CRM track business development activity?
Yes, and it should. Prospects, decision-makers, calls, meetings and follow-up dates can sit in a pipeline that is kept separate from candidate work. Managers can then see where new business is coming from and whether follow-up is happening consistently.
How should placements and guarantee periods be recorded?
Create a placement record from the confirmed offer, linked to the candidate and the vacancy. Record the start date, the agreed terms and any guarantee period, and note each change with its date. That keeps billing and replacement conversations based on the same facts.
What affects the cost of a CRM for a recruitment agency?
The main factors are the number of consultants who need access, whether candidate and client data must be separated by team or region, and how many other systems the CRM must connect to, such as job boards or accounting software. The volume of historic records to clean and move adds to the work. Starting with the core candidate, vacancy and placement workflows keeps the first phase focused.
Final thought
A CRM for recruitment agencies is most useful when it keeps clients and candidates distinct while still showing how they connect. Vacancies should reflect the real brief, submissions should carry a clear record of consent and timing, and business development should have its own pipeline. Retention rules are easier to apply when they are built into the system from the beginning, rather than handled once a year by hand.
The sensible starting point is usually the desk's daily routine. If the system follows how consultants prospect, brief, source, submit and place, it will be used, and managers will trust the figures when they review them.
Mirex Agency is a London digital agency that is senior-led and builds CRM solutions for UK small and mid-sized businesses. If your agency is looking for one database that keeps clients, candidates and placements in order, you can read more at mirexagency.com/services/crm-solutions or send a short note to hello@mirexagency.com.
