Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is any data that can identify a living individual directly or indirectly.
How PII Works in Recruitment
PII works by linking data points to a specific person. In recruitment, this can be obvious details like a candidate's name or email. It also includes less obvious information that could combine to identify someone, such as date of birth and postcode.
PII is sensitive because it carries privacy risks. If handled carelessly, it can expose candidates to identity theft, discrimination, or unwanted contact. That's why privacy laws across the UK, Europe, and Australia regulate how agencies collect, store, and share PII.
Recruiters must assess which data points are necessary for the role and avoid holding or sharing extra details without reason. Candidate consent and secure handling reduce compliance risks.
Examples of PII in Recruitment
Common PII you'll find in CVs or applications includes:
- Full name
- Email address
- Phone number
- Home address or postcode
- Photograph
- Date of birth or graduation year
- National identification numbers (e.g., passport or driving licence)
- LinkedIn or social media profiles that reveal identity
Some data might feel less sensitive but still counts as PII when combined. For example, a unique combination of job titles, locations, and education dates can identify a candidate even if their name is removed.
Similarly, photos are PII because they reveal identity visually. Removing photos is standard practice when anonymising CVs to reduce bias and comply with privacy rules.
Related Terms to Know
Data Protection: The practice of safeguarding personal data against misuse. See our compliance tools for how recruitment agencies handle this.
Anonymisation: Removing or masking PII to prevent identification. Distill automates this step by stripping names, emails, photos, and graduation years before submission.
GDPR: Europe's General Data Protection Regulation sets strict rules on processing PII, including transparency and data minimisation.
Candidate Consent: Explicit permission from candidates to collect and share their PII. Without clear consent, sharing PII risks breaching privacy laws.
Applicant Tracking System (ATS): Software that stores and processes CV data, including PII. Proper formatting affects how ATS parses and protects this information. See our ATS guides for common pitfalls.
Where Distill Fits
Recruiters regularly face the challenge of submitting CVs containing PII in a compliant way. Distill helps by automatically stripping key PII fields. Like name, email, phone, photo, and graduation year — from CVs before you send them to clients. This reduces the risk of accidental data leaks or bias during candidate review.
If you're sending 20+ CVs a week to Bullhorn or other ATS clients, Distill formats them to the required specs automatically and fast. This saves time and reduces compliance headaches.
Try Distill free to see how it handles PII in your CV workflow.