Candidate opt-out
A candidate opt-out is a candidate's request to stop receiving calls or messages from an employer or staffing agency. Once recorded, the opt-out applies to every channel and every campaign. Respecting it is required under privacy law and protects the reputation of the sender.
Every outreach to candidates needs an exit. A candidate who found a job, changed their mind or simply does not want to be called again must be able to say so once and be heard. An opt-out turns that request into a rule the whole team and every tool follow.
How do candidates opt out?
Candidates rarely use formal words. Common ways:
- They say it in the conversation: "Please stop calling me" or "I am not interested anymore".
- They reply STOP to an SMS or a WhatsApp message.
- They ask a recruiter by phone or email.
- They unsubscribe from an email list.
A tool that only reacts to the word STOP misses most of these. The opt-out has to be recognised in normal language too.
How does an opt-out differ from "not interested"?
| Not interested | Opt-out | |
|---|---|---|
| What the candidate means | Not this job | No more contact at all |
| Scope | One vacancy or campaign | Every vacancy, every channel |
| Future contact | Allowed for other roles | Not allowed until the candidate asks again |
| How long it lasts | Until a new, relevant role | Until the candidate withdraws it |
Mixing the two up costs candidates. Treating "not this job" as a full opt-out shuts out someone who might want the next role. Treating an opt-out as "not interested" leads to a call the candidate asked not to get.
What do the rules require?
Under the GDPR a candidate can object to being contacted. They can also ask for their data to be deleted. Messaging channels add their own rules: WhatsApp expects a business to stop messaging people who ask it to. Too many blocks can get a number limited. See WhatsApp Business API.
In practice that means:
- Record the opt-out at the moment the candidate says it.
- Apply it to every channel: phone, SMS, WhatsApp and email.
- Apply it across campaigns, so a new vacancy does not restart contact.
- Keep a record of when and how the candidate opted out.
- Lift it only when the candidate asks to be contacted again.
What can go wrong in frontline hiring?
Frontline hiring runs on volume. The same candidate can sit in several campaigns at once, for different vacancies or offices. Without one shared opt-out, a candidate who said no on Monday gets a message on Wednesday from another campaign. That damages the employer brand and invites complaints.
How does Ringtime handle opt-outs?
Ringtime records an opt-out wherever the candidate gives it.
- When a candidate says in a call or chat that they do not want to be contacted, the assistant records it and never contacts them again.
- A candidate who replies STOP to an SMS is opted out, also after the conversation ended.
- The opt-out is one of the clear results of the conversation, in the Ringtime web app and in your applicant tracking system (ATS).
- Your system can also cancel a candidate. The assistant then stops on every channel.
- If a candidate later asks to be contacted again, Ringtime lifts the opt-out on your request.
To reach candidates with respect for their choice, see how Ringtime screens candidates.
