A recruiter handover can preserve vacancy status and interview dates yet still lose a small detail that matters to the candidate: how and when they have asked to be contacted. The incoming consultant may then repeat questions, use an outdated channel or contact the candidate at a time they specifically asked to avoid.
A communication-preference handover keeps practical candidate instructions visible to the people managing the active recruitment process. It should remain proportionate and record only information that is genuinely useful for recruitment contact.
Record the preference from the candidate's instruction
Use the candidate's stated preference rather than an assumption based on how previous communication happened. A candidate replying by email does not necessarily mean email is their preferred channel for every update.
If no preference has been given, do not invent one.
Separate channel from availability
Preferred contact method and suitable contact times are different pieces of information. Record them separately where the candidate has provided both.
This prevents a request such as call after work from being reduced to a generic preference for telephone contact.
Keep the note practical and limited
Capture only what colleagues need to manage recruitment communication appropriately. Avoid adding unnecessary personal explanation when the operational instruction itself is sufficient.
A concise preference is easier to use and reduces unnecessary handling of candidate information.
Flag temporary instructions clearly
Some preferences apply only during a particular period, such as while the candidate is travelling or attending interviews. Record the relevant boundary so a temporary arrangement does not become a permanent assumption.
When the period ends, return to the current supported preference.
Include the preference in consultant handover
When responsibility for the candidate changes, make sure the incoming recruiter can see the current communication instruction alongside the active vacancy status. Do not rely on the outgoing consultant remembering to mention it verbally.
The preference should sit within the authorised recruitment record or handover process.
Update changes without erasing useful context
If the candidate changes their preference, make the current instruction clear and prevent obsolete notes from remaining active. Preserve history only as required by the organisation's normal record controls.
The operational view should not force colleagues to guess which of several preferences is latest.
Check the preference before important contact
Before an interview update, offer discussion or other significant communication, confirm that the team is using the current supported contact instruction. Where urgency requires a different approach, follow the recruitment firm's appropriate process rather than ignoring the preference casually.
A simple communication-preference handover improves continuity without creating a heavy administrative record. It helps candidates experience one joined-up recruitment process even when the consultant managing it changes.
Supporting evidence: candidate contact preferences are personal data and should be handled proportionately
The ICO's recruitment and selection guidance applies to candidate information handled by employers and recruitment organisations throughout the hiring process. A candidate's preferred contact method or practical availability can therefore be treated as part of the recruitment record where it has a legitimate purpose.
That supports a narrow handover: record the candidate's actual instruction, distinguish channel from suitable contact times and avoid adding unnecessary personal explanation. If the preference changes, the current operational instruction should be clear so an incoming consultant does not keep using an obsolete contact route.
A communication preference does not need to become a detailed personal profile. The useful control is simply to preserve the minimum information required for joined-up recruitment contact.
Evidence boundary: ICO guidance governs data-protection principles during recruitment. It does not require recruiters to collect communication preferences or prescribe one particular CRM field.