Candidate Anonymization
Staffing agencies invest significant time sourcing candidates.
Time Saved
5 minutes per resume
Quick Summary
TL;DRStaffing agencies invest significant time sourcing candidates. Sharing full contact details with clients risks backdoor hiring—clients contacting candidates directly to avoid fees. Anonymization protects your investment while still presenting qualified candidates.
Key Facts
Fee Protection
Prevent backdoor hiring
Revenue protection
Candidate Privacy
Control information sharing
Privacy compliance
Selective Removal
Choose what to redact
Flexible configuration
Instant Processing
One-click anonymization
Platform capability
The Risk: Backdoor Hiring Costs Real Money
Every time you share a candidate's full resume with a client, you're trusting them not to reach out directly. Some clients—intentionally or accidentally—contact candidates through LinkedIn, email, or phone to hire them without paying placement fees. This 'backdoor hiring' costs agencies thousands per occurrence. Even well-intentioned clients may have HR staff who don't understand the agency relationship. Protecting your candidates protects your revenue.
Common Pain Points
- 1Clients contacting candidates directly to avoid placement fees
- 2LinkedIn makes it easy to find candidates even with partial information
- 3Lost revenue from backdoor hires you never discover
- 4Uncomfortable conversations when challenging clients on fee disputes
How Candidate Anonymization Works
Remove identifying information while preserving qualifications.
- 1
Upload Resume
Any format. Our AI identifies contact information, names, and other personal details.
- 2
Select Anonymization Level
Choose what to remove: name, email, phone, address, LinkedIn, or all contact info.
- 3
AI Redacts Information
Selected details are cleanly removed or replaced with placeholders.
- 4
Download Anonymized Resume
Get a professional resume showing qualifications without identifying details.
Result
Present candidates' qualifications while maintaining control over the relationship.
Before iReformat
Full candidate details shared with every client, risking backdoor hiring and lost fees.
After iReformat
Professional anonymized submissions that protect your candidates and your revenue.
Anonymization Strategies for Agencies
Levels of Anonymization
Different situations call for different anonymization levels. For initial client interest checks, full anonymization protects you completely. For serious candidates in final stages, you might only redact direct contact methods while keeping the name. iReformat supports configurable anonymization so you can choose the right balance for each submission.
What Gets Removed
Standard anonymization removes: full name (replaced with 'Candidate A' or similar), email addresses, phone numbers, physical addresses, LinkedIn URLs, personal websites, and any other identifying URLs. Employment history, skills, education, and qualifications remain intact—clients see what the candidate can do without being able to contact them directly.
When to Use Anonymized Resumes
Best practices suggest anonymizing all initial submissions until clients confirm genuine interest. Once a client requests an interview or wants to proceed, you can share full details. This protects you during the evaluation phase when backdoor risk is highest. Some agencies use anonymization for all submissions regardless of client relationship—it's simply standard operating procedure.
Submission Approaches
| Approach | Backdoor Risk | Client Experience | Fee Protection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full resume shared | High | Complete info | Low |
| Manual redaction | Medium | Inconsistent | Medium |
| iReformat anonymization | Low | Professional | High |
Risk comparison for candidate sharing
Frequently Asked Questions About Candidate Anonymization
Related Resources
Protect Your Placements
Anonymize candidate resumes before sharing with clients