Recruitment: what information can an employer ask a candidate?

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 14:30:00 +0200

In short:

During recruitment, the employer can only ask for information with a direct and necessary link to the job offered.

Questions about health, family, religion, sexual orientation or trade union membership are prohibited.

The CNIL lists information that should not be requested, such as the social security number or bank details.

A candidate who suffers discrimination can bring a claim before the labour court.

Recruitment: the direct and necessary link principle

During recruitment, the information requested from the candidate must serve to assess the ability to hold the job or professional skills. Service-Public points this out in a news item published on 2 December 2024: each question must have a direct and necessary link with the position.

HR software and personal data: the CNIL's rules

Sun, 04 Oct 2026 11:30:00 +0200

In short:

HR software must only contain the personal data needed for personnel management.

Access is reserved for the people in charge of personnel management, with managers only accessing the data useful for their duties.

Employees must be informed of the processing and can access their file without justification.

The personnel management file must appear in the record of processing activities.

HR software: regulated data processing

Any HR software, whether a full HRIS, payroll software or a leave management tool, processes personal data. On 17 August 2023, the CNIL (the French data protection authority) published a reference page on the rules that apply to personnel management.

Personal Data on Parole de RH

Recruitment: what information can an employer ask a candidate?

Recruitment: the direct and necessary link principle

HR software and personal data: the CNIL's rules

HR software: regulated data processing