Set a proportionate research scope
Course overview · 4 min reading + 12 min practice, estimated
Principles and method
Research should serve a defined recruitment decision. Decide what information is necessary before browsing. Professional relevance does not make every public detail appropriate to collect. Prefer sources that directly support the claim, such as an organisation’s current report for a site opening. Avoid collecting private-life details or inferring protected traits. Record only what the next decision needs, with appropriate access and retention. Establish how a researcher handles accidental discovery of irrelevant sensitive information. A concise brief with trustworthy evidence is more useful than a dossier assembled without a purpose.
Worked example
A recruiter researching a production leader records project responsibility and public professional contributions. Family photographs and personal political posts are excluded because they do not support the agreed assessment criteria.
Put it into practice
Write a research scope with five permitted fields and three exclusions for a fictional role.
Use fictional information and keep your work in your own notes.
Compare your approach: self-review guidance
Every field should connect to a decision or contact purpose. Exclusions should be practical enough to guide a researcher when irrelevant information appears. Public accessibility is not a blanket permission to reuse data.
Sources and further reading
Original Academy teaching and fictional examples. These references provide context, not endorsement. Edition 2026.09; updated 2026-09-24.
- CIPD: Recruitment
Professional context for the recruitment lifecycle.
- ICO: Recruitment and selection
UK guidance. Check its current status and updates before implementation.