Overview
This article helps you use the Applicant Anonymiser in Access Volcanic to reduce unconscious bias during candidate screening. The Applicant Anonymiser automatically removes personally identifiable and bias-triggering information from job applications, allowing you to assess candidates based purely on their skills and experience. This creates fairer shortlisting decisions and helps you build more diverse, high-quality talent pipelines.
Key benefits
The Applicant Anonymiser helps you:
Reduce unconscious bias by removing names, dates, education institutes, and other details commonly linked to bias
Focus on what matters by highlighting experience, skills, and achievements rather than identity markers
Improve shortlist quality with up to twice as many relevant candidates progressing to the next stage
Increase diversity by up to 70% more diverse candidates being shortlisted
Demonstrate fair hiring with a visible, auditable approach to bias-free recruitment that builds trust with candidates and clients
Make evidence-based decisions using standardised profiles that emphasise capability over pedigree
Before you start
Before using the Applicant Anonymiser, make sure you have:
Admin access to Access Volcanic
Jobs published and receiving applications through your Volcanic portal
An understanding of your hiring process and where bias reduction matters most
📌 Note: The anonymiser only works on applications submitted directly through Volcanic. Applications routed through external systems won't be anonymised.
How the Applicant Anonymiser Works
The Applicant Anonymiser uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automatically cleanse applications as soon as candidates submit them.
Here's what happens:
A candidate applies for your job using their CV or LinkedIn profile through your Volcanic portal
The Applicant Anonymiser immediately creates an anonymised, standardised profile by removing bias-triggering information
When you review the application in your admin area, you see the anonymised profile first
You make a shortlist or reject decision based only on the anonymised information
Once you've made your decision, the original application becomes viewable with all the candidate's details
⚠️ Important: You can only use the shortlist or reject feature via the anonymised profile. This decision cannot be reversed, and it ensures your initial assessment remains bias-free.
What information gets removed
The anonymiser removes or replaces:
Personal names of the candidate and other people mentioned in their application
Dates of birth, age, and years of experience that act as age proxies
Gendered pronouns where the candidate refers to themselves in third person
Nationality, ethnicity, race, and religion references
Work experience dates and graduation dates
Names of schools, universities, and certification institutes
These details are removed because they can trigger unconscious biases related to gender, age, race, socio-economic background, and institutional familiarity.
The anonymised profile structure
The anonymiser creates a standardised profile with five fixed sections:
About: A general introduction without names, dates, or nationalities
Work Experience: Roles, responsibilities, and accomplishments without dates or company details that reveal identity
Education & Certificates: Qualifications without institute names or graduation dates
Skills: A list of skills from the profile, with relevant skills for your job emphasised
Application Questions & Answers: Responses to your configured application questions (diversity questions are excluded)
📌 Note: If a section appears empty, it means the original content only contained information that was removed (such as just a school name and date).
This highlights the importance of encouraging candidates to include detailed descriptions of their responsibilities, achievements, and skills.
Using the Applicant Anonymiser
Reviewing anonymised applications
Log in to Access Volcanic as an admin
Click Applications
Select the application you want to review
Read through the five sections of the anonymised profile
Make your assessment based on the candidate's skills, experience, and responses
Making a shortlist or reject decision
After reviewing the anonymised profile, decide whether to shortlist or reject the candidate
Use the toggle control on the application:
Toggle right = Shortlist
Toggle left = Reject
Once you make your decision, the original application becomes viewable with all the candidate's personal details
⚠️ Important: This decision is final and cannot be reversed. The purpose is to ensure your initial assessment remains unbiased. Your decision will also be tracked in your Diversity Dashboard if you have it configured.
Disabling and enabling anonymisation
The Applicant Anonymiser is turned on by default. However, you can turn the Applicant Anonymiser on or off depending on your hiring needs.
Log in to Access Volcanic as an admin
Click Applications
In the Application filter bar, click the grey De-Anonymise Applicants button
This button then changes to a green Anonymise Applicants
Click the now green Anonymise Applicants button to re-enable the feature.
Linking to your Diversity Dashboard
If you use the Diversity Dashboard to track diversity outcomes, your shortlist and reject decisions from the Applicant Anonymiser will automatically feed into your aggregate diversity reporting.
📌 Notes:
All diversity data is displayed in aggregate form only. Individual candidate diversity information is never visible to users, and the Applicant Anonymiser further protects candidates by removing identifying details during the screening stage.
Learn more about tracking diversity data in the Diversity Dashboard Help Guide
Best Practices
Follow these guidelines to get the most from the Applicant Anonymiser:
✅ Do | Why it helps? |
Evaluate candidates based on evidence in the About, Work Experience, and Skills sections | Keeps your focus on capability rather than identity |
Use well-structured application questions | Helps candidates showcase their skills without relying on institutional pedigree |
Communicate transparently with candidates about anonymisation | Builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to fair hiring |
Review the full anonymised profile before making a decision | Ensures you're making informed, bias-free assessments |
Encourage candidates to include detailed descriptions of their achievements | Improves the quality of anonymised profiles and gives you better information to assess |
🤓 Tip: Let candidates know you anonymise applications during the screening process. This transparency reinforces your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and it can encourage more candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
FAQs
Q1: Why are some sections of the anonymised profile empty?
Answer: Empty sections mean the original content only contained information that was removed, such as school names and dates without any descriptions. Encourage candidates to include detailed information about their responsibilities, achievements, and skills to create more complete anonymised profiles.
Q2: Can I view the original CV before making a decision?
Answer: No, you must make your shortlist or reject decision using only the anonymised profile. The original application becomes viewable only after you've made your decision, ensuring your assessment remains bias-free.
Q3: Is the shortlist or reject decision reversible?
Answer: No, the decision is final for the purpose of maintaining a bias-free screening process. Make your decision carefully based on the anonymised profile.
Q4: How is diversity data protected?
Answer: Diversity data is only ever displayed in aggregate form, meaning individual diversity attributes are never visible to users. The platform is securely hosted on AWS, with controls to prevent unauthorised access. The Applicant Anonymiser adds further protection by removing identifying details during screening.
Q6: What if I'm using an external applicant tracking system?
Answer: The Applicant Anonymiser only works on applications submitted directly through Volcanic. If you route candidates through external systems, those applications won't be anonymised in Volcanic. Contact your Account Manager to discuss integrating applications through Volcanic to benefit from anonymisation.
Q7: Will using the Applicant Anonymiser improve my hiring results?
Answer: Research shows the Applicant Anonymiser can double the number of relevant candidates you shortlist and increase shortlist diversity by up to 70%. However, results depend on your hiring process, the quality of applications, and how consistently you use the feature.
Q8: Can I use the Applicant Anonymiser for some jobs, but not others?
Answer: Yes, you can enable or disable the anonymiser at any time from the Applications area, giving you flexibility to use it where it adds the most value to your hiring process.