A recruiter opens a candidate and finds another profile with the same name. One holds interview feedback. The other has the current resume and a scheduled email. Clicking Merge without checking the receiver can leave the wrong profile details in the surviving record. A useful Ashby cleanup workflow starts with identity, then reviews what survives, then checks the work still attached to the person.
This guide separates Ashby's documented behavior from the operating checks your team should add. AI can prepare a comparison and point to differences. The recruiter should still decide whether two profiles describe the same person and which record to retain.
Separate candidate profiles from job considerations
In Ashby, one candidate profile can hold applications across several roles. Two entries for a person do not always mean two candidate profiles exist. Repeated application forms can sit inside a single job consideration. Two job considerations can also remain after duplicate profiles are merged.
Start by identifying the layer that needs cleanup. If there are two distinct candidate profiles, review a profile merge. If one profile contains two considerations for the same role, choose the consideration you will continue using and archive the other. Ashby does not currently support merging or deleting job considerations directly from the candidate profile.
| Situation | Documented behavior | Review action |
|---|---|---|
| Same information used to reapply to an active role | One job consideration, with both application forms | Continue the existing process |
| Sourced lead later applies to the same role | One consideration moves to Application Review | Review the application on that record |
| Two profiles each have a consideration for the same role | Both considerations remain after merging | Keep the intended process and archive the duplicate |
| Two different people have similar names | A possible match needs human judgment | Keep separate when evidence does not establish identity |
Check identity before choosing a receiver
Ashby uses candidate identifiers such as email addresses and names to detect possible duplicates. Its Chrome Extension also looks for an existing profile using the LinkedIn URL. Matching an application email to an existing candidate can add the application to that profile rather than create another person.
Those checks do not remove the need to examine uncertain matches. Compare email addresses, social links, employment history and resumes. A shared name is a reason to investigate, not permission to merge. If the evidence conflicts, leave the profiles separate until an authorized recruiter resolves the conflict.
Check who is doing the review too. Ashby states that duplicates are not flagged for agency users. A user needs edit access to both profiles to merge them. An agency working inside a client's account should arrange an internal review owner rather than assume a missing warning means no duplicate exists.
Choose the profile you want to keep
Open the intended receiver first. The profile listed as This Candidate retains its candidate ID. Record both original IDs and the chosen receiver in your cleanup record before taking action. This is an operating recommendation, not a claim that Ashby's feed stores a complete before-and-after copy.
Choose the receiver based on the data that must remain primary. Check the current resume, candidate custom fields, contact details and retention dates. Ashby keeps the primary profile's retention dates after merging. That makes the receiver decision relevant to data handling as well as recruiter convenience.
Review the fields that do not carry across
The duplicate profile's phone number and email address are added to the receiver's Other section. Education, experience and candidate-level custom field data from the duplicate are not carried over to the receiver. If those fields contain important information, document the differences and have the owner decide what should be retained before proceeding.
Resumes need special attention. When both profiles have a resume, the receiver keeps its own resume in the Resume section and the duplicate's resume goes to Other Files. If only the duplicate has a resume, that file still goes to Other Files and the receiver's Resume section stays empty. Check the primary resume explicitly after merging.
Candidate custom fields and job consideration custom fields behave differently. The latter are preserved with the job considerations. Build the review sheet with separate rows for these levels so a recruiter does not mistake preserved application data for an updated primary candidate field.
Follow a deliberate merge checklist
- Open the intended surviving candidate profile and record its ID.
- Select Duplicate Candidate and inspect the possible match. Open the other profile when the comparison needs more context.
- Confirm identity using specific evidence and list unresolved differences.
- Review primary fields, resumes and retention dates before selecting Merge Profiles.
- Inspect the preview, then confirm Merge only when the reviewer accepts the result.
- Reopen the surviving profile and verify its ID, primary resume, contact details and job considerations.
If the pair describes different people, use Not a Duplicate instead. When several possible duplicates exist, review each pair rather than assuming the first decision applies to all matches.
Clean up active recruiting work separately
After merging, inspect each job consideration. When two considerations exist for the same role, preserve the process your team intends to use and archive the other. Check interview feedback, stage history, recruiter ownership and any upcoming work before making that decision. Coordinate candidate communication so cleanup does not create conflicting messages.
Do not use a profile merge to move someone between opportunities. Ashby's Transfer action moves an existing consideration while preserving its history and started date. Consider for Another Job creates a separate consideration with a new started date. Choose based on whether this is the same hiring process or a genuinely different opportunity.
Use AI for comparison, not silent identity decisions
An AI recruiting agent can prepare a short review packet containing the two IDs, matching evidence, conflicting fields, the proposed receiver and work that needs inspection. Keep each conclusion attached to the source field. A model-generated confidence label alone should not authorize an irreversible merge.
Limit the packet to information the reviewer is allowed to see. Re-read the current profiles before approval so changes made during review are not lost. Track approved merges, rejected matches, unresolved pairs and follow-up fixes separately. If duplicates appear after imports or a new integration, investigate that entry path rather than repeatedly cleaning its output.
How Remqa helps with Ashby cleanup workflows
Remqa builds recruiting workflows that connect data checks, review queues and ATS handoffs. For Ashby cleanup, the scope can include comparison preparation, explicit reviewer decisions and verification of the surviving profile. If duplicates are part of a larger system change, our ATS migration work can include identity mapping and reconciliation.
Start with a small set of uncertain profiles and the systems that created them. Review the workflow against your actual permissions and field behavior before expanding it. Bring those examples to a call with Remqa and decide which checks should be automated and which decisions should stay with your recruiters.