How India’s DPDP Act Is Changing the Tech Hiring Experience for Candidates

Overview

If you’re a tech professional in India, your personal data moves constantly.

Every resume upload, job application, recruiter call, background verification, and interview leaves behind a digital trail. For years, candidates had little visibility into where their data went—or how long it stayed there.

India’s Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act is changing that.

Here’s what the DPDP Act really means for tech candidates navigating today’s hiring ecosystem.

1. Clearer Control Over Your Personal Data

Under the DPDP Act, organizations can no longer collect or process personal data without explicit and informed consent.

For tech candidates, this means:

• Recruiters and job portals must clearly explain why they are collecting your data

• Your resume can’t be reused, forwarded, or stored indefinitely without permission

• Consent can’t be buried in fine print or vague terms

Simply put: your data belongs to you, not the platform.

2. The Right to Access, Correct, or Delete Your Data

Ever wondered how many databases your resume is sitting in?

The DPDP Act gives candidates the right to:

• Know where their personal data is stored

• Correct outdated or inaccurate information

• Request deletion when the data is no longer required

This is especially important for experienced professionals whose resumes may have circulated across multiple portals over the years.

3. Fewer Spam Calls and Irrelevant Job Outreach

Unsolicited calls and irrelevant job pitches are among the biggest frustrations for tech candidates.

With stricter consent rules:

• Recruiters must be more selective and intentional before reaching out

• Mass data scraping becomes a legal risk

• Outreach quality is expected to improve over time

The focus shifts from volume to relevance—which benefits serious candidates.

4. Greater Accountability From Recruiters and Job Platforms

The DPDP Act places direct responsibility on recruitment firms, HR teams, and job platforms to protect candidate data.

This includes:

• Stronger data security measures

• Timely disclosure in case of data breaches

• Legal penalties for misuse or negligence

Candidates are no longer passive participants—they’re protected stakeholders.

5. What Tech Candidates Should Do Going Forward

DPDP compliance isn’t just about platforms. Candidate awareness matters too.

Best practices for tech professionals:

• Be selective about where you upload your resume

• Read consent checkboxes and privacy notices carefully

• Ask recruiters how your data will be used

• Periodically clean up old or inactive job portal profiles

A small habit change can significantly improve your data safety.

The Bigger Picture

The DPDP Act represents a fundamental shift in India’s hiring ecosystem.

It moves the industry from viewing data as a resource to treating it as a responsibility.
For tech professionals, this brings long-overdue transparency, control, and respect.

The future of hiring isn’t just about better opportunities.
It’s about better data practices—and candidates finally being at the center of them.