You shortlisted 40 candidates for a role. Each one needs to send their updated resume, portfolio samples, a photo ID, and educational certificates before the interview round. You send 40 individual emails. You get 15 responses. Some candidates reply to a different email thread. Some send Google Drive links you cannot access without a Google account. Some attach a 50 MB PDF that bounces. By the time you have everything collected, two weeks have passed and three of your best candidates have joined competitors.
Document collection is one of the most friction-heavy parts of HR operations in India. Here is how modern HR teams are solving it.
The Document Collection Problem in Indian HR
The scale of Indian hiring creates a proportional document burden:
- Recruitment stage: Updated resumes, portfolios, work samples, reference contacts
- Interview stage: Certifications, degree certificates, previous offer letters
- Offer acceptance: PAN card, Aadhaar, bank account details, passport (for ESOP grants)
- Onboarding: All of the above plus address proof, relieving letters, experience certificates, photos
For an HR team running multiple roles simultaneously, this is hundreds of documents flowing in from different candidates through different channels — email, WhatsApp, links, physical copies — with no centralised collection point.
Why Email Is the Wrong Tool for Document Collection
Email seems like the natural choice. Everyone has one. But email-based document collection has well-known failure modes:
Attachments bounce. Most corporate email systems cap attachments at 10–25 MB. A candidate's portfolio PDF with work samples can easily exceed this.
Threads fragment. A candidate who replies to a different email thread means their documents are scattered across your inbox. Finding their Aadhaar copy three days later requires searching multiple threads.
Formats vary wildly. Candidates send photos of documents, scanned PDFs, Google Drive links, Dropbox links — sometimes all in one email.
Reminders are manual. When candidates do not respond, you send individual follow-up emails to each one. This takes hours.
No central view. At the end of the collection window, there is no single place to see who has submitted and who has not.
File Request Links: One Link, All Submissions
A file request link is a URL you generate once and send to multiple candidates. Each candidate who clicks it can upload their documents directly — from their phone or computer, without any account.
Here is how an HR team at a mid-size Indian company might use it:
Step 1: Create a file request link labelled "Senior Engineer — Round 2 Documents"
Step 2: Send the link to all 40 shortlisted candidates in one message (WhatsApp group, email blast, or individual message)
Step 3: Each candidate clicks the link, uploads their resume, certificates, and portfolio samples from their device — phone or laptop
Step 4: All submissions land in one place in your QikDrive account, organised under that request
Step 5: Set an expiry on the request link to mark the submission deadline
No email threads to manage. No bounced attachments. No Google Drive access requests. No manual following up through multiple channels.
Onboarding Document Collection: Aadhaar, PAN, and More
The joining process is the most document-intensive phase. A new hire typically needs to submit:
- Aadhaar card (both sides)
- PAN card
- Bank account details (cancelled cheque or passbook)
- Passport (if applicable)
- Educational degree certificates
- Previous relieving letter and experience certificates
- Latest 3-month salary slips
- Passport-sized photographs
Collecting all of this over email is a multi-week process. A file request link with clear upload instructions and a deadline (linked to the joining date) compresses this to a few days.
Best practice: Create one file request per new hire with a clear label. Send it along with the offer letter. Set the expiry to 5 days before the joining date. Everything the HR team needs is in one download.
Portfolio Collection for Creative and Technical Roles
For roles in design, engineering, content, or marketing, candidates need to submit work samples. These are often large:
- Designers submit Behance PDF exports (50–200 MB)
- Video editors submit showreels (500 MB–5 GB)
- Developers submit code samples or project exports
- Architects submit render packages (1–10 GB)
Email cannot handle most of these. Google Drive links require a Google account. WhatsApp compresses videos.
A file request link handles any file type and size without compression. The candidate uploads their showreel at full quality. The hiring manager downloads and reviews the exact file.
Setting Submission Deadlines with Link Expiry
One of the most practical features for HR: setting a submission deadline on a file request link.
If your interview round closes on Friday, you set the file request link to expire on Friday evening. Candidates who try to submit after that receive a "link expired" message. No need to manually close the collection or respond to late submissions.
This also creates urgency. Candidates who see a deadline are more likely to submit promptly.
Recommended Setup for Different HR Team Sizes
| Team size | Plan | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Startup HR (1 person, under 50 hires/year) | Starter (free) | Handle most document sizes free |
| Growing company (50–500 hires/year) | Pro — ₹99/month | File request links, 20 GB transfers for portfolio collections, storage pool |
| Enterprise HR / Recruitment agency | Business — ₹299/month | 100 GB transfers, 60-day expiry for ongoing document storage, 300 GB pool |
For recruitment agencies managing multiple clients and hundreds of candidates simultaneously, the Business plan's storage pool and 60-day expiry mean documents remain accessible through the entire placement cycle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I collect documents from 100 candidates without managing 100 email threads?
Create one file request link in QikDrive. Send it to all candidates. Each one uploads their documents independently. All submissions land in your account under one organised request. No email threads to manage.
Do candidates need to create an account to submit their documents?
No. Candidates click the link, select their files, and upload — from any device, any browser. No account, no app, no login.
Can I set a deadline for document submission using a file request link?
Yes. Set an expiry on the file request link. After that date and time, the link deactivates and no new submissions are accepted. Candidates who try to submit after the deadline see an expired message.
What file types and sizes can candidates submit?
Any file type — PDF, DOCX, JPG, PNG, MP4, ZIP — with no restrictions. File size depends on your plan: 5 GB per upload on free, 20 GB on Pro, 100 GB on Business. Sufficient for portfolios, showreels, and large document packages.
Is it safe to collect Aadhaar and PAN cards through a file request link?
Yes. Files are encrypted in transit and at rest. Set an expiry on the request so documents are automatically deleted after the collection period. This is more secure than email attachments that remain in inboxes indefinitely.
How do I know which candidate submitted which documents?
Label each file request clearly per candidate or role. Candidates should be instructed to name their files with their name. For individual collection (one link per candidate), submissions are clearly attributed to that link.
Last updated: May 2026