Privacy Notice for job applicants

Why we are collecting your data

As part of any recruitment process, we collect and processes personal data relating to job applicants. We want to be transparent about how we collect and use that data to meet our data protection obligations.

Information collected

  • your name, address and contact details, including email address and telephone numbers
  • details of your qualifications, skills, experience and employment history
  • information about your current level of remuneration, including benefit entitlements
  • whether or not you have a disability for which we need to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process
  • information about your entitlement to work in the UK
  • equal opportunities monitoring information, including information about your ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health and religion or belief

We collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, we might have collected data from:

  • application forms
  • CVs or resumes
  • your passport or other identity documents
  • interviews (or other forms of assessment, including online tests)

We will also collect personal data about you from third parties, such as references supplied by former employers and information from criminal records checks for eligible roles. We will seek information from third parties only once we have made a job offer to you.

Data is stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in HR management systems and on other IT systems (including email).

The basis for the processing

We need to process data to take steps at your request before entering into a contract with you. We also needs to process your data to enter into a contract with you.

In some cases, we need to process data to ensure that we are complying with our legal obligations. For example, we must check a successful applicant's eligibility to work in the UK before employment starts.

We have a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from job applicants allows us to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm a candidate's suitability for employment and decide who to offer a job. We may also need to process data from job applicants to respond to and defend against legal claims.

We seek information to determine if we can make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process for candidates who have a disability. This is to carry out our obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment.

Where we process other special categories of data, such as information about ethnic origin, sexual orientation, health or religion or belief, this is for equal opportunities monitoring purposes.

For some eligible roles, we must seek information about criminal convictions and offences. If we seek this information, we do so because it is necessary for us to carry out our obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment.

In some cases, we may also contact you for feedback on your experience with us throughout the recruitment process.

Who we share your information with

We will share your information internally for the purposes of the recruitment exercise. This includes members of HR, interviewers involved in the recruitment process and senior managers in the business area with a vacancy. In some circumstances we may share your title, name, and email address with selected external providers of occupational testing solutions, should this be required to assess your suitability for the role.

In addition, if offered a role with us, we will share your email address with our Digital Services team. This is so they can create a Council account for you to access induction, new starter and other relevant information.

If your application for employment is successful and we make you an offer of employment. We will then share your data with former employers and or educational institutions to obtain references for you. Where appropriate, we may also share your data with:

  • employment background check providers to obtain necessary background checks
  • criminal record check providers, to obtain necessary criminal records checks
  • identification check providers, to confirm an applicant’s identity and or right to work in the United Kingdom

If the role you have applied for involves studying towards a qualification such as an apprenticeship, we may be required to provide your information to a training provider to check eligibility requirements and or register you for any courses that are required.

How we protect data

We take the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

How long we hold your data for

If your application for employment is unsuccessful, we will hold your data on file for one year after the end of the relevant recruitment process. At the end of that period, we delete or destroy your data.

Should you have registered for an online job applicant account, your individual account will remain valid until you choose to cancel it.

If your application for employment is successful, we will transfer personal data gathered during the recruitment process to your personnel file (and retain it during your employment). The periods for which we will hold your data will be in the employee privacy notice.

Your rights

As a data subject, you have a number of rights. You can:

  • access and obtain a copy of your data on request
  • require the council to change incorrect or incomplete data
  • require the council to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing
  • object to the processing of your data where the council is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for processing
  • ask the council to stop processing data for a period if data is inaccurate or there is a dispute about whether or not your interests override the council's legitimate grounds for processing data

You can make any of these requests by:

Digital Services
Chelmsford City Council
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE

If you are dissatisfied with how we have used your personal information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at casework@ico.org.uk

If you do not provide personal data

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide data to us during the recruitment process. However, if you do not provide the information, we will not be able to process your application.

Chelmsford City Council Privacy Policy and Notice

You can view the Council Privacy Policy and Notice.

Identity of Data Protection Officer

Our designated Data Protection Officer is John Breen.

You can contact him by emailing ir@chelmsford.gov.uk

Contact details

Chelmsford City Council
Civic Centre
Duke Street
Chelmsford
CM1 1JE

Email: ir@chelmsford.gov.uk

Telephone: 01245 606606

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