Recruitment Privacy Notice

What is this?

This notice explains how and why we will collect and use information about you. It also explains your rights in relation to your personal information. We might change this notice now and again, but the most recent version will always be on our website.

This notice is relevant to all our job applicants.

Find out more about who we are

Contact us

What information do we collect about you and what do we do with it?

From your contact details to confirming your right to work in the UK, we need to collect a range of personal information from you throughout the recruitment process.  You can find full details of the information we ask for in Annex A.

Keep us up to date if your personal information changes.  You can send your new details to the HR team via [email protected].

Special categories of information

We strive to be an inclusive employer.  To help us achieve this we need to understand our job applicants.  We ask you a series of questions as part of your application to gather data for diversity and inclusion monitoring and reporting.  Some details we ask for are classed as special categories of personal information such as your ethnic origin or your sex. 

See annex A lists full details

How we collect your data

We will get your information from a range of different people and organisations throughout the recruitment process.

These include:

  • You
  • Recruitment agencies
  • Disclosure Scotland
  • Pension providers and administrators
  • Former employers or other referees you have given us permission to contact
  • Medical professionals
  • Professional bodies to confirm memberships, qualifications or training
  • IT service providers including our e-recruitment system and skills test platform provider
  • Publicly available sources such as social media

You can contact our Data Protection Officer for more information on where we collect your information from via [email protected].

What we do with your data

We use the details we collect for several reasons both during and after the recruitment process.   This includes contacting you during the process, deciding on any job offer, carrying out pre-employment checks and diversity and inclusion monitoring and reporting. 

Your answers to some of our application questions may rule you out of continuing in the recruitment process.  For example, if you do not hold the right to work in the UK, or you do not possess an essential qualification for a role, we cannot take your application forward.

If you are offered a job with us, we will need to collect some information to be able to enter into an employment contract with you. Legally, we need to see proof for your right to work in the UK.  We also ask for details to allow us to carry out other pre-employment checks, including asking you to get Disclosure Scotland clearance.

You can find full details in Annex A.

Who sees your data?

Those in the HR team involved in the recruitment process see all your information. 

Other colleagues involved in the recruitment process such as the manager of the vacant role will see the details you provide necessary to make a decision on any job offer including your CV and any skills test results.  

Your special category information is never shared. Only anonymised data is used for diversity and inclusion monitoring and reporting.

Do we share your information externally?

We may share your details with the following people:

  • Skills assessment providers as part of the screening process
  • Our occupational health provider as part of our pre-employment checks
  • Our pension administrators to send your information on your pension scheme choices
  • Our professional advisors in the event of a legal claim
  • Law enforcement agencies to comply with the law
  • Other professionals in exceptional circumstances such as a medical emergency

When we ask another organisation to process your data on our behalf, we ensure that a data processing agreement is in place to protect your information and your rights.

We will not share your information with anyone else unless there is a legal requirement to do so and appropriate security measures are in place. We will not transfer your data outside of the UK and EEA or share it with any other international organisation.

How we keep your data safe

All your information is held securely and confidentially in line with our Data Protection and Information Management policies.

How long will we keep your data?

If you come to work with us, we will share our Colleague Privacy Notice with you so that you know what we will do with your data as a colleague.

If we do not offer you a job on this occasion, we will keep your details for 12 months.  We may use your information to contact you about a future suitable vacancy or for any legal purpose

Your rights

You have rights over your data and how it is used. You can find out about your personal information rights from the Information Commissioner’s Office.

If you want some further information

If you want to know more about how to use your rights over the information we hold about you contact our Data Protection Officer by email at [email protected].

If you are unhappy with something we’ve done with your information, you can make a complaint. Our Data Protection Officer can help you with this.

Annex A – Your Personal Data

Your information (including related correspondence) What we do with it Why we ask for it (the legal bit)

Contact details such as name, address, email and telephone number

To get in touch with you throughout the process

To enter a contract with you

Information on any impairment, health condition or learning difference you have

To make reasonable adjustments for you in the recruitment process

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

To exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations

Your CV, application information, skills test results, interview notes

To help us decide if to make a job offer to you

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Job offer paperwork

To make a job offer to you

To enter a contract with you

To comply with a legal obligation

Information provided about you by your chosen referees

Carry out pre-employment checks

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Qualifications and professional memberships

Carry out pre-employment checks

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Proof of your right to work in the UK such as your passport or gov.uk share code

Carry out pre-employment checks

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Disclosure Scotland or PVG certificate (or equivalent)

Carry out pre-employment checks

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Information on your sickness absence record and health including disability information

Carry out pre-employment checks

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

To exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations

For the purposes of preventive or occupational medicine, or for the assessment of your working capacity

Pension history including previous providers

To assess your eligibility to our pension scheme and offer you the right pension choices

To enter a contract with you

To carry out our public task

To comply with a legal obligation

Special category information

  • Date of birth
  • Sex
  • Marital status
  • If you have a disability
  • Nationality
  • Ethnic background
  • Gender identity
  • Information on gender reassignment
  • Religion or belief
  • Sexual orientation

To carry out diversity and inclusion monitoring and reporting

To carry out our public task

To exercise or perform employment law rights or obligations

To review equality of opportunity or treatment