Privacy Notice

As part of any recruitment process, Charles Oakes & Co. (“Oakes”)  collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants and individuals within organisations requesting our services. The organisation is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations.

What information do we collect?

 Oakes collects a range of information about you. This may include:

• your name, address and contact details, including email address and telephone number;
• 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 the organisation needs to make reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process; and
• information about your entitlement to work in various locations.

Oakes may collect this information in a variety of ways. For example, data might be contained in emails, application forms, business cards, CVs or resumes, obtained from your passport or other identity documents, or collected through interviews or other forms of assessment.

We may also collect personal data about you from third parties, such as references supplied by former employers or colleagues.

Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in CRM/ATS systems and on other IT systems (including email).

Why does Oakes process personal data?

We need to process data to take steps at your request prior to entering into a contract with you. We may also need 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 its legal obligations. For example, it is mandatory to check a successful applicant’s eligibility to work in the relevant location, or eligibility for potential security clearances before employment starts.

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

Oakes may process special categories of data, to monitor recruitment statistics. We may also collect information about whether or not applicants are disabled to make reasonable adjustments for candidates who have a disability. We process such information to carry out its obligations and exercise specific rights in relation to employment.

If your application is unsuccessful, Oakes may keep your personal data on file in case there are future employment or business opportunities for which you may be suited.

Who has access to data?

Your information may be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment or sales exercise. This includes members of the HR and recruitment team, interviewers involved in the recruitment process, managers in the business area with a vacancy and IT staff if access to the data is necessary for the performance of their roles.

Sharing with third parties

To facilitate our efficient use of your information, and to provide you with content and/or resources, or to fulfil a request you make of us, we disclose your information to third parties. However, this disclosure will only occur in the following circumstances:

• To suppliers, contractors and agents: from time to time we may engage or employ other companies and individuals to perform functions on our behalf. Such recipients will only have access to your personal information as required by them to perform their functions, and are not permitted to use such personal information for any other purposes. These recipients will be subject to contractual confidentiality obligations.
• To government or law enforcement authorities if we determine in our sole discretion that we are under a legal obligation to do so.

How does Oakes protect data?

We take the security of your data seriously. We have 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.

For how long does Oakes keep data?

If your application for employment is unsuccessful, the organisation will hold your data on file for consideration for future employment opportunities. Once you withdraw your consent, your data is deleted or destroyed.

If your application for employment is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your Human Resources file (electronic and paper based) and retained during your employment.

What if you do not provide personal data?

You are under no statutory or contractual obligation to provide data to Oakes. However, if you do not provide the information, we may not be able to process your application for a position, or for a business relationship properly or at all.

Data Security

Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, you should be aware that the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure and we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to the Website or any third party; for this reason, any transmission is at your own risk. We will use strict operational procedures and adequate, technical and organisational security measures to prevent any unauthorised access, change, deletion or transmission of this personal information.

Data Transfer

Your personal information can be transferred and processed in one or more other countries, in or outside the European Union. We shall only transfer your data outside the EU to countries which the European Commission believes offers an adequate level of protection to you, or where Oakes has put in place appropriate safeguards to seek to preserve the privacy of your information. Those countries include the US

 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 organisation to change incorrect or incomplete data;
• require the organisation to delete or stop processing your data, for example where the data is no longer necessary for the purposes of processing; and
• object to the processing of your data where Oakes is relying on its legitimate interests as the legal ground for

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us via info@charlesoakes.com

If you believe that the organisation has not complied with your data protection rights, you can complain to the Information Commissioner.