Candidate privacy notice

Updated: March 2023

We are committed to doing the right thing when it comes to how we collect, store, process and protect your personal data. Digital Catapult’s Privacy Policy (https://www.digicatapult.org.uk/legal/privacy-policy/) outlines the types of personal data we collect, how we use the information we hold about you, why we may share your personal data and your rights regarding this (“Privacy Policy”). This supplemental privacy notice is applicable to you because you are applying for work with us (either as an employee, worker or contractor). This notice must be read alongside the Privacy Policy. Digital Catapult complies with data protection law and principals which ensure that your personal information will be used lawfully, fairly and in a transparent way.

 

What personal data does Digital Catapult collect?

Application Data

In connection with your application we will collect, store, use and process personal data you provide. We obtain information either directly from yourself or sometimes from third parties such as your former employer, recruitment agencies and background check agencies. We store your data using internal company systems and our recruitment system.

The personal data that we collect may include the following two categories (“Application Data”):

1. We collect, store and process the following personal data for all applications:

• The personal data you have provided to us in support of an application such as your Curriculum Vitae (CV), cover letter, details of previous employment, education and qualifications, professional memberships, social media accounts, educational achievements, diplomas, transcripts, languages and computer skills;
• The data you have provided in your application including, but not limited to, name, title, address, telephone number, personal email address, date of birth, gender, salary details;
• Information from your LinkedIn profile;
• Any personal data provided to us about you by your referees;
• Information from Digital Catapult previous job applications within the last 12 months;
• Job Interview notes, assessment results and any data you provide during interviews; and
• Communications between yourself and Digital Catapult about your job application.

2. We may also collect, store and process particularly sensitive personal information that you voluntarily make available to us:

• We will use data about your health, including any medical condition in order to understand whether any reasonable adjustments may be necessary during the recruitment process due to a disability.
• We will use data about your nationality or ethnicity regarding your right to work in the UK, to assess whether a work permit/ visa will be necessary for your employment.
• Information about criminal convictions and offences (if applicable to the job role) and information connected to criminal background checks (such as DBS) including information provided by third parties to decide whether to proceed with your application or offer of employment. This information may be required to fulfil regulatory obligations.

 

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Data

We will ask you to complete an equality, diversity and inclusion survey as part of your application. Completion of the survey is optional. If you choose to complete the survey, we will use diversity and inclusion information including race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and religion or belief (“Diversity Data”) to assist us with anonymised equal opportunities monitoring to evaluate the effectiveness of our recruitment process. This information will not be used in the recruitment and selection process.

 

CCTV and Visitor Log Data

If you attend our offices, we may collect and process CCTV recordings and visitor log data which contain your personal data. For more information on this, please visit the Privacy Policy.

 

How and why we use the personal information we collect?

We will use the personal data we collect about you to:

• Review and assess your skills, qualifications, and suitability for the role;
• Carry out background and reference checks where applicable;
• Keep you up to date and communicate with you on the progress of your application;
• In relation to any equality questionnaire data, to monitor equality and diversity;
• Keep records relating to our hiring process;
• Comply with regulatory requirements / legal obligations regarding right to work checks;
• To extend an offer of employment to you; and
• Contact you about future employment opportunities at Digital Catapult which may be suitable.

It is in our interest to appoint and retain the right candidates with the right skills and experience for our vacancies and to operate a fair and transparent recruitment process. We also need to process your data to decide whether to enter into a contract with you. Your application will be reviewed to determine whether you meet the role requirements. If you do, you’ll be invited to interview and the information provided during the interview and any assessment results will be used to decide whether to offer you a position. If you are offered a role, we may then take up references and/or any other checks before confirming your employment. You must also provide proof of your eligibility to work in the UK before you begin work and will be asked to provide your identity documents, such as your passport or driving licence.

 

Consent and retention of your personal information

We will not keep your personal data longer than we need to. We will retain your personal data for a period of up to 18 months from the date of the last substantive action on your application. This will also enable us to deal with any recruitment related disputes that may arise.

You are free to withdraw your consent at any time by emailing [email protected]. If you withdraw your consent, we will securely destroy your personal information and your application will be withdrawn. We may retain your Diversity Data in anonymised form.

If your application is successful, the personal information you have provided during the application process will be deemed to be employee data that is disclosed by you on your first day of employment and will be treated in accordance with Digital Catapult’s privacy policy for employees which is in force at the time.

 

With whom may your information be shared?

Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment process, this includes members of the HR team, interviewers involved in the recruitment and selection process, managers in the business area with the vacancy and anyone else involved in the recruitment process or who requires access to this data necessary for the performance of their role.

Following our decision to offer you a role within Digital Catapult, we may share your Application Data where needed with:

• previous employers as part of a reference request;
• third parties including (but not limited to) suppliers, service providers and partners who work with us and provide services including (but not limited to) right to work and pre-employment checks, including criminal background checks; and
• government agencies, regulatory bodies and law enforcement agencies where we are obliged to by law. They cannot process your personal information unless we have instructed them to do so.

Some of our service providers are based outside the UK so their processing of your personal data will involve a transfer of data outside the UK.

Whenever we transfer your personal data out of the UK, we ensure a similar degree of protection is afforded to it by ensuring at least one of the following safeguards is implemented:

• We will only transfer your personal data to countries that have been deemed to provide an adequate level of protection for personal data.
• Where we use certain service providers, we may use specific contracts approved for use in the UK which give personal data the same protection it has in the UK.

 

Please contact us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by us when transferring your personal data out of the UK. A list of our sub-processors can be found here: https://www.workable.com/subprocessors

 

Failure to provide the required personal information?

There is certain personal information that you are required by law to provide e.g. verification of eligibility to work prior to employment commencing. Diversity and inclusion information is not considered part of this legal requirement. If you fail to provide information that is legally required for us to consider your application, we may not be able to process your application any further.

 

Please refer to the Privacy Policy for important information regarding:

1. Digital Catapult’s data security measures.
2. Your rights in respect of your personal data, including requesting access to your personal data and erasure of your personal data.
3. How to contact us if you have questions about this privacy notice or the Privacy Policy.

 

We reserve the right to update this privacy notice at any time and the revised copy will be held on our website.