Privacy notice for job applicants

Who is collecting and using your personal data?

Devon County Council will act as a ‘data controller’ for any personal data that you provide to us. As such, we will ensure that the data given to us is processed in line with our organisation’s data protection policies and in line with your rights under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations.

This notice applies to applicants to Devon County Council jobs (excluding schools) and customers setting up job alerts or a profile on the Devon Jobs website.

This notice does not form part of any employment contract or contract to provide services and may be updated from time to time. It is important that you read and retain this notice, together with any other privacy notice we may provide on specific occasions when we are collecting or processing personal information about you, so that you are aware of how and why we are using such information and what your rights are under the data protection legislation.

Should you wish to find out more about Devon County Council’s data protection policies please contact our Data Protection Officer.

Please note that failure to provide your personal data might affect our ability to alert you of jobs you may be interested in applying for and of the continuation of any application for a job that you make with the Council.

If you are successful in securing a conditional offer of employment with Devon County Council certain information, such as contact details, your right to work in the UK and payment details have to be provided to enable the organisation to enter into a contract of employment with you. If you do not provide this or other information, the Council may not be able to continue with any offer of employment.

What Information does the Council collect?

To set up alerts from the Devon Jobs website we will ask you for your personal details including your name and contact details.

To set up a profile on Devon Jobs and to complete the application form(s) to apply for Devon County Council jobs we will also ask you for:

  • Your previous experience.
  • Your education.
  • Details of referees.
  • Answers to questions relevant to the role you are applying for.
  • Whether you have a disability so that your application can be assessed under the ‘Disability Confident’ scheme and reasonable adjustments can be considered for the selection process should you be shortlisted.

You will also be asked to provide equal opportunities monitoring information. This is not mandatory information so if you don’t provide it, it will not affect your application. This information will not be made available to any staff outside of Human Resources, including the selection panel, in a way which can identify you. Any information you do provide will be used only to produce and monitor diversity statistics.

We might ask you to participate in assessment days, complete tests or occupational personality profile questionnaires, and/or to attend an interview or a combination of these. Information will be generated by you and by us. For example, you might complete a written test or we might take interview notes.

You will be asked to prove your identity and eligibility to work in the UK.  You will also be asked to provide a criminal records declaration of unspent convictions (P07) in a sealed envelope (this will only be opened if you are successful in gaining a conditional offer of employment).

If we make a conditional offer of employment we will ask you for information so that we can carry out pre-employment checks. You must successfully complete pre-employment checks to progress to a final offer and start employment with Devon County Council. We are required to confirm the identity of our staff, their right to work in the UK and their suitability for the post they have been offered.  If the role involves working with children or vulnerable people we will also need to comply with safeguarding regulations.

You will therefore be required to provide: 

  • proof of your eligibility to work in the UK. You will be asked to provide the original document(s) so that it can be verified and copied to place on your personnel file
  • proof of your qualifications and professional registrations (where applicable to the role). You will be asked to provide the original document(s) so that it can be verified and copied to place on you personnel file
  • where applicable we will contact you to complete an application for a Basic Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service to arrange a secure government email account.  You will be asked to provide appropriate ID to confirm your identify. You will be asked to provide the original document(s) so that it can be verified and copied to place on your personnel file
  • where the role involves dealing with children or vulnerable adults we will contact you to complete an application for an Enhanced or Standard Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service.  You will be asked to provide appropriate ID to confirm your identify
  • disqualification from Caring for Children Regulations 2002 – you will be asked to provide the information required to conform with these regulations if the post you have been offered is in fostering, adoption or the Atkinson Unit. This is so that a check can be made to assess whether you are disqualified under these regulations
  • if you will be an essential car user you will be asked to provide your driving licence so it can be verified, copied and placed on your personnel file.  You will also be asked for your vehicle details
  • we will contact your referees, using the details you provide in your application, directly to obtain references. We may request details of additional referees should those provided not cover the last three years, generate a minimum of two references or cover your employment history
  • if your current employer is an organisation covered by the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc.) (Modification) Order 1999 we will ask for details of your continuous local government service from your previous employer
  •  a questionnaire about your health. This is to establish your fitness to work and provide us with advice on arranging reasonable adjustments if applicable. This is done through a third party data processor.
  • bank details – to process salary payments
  • your P45 or P46 details – to ensure your tax code is correct
  • student Loan information (where applicable) – to ensure this is processed correctly
  • emergency contact details – so we know who to contact in case you have an emergency at work
  • any other information to assist us in carrying out pre-employment checks to ensure your suitability for the post.

Why does the Council process personal data?

We need to process data when you register for job alerts on Devon Jobs so that we can notify you of vacancies you may be interested in applying for with Devon County Council and its third party customers advertising on its Devon Jobs site.

We need to process data from the profile you set up on Devon Jobs and from any Devon County Council job applications you may complete for the purpose of progressing your application effectively to fill job vacancies, to undertake pre-employment checks, to enter into an employment contract with you and to meet our obligations under that contract of employment and to fulfil its legal and regulatory obligations. . The Council also has a legitimate interest in processing personal data before, during and after the end of any employment relationship.

Who will we share your personal data with?

It may be necessary for us to share your personal data with other organisations / partners.

The Council may share your data with third parties in order to:

  • obtain pre-employment references from other employers, verify continuity of local government service, obtain employment background checks from third party providers and obtain necessary criminal records checks from the Disclosure and Barring Service
  • process data on its behalf in connection with the provision of occupational health services and employee benefits
  • comply with its legal obligations (such as HMRC)
  • work in partnership with organisations such as the NHS working in partnership with Devon County Council.

All our third-party service providers and other partners are required to take appropriate security measures to protect your personal information in line with our policies and only for the purposes agreed with them.

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal information from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, we limit access to your personal information to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal information on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We will not transfer your data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) without appropriate organisational and technical security measures.

How long will we hold your personal data?

We will retain your personal data for only as long as is necessary, and in line with our organisation’s record retention schedules.

Automated decisions

No automated decisions are made using the personal data you provide under the matters covered by this privacy notice, other than those made in relation to Employee Benefits, administered by external providers.

Exercising your rights

Under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the EU General Data Protection Regulations you have the following rights:

  • The right of access to your own personal data.
  • The right to request rectification or deletion of your personal data.
  • The right to object to the processing of your personal data.
  • The right to request a copy of the information you provide us in machine readable format.
  • The right to withdraw your consent to any processing that is solely reliant upon your consent.

Should you wish to exercise any of your rights, you should contact the Data Protection Officer.

Your right to complain

If you wish to complain about the way that your personal data has been handled by Devon County Council, you should write to the Data Protection Officer and clearly outline your case. Your complaint will then be investigated in accordance with the Council’s customer feedback procedure. If you remain dissatisfied with the way your personal data has been handled, you may refer the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office whose contact details are below:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Email: casework@ico.org.uk