Data Protection & Other Policies
Data Protection Policy
Alderwick Consulting Limited is a global executive search, selection and assessment company. Our business is founded on the quality of service we provide to our clients and to candidates. Our reputation is built on integrity, confidentiality and the relationships we develop and maintain. The way in which we use the information given to us by the people we work with is of the utmost importance to us. We seek always to maintain the highest possible standards of service and are committed to safeguarding your privacy rights.
This Privacy policy sets out what we do with your personal data, whether in the course of working with you as a candidate or providing you with recruitment, assessment, training, coaching or mentoring services. It gives you details about the personal information we collect and hold about you, the ways in which we use that information, and your rights in relation to that information. Our aim is to ensure that the way in which we collect and use personal data is always appropriate to the provision of services to clients and candidates and complies with all relevant data protection laws.
This Privacy policy does not cover use of your personal information by an actual or potential employer, although it does include the measures we take to seek to ensure that they also respect your privacy rights.
Alderwick Consulting Limited: our business
We specialise in executive search. We also offer a range of additional research and assessment tools which can be tailored to meet our clients’ specific needs.
Why do we need your personal information?
We need your personal information in order to carry out our legitimate business of identifying candidates for specific positions and helping our client companies to make successful hiring and talent management decisions.
We use the data we collect on candidates to:
- Identify potential candidates for specific positions;
- Maintain records of candidates, clients and contacts;
- Conduct business development activities;
- Comply with any legal or regulatory requirements in the countries in which we operate.
We use information collected from clients to ensure we provide effective business services, including identifying suitable candidates and providing other services. We use data collected on suppliers to ensure the day-to-day running of our business. We use data on referees so that we can make contact with them on behalf of our clients.
How do we collect data?
We collect information in a number of ways:
- Primarily, we obtain your personal information when you send us a copy of your CV, usually as a result of a direct approach from us;
- As a result of personal recommendations;
- From information in the public domain including company websites, published articles, professional memberships, records of conferences and seminars and business school alumni records;
- As a result of us matching a profile uploaded to a business networking site to a position we are seeking to fill for a client;
- From business cards;
- In the course of providing recruitment, assessment and other services.
We may also collect information during telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings; these are explained further in the section below.
What personal information do we collect?
We aim to collect the minimum data possible to enable us to perform our role. Typically for both clients and candidates this will be your name, address, job title and contact details. For candidates, this will also include career and education history.
In addition we may collect other personally identifiable data such as gender, date of birth, remuneration, nationality and legal ability to work in a particular location, and other data which may be required by local employment regulations.
During the course of conversations and meetings with you we will also gather additional data, which could include but is not necessarily limited to employment preferences, location and other details that will enable us to provide a more closely targeted service to you and to our clients. This will be added to your personal record. By giving consent to us storing your CV you are also giving consent to the storage of other relevant personal details of this nature.
We also hold basic details, such as name, job title and contact details for individuals acting as referees for candidates.
In order to provide our services, we typically hold the following information about our clients:
- Your name, address and contact details;
- Details of your role, job title and responsibilities within your company;
- Feedback you share with us on a candidate;
- Records of our contacts with you;
- Details of your recruitment requirements, which may include but is not limited to a job description, applicant profile and organisational chart of the relevant part of your organisation.
Do you have to give us the personal information we request?
No: it is, and remains, your personal information and you do not have to share it with us. However, it is virtually impossible for us to provide our services if you choose not to give us your personal information.
Our Guarantee
We will never share your CV or personal data with a client or any individual, company or organisation without first having gained your explicit consent.
How do we share your personal information, and who do we share it with?
Within Alderwick Consulting Limited, access to your personal data will be restricted only to relevant and authorised personnel. With your consent, we will share your data with clients who are interested in your profile. We will also share your data with government and other statutory or legal bodies if we consider that we are legally obliged or it would be prudent to do so.
Externally, we will always seek your consent before sharing your details with any prospective employer or other party. Within the EEA, client companies are all required to adhere to the requirements of the GDPR (EU General Data Protection Regulation). Outside the EEA, in compliance with the eighth data protection principle of the Data Protection Act, we will seek only to share your information with companies based in countries that ensure “an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data”.
Details of these countries can be found here https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-data-protection/principle-8-international/
When we work with clients outside these countries, we will assess the adequacy of data protection on an individual basis. Our clients, whether major multinationals or smaller entrepreneurial companies, always seek to comply with the most stringent international data protection legislation and we will assume that your consent to us passing your details on to a client includes countries both within and outside the EEA. Your data may be stored on cloud-based storage as part of our business processes.
How long will we keep your personal details?
We do not want to keep data for any longer than is necessary and will not use any personal information without having checked with you that it is up to date. However, the nature of executive recruitment means that candidates and clients may reconnect with us, sometimes after a considerable period of time has elapsed. For this reason, your consent for us to process your personal details includes consent to retain those details until such time as you wish us to delete your records from our database or refrain from further contact. We will delete information if you ask us to do so, except where we need to keep any information to comply with our legal obligations or enforce agreements with clients.
Do we ever process personal information without any human intervention?
Only in a very limited way. All our recruitment activities involve human decision-making. As a ‘first sift’ we may conduct a search of our database using automated criteria which take into account such things as job title, skill-set, remuneration or location. The results of such a search are always reviewed by one of our consultants and will never be used on their own as a basis for a shortlist.
Anonymous profiling
Sometimes we carry out market research or profiling in order to compile data on issues such as typical salary packages for a role or region, market trends and other recruitment and talent management – related issues. We may use this data in articles on our website or other media outlets such as industry publications. In these circumstances we may use anonymised data from our database to prepare aggregate statistics. However, no individual will be identifiable from the anonymised details we collect for this purpose.
Cookies
We use cookies on our website only to analyse the use and effectiveness of the site. For further information on our use of cookies, please see our website cookies policy.
How do we safeguard your data?
Protecting your data is of paramount importance to us. We have put in place a range of measures to prevent unauthorised access to and misuse of your personal information, including measures to deal with any suspected data breach. If you suspect any misuse or loss of or unauthorised access to your personal information, please inform us at once by emailing [email protected]
What are your rights?
You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold. If the personal information we hold about you is not correct, you can ask us to update or correct it. You have the right to be ‘forgotten’ and to have your personal data deleted. If you ask us to delete your personal data, we will do so within a reasonable time period, unless we need to retain it to meet our legal obligations, in which case we will inform you. As our right to process your data is based on our legitimate business interests, you can also object if we use it for any other purpose.
If you decide you would like your data deleted, please let us know by emailing [email protected]. We may request that you provide us with information to enable us to confirm your identity before we respond to any request you make.
Marketing activities
From time to time we may send you information we think you will find interesting, or ask your advice. We may also send marketing information, or details of events or services we think may be of interest to you. Subject to any relevant legislation, we will not seek your consent when sending you such materials. You will, however, always have the option to unsubscribe to any such emails. Where we have previously had contact with you, for example where you have submitted your CV to us, we will assume that you have given permission for us to contact you with details of roles which may be of interest to you. You have the right to withdraw your consent to this at any time.
Changes to our Data Protection Policy
This policy was last updated on 15 April 2024.
We may make changes to it from time to time. We will publish any material or significant changes either through a notice on our website or through other communication channels as appropriate.
Other Policies
Cultural Diversity
In handling assignments Alderwick Consulting Limited develops strategies to ensure we are attracting the widest range of potential candidates. We work closely with our clients to ensure that we are providing the widest possible cultural diversity within any shortlist. We make efforts to look not only in the most obvious areas, but come up with strategies to identify candidates with different backgrounds and experiences.
Confidentiality/Privacy
Alderwick Consulting Limited treat all information with the utmost integrity and as confidential unless we are advised that it is in the public domain. We are happy to sign confidentiality agreements confirming that the information will be used exclusively for the purpose of a particular project, will be appropriately restricted and confirming that all reasonable precautions will be taken to ensure that it is not used contrary to the terms of the hiring agreement. For candidates, all information supplied to Alderwick Consulting Limited is treated as confidential and will only be passed on to a third party with their express permission.
Out of Date Data
We make every effort to update candidate records and will not use any data without having checked with the individual that it is current and up-to-date.
Conflicts of Interest
Alderwick Consulting Limited are careful about the clients we decide to work with to try and ensure that we do not have problems with conflicts of interest and also are able to source the widest possible range of candidates. However, potential situations may occasionally occur, in which case they would be raised immediately with the client before deciding if we can undertake a particular piece of work.
