Why should I find out what recruitment agencies know about me?
Do recruiters sometimes bother you too often, or are you unsure what personal data they have about you? There can be times when you sign up to lots of recruitment agencies, manage to find one that you like, only to be continually contacted by them and others you may have never heard of.
When we sign up with recruiters, we often upload a lot of personal information. Some of this may be out of date or maybe you simply don't want them to hold it any longer. Either way, through Rightly you can easily ask multiple agencies at once what they know about you. Once you know, you can ask for it to be deleted.
Personal data that recruiters typically store includes:
- Name and address
- Location
- Gender
- Marital status
- Family status
- Date and place of birth
- Physical attributes and photo ID
- Trade union membership
- Religious beliefs
- Political opinions
- Racial or ethical origin
- Criminal record
- Contact details
- Your CV
- Cookies & IP address
- Economic, social and cultural information
- App usage and comments published
Recruitment companies sometimes lose data or get hacked, leaving your data vulnerable to being used by criminals in scams against you. So it would be helpful to know what they have.
How do I find out what information recruitment agencies have about me?
The easiest way to find out what they know about you is by sending a ‘subject access request’ through Rightly. A subject access request allows you to see any personal information a company has stored about you.
You can:
- see what information recruitment companies have stored about you
- understand why certain decisions were made about you
- make sure that your data is being handled properly
When you know what companies have recorded about you and what they’re using, you can take action, like telling them to delete it if you want them to.
You can pick from our list of recruitment agencies and send an access request, or if you can't find the one you want, you can search on our main subject access request page. And of course our customer support team is ready to help!
Some common questions
How do I send a subject access request (SAR)?
The easiest way to find out where your information is by sending a request through Rightly:
- Search for any company
- Enter your basic details so that they can confirm your identity
- Check your email and send your request
What can you expect after you send your request?
Your request simply connects you to all of the companies you select. They’ll link you to their own forms and processes for you to complete. Only your name and email address is required to send these requests, but companies will likely ask you for more information to make sure you're you.
They should confirm what personal information of yours they have within 30 days.
So I don't need a subject access request template?
No - they tend to be of varying quality and take a lot of effort. That's why we made Rightly, so that things can be as safe and time-effective as possible for you to have more control over your data.
How long until a company responds to my request?
After the company has received your request, they have to reply in full within 30 days, or give a valid reason for asking for an extension. However, we're glad to say that most companies normally reply within a week.
Responses from companies are likely to come directly into your inbox.
If you have any questions, or have any difficulty at all with how companies respond, our friendly support team is here to help!
What if they don't reply?
They have to reply by law. You can ask any company if they have your personal data, even if you don't know for sure whether or not they have it. They have to tell you what they have, as well as how and why they are using it. This is thanks to your ‘right of access’ under GDPR law.
How long can a company store my data for?
There is no specific time limit on how long a company can hold your personal data. Under GDPR, your information should simply not be kept for any longer than necessary.
While a company should be able to justify the length of time that your data is stored, whether or not this is acceptable depends on what the data was collected for in the first place.
For instance, a company can keep hold of employment contract data for a total of 6 years since this is the window of time in which a contract breach claim could be made.
However, when it comes to job applicant CVs for example, these can only be stored for a maximum of 6 months, based on this being the length of time in which a candidate could file a discrimination claim.