Privacy & Cookie Policy

Visitors to our website

  • When someone visits www.thebrandspecialist.com we use a third party service, Google Analytics, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. We do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way which does not identify anyone. We do not make, and do not allow Google to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting our website. If we do want to collect personally identifiable information through our website, we will be up front about this. We will make it clear when we collect personal information and will explain what we intend to do with it.

 

Use of cookies

  • This site uses cookies – small text files that are placed on your machine to help the site provide a better user experience. In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics. As a rule, cookies will make your browsing experience better. However, you may prefer to disable cookies on this site and on others. The most effective way to do this is to disable cookies in your browser. We suggest consulting the Help section of your browser or taking a look at the About Cookies website which offers guidance for all modern browsers

 

E-newsletter

  • We use a third party provider, Sendinblue, to deliver our e-newsletters. We gather statistics around email opening and clicks using industry standard technologies including clear gifs to help us monitor and improve our e-newsletter. For more information, please see Sendinblue’s privacy notice.

 

Security and performance

  • The ICO uses a third party service to help maintain the security and performance of the website. To deliver this service it processes the IP addresses of visitors to the The Brand Specialist website.

 

WordPress

  • We use a third party service, WordPress.com, to publish our blog and some of our conference microsites. These sites are hosted at WordPress.com. We use a standard WordPress service to collect anonymous information about users’ activity on the site, for example the number of users viewing pages on the site, to monitor and report on the effectiveness of the site and help us improve it. WordPress requires visitors that want to post a comment to enter a name and email address. For more information about how WordPress processes data, please see Automattic’s privacy notice.

 

People who contact us via social media

  • We use a third party provider, Hootsuite to manage our social media interactions.
  • If you send us a private or direct message via social media the message will be stored by Hootsuite for three months. It will not be shared with any other organisations.

 

People who email us

  • We will also monitor any emails sent to us, including file attachments, for viruses or malicious software. Please be aware that you have a responsibility to ensure that any email you send is within the bounds of the law.

 

People who make a complaint to us

  • When we receive a complaint from a person we make up a file containing the details of the complaint. This normally contains the identity of the complainant and any other individuals involved in the complaint.
  • We will only use the personal information we collect to process the complaint and to check on the level of service we provide. We do compile and publish statistics showing information like the number of complaints we receive, but not in a form which identifies anyone.
  • We usually have to disclose the complainant’s identity to whoever the complaint is about. This is inevitable where, for example, the accuracy of a person’s record is in dispute. If a complainant doesn’t want information identifying him or her to be disclosed, we will try to respect that. However, it may not be possible to handle a complaint on an anonymous basis.
  • We will keep personal information contained in complaint files in line with our retention policy. This means that information relating to a complaint will be retained for two years from closure. It will be retained in a secure environment and access to it will be restricted according to the ‘need to know’ principle.
  • Similarly, where enquiries are submitted to us we will only use the information supplied to us to deal with the enquiry and any subsequent issues and to check on the level of service we provide.
  • When we take enforcement action against someone, we may publish the identity of the defendant in our Annual Report or elsewhere. Usually we do not, identify any complainants unless the details have already been made public.

 

Job applicants, current and former The Brand Specialist employees

  • The Brand Specialist is the data controller for the information you provide during the process unless otherwise stated. If you have any queries about the process or how we handle your information please contact us at info@thebrandspecialist.com.

 

What will we do with the information you provide to us?

  • All of the information you provide during the process will only be used for the purpose of progressing your application, or to fulfil legal or regulatory requirements if necessary.
  • We will not share any of the information you provide during the recruitment process with any third parties for marketing purposes or store any of your information outside of the European Economic Area. The information you provide will be held securely by us and/or our data processors whether the information is in electronic or physical format.
  • We will use the contact details you provide to us to contact you to progress your application. We will use the other information you provide to assess your suitability for the role you have applied for.

 

What information do we ask for, and why?

  • We do not collect more information than we need to fulfil our stated purposes and will not retain it for longer than is necessary.
  • The information we ask for is used to assess your suitability for employment. You don’t have to provide what we ask for but it might affect your application if you don’t.

 

Application stage

  • If you use our online application system, this will be collected by a data processor on our behalf (please see below).
  • We ask you for your personal details including name and contact details. We will also ask you about your previous experience, education, referees and for answers to questions relevant to the role you have applied for. Our recruitment team will have access to all of this information.

 

Assessments

  • 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. This information is held by The Brand Specialist.
  • If you are unsuccessful following assessment for the position you have applied for, we may ask if you would like your details to be retained in our talent pool for a period of six months. If you say yes, we would proactively contact you should any further suitable vacancies arise.

 

Conditional offer

  • 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. We are required to confirm the identity of our staff, their right to work in the United Kingdom and seek assurance as to their trustworthiness, integrity and reliability.
  • You will therefore be required to provide:
  • Proof of your identity – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents, we will take copies.
  • Proof of your qualifications – you will be asked to attend our office with original documents, we will take copies.
  • You will be asked to complete a criminal records declaration to declare any unspent convictions.
  • We will provide your email address to the Government Recruitment Service who will contact you to complete an application for a Basic Criminal Record check via the Disclosure and Barring Service, or Access NI, which will verify your declaration of unspent convictions.
  • We will contact your referees, using the details you provide in your application, directly to obtain references
  • We will also ask you to complete a questionnaire about your health. This is to establish your fitness to work. This is done through a data processor (please see below).
  • If we make a final offer, we will also ask you for the following:
  • Bank details – to process salary payments
  • Emergency contact details – so we know who to contact in case you have an emergency at work

 

How long is the information retained for?

  • If you are successful, the information you provide during the application process will be retained by us as part of your employee file for the duration of your employment plus 6 years following the end of your employment. This includes your criminal records declaration, fitness to work, records of any security checks and references.
  • If you are unsuccessful at any stage of the process, the information you have provided until that point will be retained for 6 months from the closure of the campaign.
  • Information generated throughout the assessment process, for example interview notes, is retained by us for 6 months following the closure of the campaign.
  • Equal opportunities information is retained for 6 months following the closure of the campaign whether you are successful or not.
  • Vacancy Filler will provide us with management information about our recruitment campaigns. This is anonymised information which tells us about the effectiveness of campaigns, for example, from which source did we get the most candidates, equal opportunities information for monitoring purposes. This anonymised information will be retained for 6 years from the end of the campaign.

 

Your rights

Links to other websites

  • This privacy notice does not cover the links within this site linking to other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy statements on the other websites you visit.

Changes to this privacy notice

  • We keep our privacy notice under regular review. This privacy notice was last updated on 10 April 2018.

How to contact us

The Brand Specialist Ltd.
15 Richmond Avenue
West Malling
Kent
ME19 4FE
United Kingdom

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