Could GDPR stop you from finding your perfect job?

Monday 14 May 2018

With the new GDPR regulations only days away and the instruction of revised Data Protection Laws in both Guernsey and Jersey, magazines and papers are awash with quick guides on how to get your business compliant.

But, as the new laws pertain to how your personal data is handled, and most importantly, your “right to be forgotten”, how does this affect the proactive or passive job-seeker?

Andrew Partlow, Director of Channel Islands’ recruitment agency Alexander Daniels Offshore, has given his insights into how to ensure you’re still top of the tree when it comes to finding your perfect role.

"Many of you will have your recruiter of choice, that has helped you, your family and friends secure previous positions and may have indeed helped shape your career too," he said.

"Finding the perfect role often takes a proactive idea from the recruiter when you aren’t proactively looking for a new role. Your go-to recruiter is just that because they are good at what they do, they understand you, they actively think of you and thus become your long term recruiter, not just when you are actively looking for a new role.

"Consider that you may not have spoken to your recruiter for some time but they have a role they know you will be interested in, what if GDPR stops this happening and you no longer have those eyes and ears watching the marketplace for you, that you have trusted and relied on for many years?"

Mr Partlow said the big change brought in by GDPR is your right to be forgotten. He said it would more tightly govern the way that people permit the usage of their data and give more clarity on what will be done with their data.

With markets now being candidate driven (with a shortage of talent), search & selection and headhunting are common tools for recruiters. This, Mr Partlow said, is more relevant to the Channel Islands than anywhere else given the restrictions that are already in place with right to works and off island talent being needed to fill skill gaps. This could be where a recruiter would use historical data to find the right candidate, but GDPR could pin this down.

"You will no doubt have seen over the past few weeks, many businesses contacting you by email asking you to update your contact preferences, to ensure they are GDPR-compliant, this is no different with a recruitment agency.

"If you have been contacted then there’s no need to worry. However, if you haven’t been contacted, either; your data and the permission you gave them are already GDPR-compliant or if the data on-file isn’t GDPR compliant then it will have been purged from their records.

If you’re in the latter camp and you haven’t spoken to your agency in a while, then it would be worth contacting them to let them know that you would like to have your details kept on file for future opportunities, just to be certain.

"To conclude, if you’re actively pursuing career opportunities or want to be informed of excellent career opportunities, in light of the law changes, it is very worthwhile putting some time aside to re-admit permission to your recruiter of choice to hold your data on file."