1. Introduction

Metail Limited (“we”, “our”, “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who apply for job vacancies within our organisation. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data in compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What Data We Collect

We may collect and process the following types of personal data from job applicants:

Name, address, email, and phone number
Date of birth
Employment history and CV
Educational background and qualifications
References and referee contact details
Right-to-work documents and identification information
Equal opportunities monitoring data (where applicable)
Any other information provided during the recruitment process

3. How We Collect Your Data

We collect personal data through:

Direct applications via our website, email, or recruitment portals
Third-party recruitment agencies and job boards
Referrals from employees or other contacts
Background check providers and publicly available sources (such as LinkedIn)

4. How We Use Your Data

Your data is used for recruitment purposes, including:

Assessing suitability for employment
Communicating with you about your application
Conducting interviews and assessments
Verifying qualifications and employment history
Performing background and reference checks where necessary
Ensuring compliance with legal and regulatory requirements

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:

Consent: Where you provide explicit consent for us to process your data.
Contractual necessity: Processing required to take steps before entering into an employment contract.
Legal obligation: Compliance with legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., right-to-work checks).
Legitimate interest: Conducting recruitment in a way that benefits our business, provided it does not override your rights.

6. Data Sharing

We may share your data with:

Internal HR personnel and hiring managers involved in the recruitment process
Background screening and reference check providers.
Legal and regulatory authorities where required by law.
Third-party recruitment agencies acting on our behalf.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal data for as long as necessary for recruitment purposes, typically up to six months after a decision is made, unless:

You are hired, in which case your data becomes part of your employment record.
We obtain your consent to keep your details for future opportunities (up to two years).
We are required to keep the data longer for legal, regulatory, or dispute resolution purposes.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have rights concerning your personal data, including:

Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
Erasure: Request deletion of your data where applicable.
Restriction: Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
Objection: Object to processing based on legitimate interests.
Data portability: Request transfer of your data to another organisation. To exercise these rights, please contact us at careers@metail.co.uk.

9. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, or alteration.

10. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact: Metail Limited, ℅ Birketts, 23 Station Road, Cambridge, CB1 2JD. Email careers@metail.co.uk.

11. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on our website with the updated effective date.

Last Updated: March 2025

Careers and Recruitment Privacy Policy