GDPR/HR/Recruitment experts!

[Pinkappleblossom]

Are there any HR experts there who are knowledgeable about GDPR issues in recruitment?

I have had a gov body looking at a case they think I could bring for discrimination in recruitment (age/sex) but interestingly they have focussed in on the fact that someone in the company, NOT hr but someone who I would be working for/with, emailed me personally to rebuke me about something they didn’t like in my cover letter. EC maintain that was probably a misuse of personal data. Can this be right?

There should have been a privacy notice for job applicants made available to you at the point you applied. It should say what data they were processing, why, and retention periods/security etc.

Your first step is to check that and see whether that use of your email address fits.

@flowery yes there was, Equality Commission are saying that unless they can prove they emailed everyone who applied in the same way then they are treating me differently from the get go. They are taking it really seriously due to other criteria and sending me all the info to apply for financial support to take a case to tribunal which terrifies me as the person involved is a darling of the industry and I think very much sees themselves as untouchable. The shockwaves of me challenging them/the parent company would likely close off half the industry to me for future employment.