As part of our recruitment process, Portakabin Ltd (“Portakabin”) collects and processes personal data relating to candidates. We are committed to being transparent about how we collect and use that data and to meeting our data protection obligations under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
What information does Portakabin collect?
When you apply for a role at Portakabin, we may collect the following information:
Your name, contact details (address, email, telephone number), and national insurance number;
Details of your qualifications, skills, experience, and employment history;
A copy of your CV and cover letter;
Whether you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process;
Information about your right to work in the UK or Ireland.
This data is typically collected through our online application process. If you are successful and accept a job offer, we may also collect additional personal information such as equal opportunities data (e.g. ethnic origin, gender, health, religion or belief), which is only collected after an offer has been accepted and is stored securely in our HR system.
Why does Portakabin process personal data?
We process candidate data for the following purposes:
To assess your suitability for the role and take steps at your request before entering into an employment contract (Article 6(1)(b) UK GDPR);
To comply with our legal obligations, such as verifying your right to work in the UK or Ireland (Article 6(1)(c));
With your consent, to retain your data in a talent pool for future job opportunities (Article 6(1)(a));
Where applicable, to carry out equal opportunities monitoring with your explicit consent (Article 9(2)(a)).
We will not use your data for any purpose unrelated to recruitment or equal opportunities monitoring.
Who has access to your data?
Your information may be shared internally with members of our HR team, recruitment staff, and interviewers, but only where access is necessary for the recruitment process.
Equal opportunities data is never shared with hiring managers or recruitment decision-makers. It is handled separately and only accessible to HR personnel for compliance and reporting purposes after an offer has been accepted.
We do not currently use external platforms for interviews, assessments, or background checks. If this changes in the future, we will update this policy accordingly.
We do not transfer candidate data outside of the UK or EEA.
How does Portakabin protect your data?
We take the security of your data seriously. We have internal policies, access controls, and data protection measures in place to prevent your data from being lost, accidentally destroyed, misused, or accessed without authorisation.
How long does Portakabin retain candidate data?
If your application is unsuccessful, we will retain your personal data for up to 12 months after the recruitment process ends if you consent to be included in our talent pool. This enables us to consider you for future opportunities. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at hradmin@portakabin.com.
If you do not provide consent for your data to be retained, your data will be deleted within 6 months of the recruitment process ending.
If your application is successful, the personal data collected during recruitment will form part of your employee record and will be retained in accordance with our employee privacy policy.
Equal opportunities data is only collected after an offer is accepted and is stored within our HR system in line with internal retention schedules.
Your rights as a candidate
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
Rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
Erasure: Ask us to delete your data where it is no longer needed;
Objection: Object to processing where we rely on legitimate interest;
Restriction: Ask us to pause processing in certain circumstances;
Withdrawal of consent: If we are processing your data based on consent (e.g. talent pool), you may withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact resourcing@portakabin.com. If you are concerned about the way your data has been handled, you may also raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office.