As part of any recruitment process, Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) collects and processes personal data relating to job applicants. The organization is committed to being transparent about how it collects and uses that data and to meeting its data protection obligations under relevant privacy laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation. The purpose of this privacy notice is to make all job applicants aware of how and why we collect and use your personal information, both during and after the recruitment process.

THE KIND OF DATA WE HOLD ABOUT YOU 

In connection with your application, we will collect, use and store the following categories of personal data about you:

• The data you have provided to us in your resume and cover letter including but not limited to employment history, qualifications, profession, professional memberships, educational achievements, degrees, languages spoken, computer skills, etc.
• The data you have provided on our application form, including name, telephone number, personal email address, gender, race/ethnicity, national service completion, disability status, and information about your entitlement to work in the US.
• Any data you provide to us during interviews on the phone or in person.

For some applicants who move further along in the application process, IFT will also collect personal data about you from third parties, such as professional references supplied to us by you. In addition, IFT will seek information from third party employment background check providers only once a provisional job offer to you has been made and will inform and receive your consent before doing so. Data will be stored in a range of different places, including on your application record, in our applicant tracking management systems and on other IT systems (including email).

HOW WE WILL USE DATA ABOUT YOU 

IFT has a legitimate interest in processing personal data during the recruitment process and for keeping records of the process. Processing data from job applicants allows IFT to manage the recruitment process, assess and confirm a candidate's suitability for employment and decide to whom to offer a job. The organization may also need to process data from job applicants to respond to and defend against legal claims and comply with legal or regulatory requirements. IFT will not use your data for any purpose other than the recruitment process.

IF YOU FAIL TO PROVIDE PERSONAL DATA

If you fail to provide personal data when requested, which is necessary for us to consider your application (such as evidence of qualifications or work history), we may not be able to process your application further. For example, if we require references for this role and you fail to provide us with relevant details, we will not be able to take your application further.

WHO HAS ACCESS TO YOUR DATA

Your information will be shared internally for the purposes of the recruitment process. This includes members of the HR department, interviewers involved in the recruitment process, managers in the department with a vacancy and IT contractors if access to the data is necessary for the performance of their roles.

HOW WE PROTECT YOUR DATA

IFT takes the security of your data seriously. It has internal policies and controls in place to ensure that your data is not lost, accidentally destroyed, misused or disclosed, and is not accessed except by our employees in the proper performance of their duties.

HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR DATA

If your application for employment is unsuccessful, IFT will hold your data on file for three years after recruitment process. We retain your personal data for that period to comply with legal requirements. In addition, we retain such personal data in case a similar role becomes vacant for which you may be a qualified candidate. After this period, we will securely destroy your personal data in accordance with our data retention policy. If your application for employment is successful, personal data gathered during the recruitment process will be transferred to your personnel file and retained during your employment.

YOUR RIGHTS AS A DATA SUBJECT ALLOWS YOU TO:

• Request access to your personal data (commonly known as a “data subject access request”).
• Request correction of the personal data that we hold about you. This enables you to have any incomplete or inaccurate data corrected.
• Request erasure of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to delete or remove personal data where there is no good reason for us continuing to process it. You also have the right to ask us to delete or remove your personal data where you have exercised your right to object to processing .
• Object to processing of your personal data where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your particular situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground.
• Request the restriction of processing of your personal data. This enables you to ask us to suspend the processing of personal data about you, for example if you want us to establish its accuracy or the reason for processing it.
• Request the transfer of your personal data to another party.

If you want to review, verify or correct your personal data, you can do so by logging into the online applicant tracking system. If you wish to request erasure of your personal data or object to the processing of your personal data, please send an email to [email protected].