PRIVACY POLICY

Last updated: May 2025

Carey Associates respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect personal information when you use our website, contact us, work with us as a client, or engage with us as a candidate.

For the purposes of data protection law, Carey Associates is the data controller of the personal information we process.

1. Who we are

Carey Associates is a specialist HR recruitment and search consultancy supporting clients and candidates across permanent, contract and interim HR appointments.

Business name: Carey Associates
Email: christine@careyhr.co.uk
Phone: 07990 005382

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact us using the details above.

2. The personal information we collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

If you contact us through the website
We may collect:

your name
email address
phone number
company name
job title
enquiry details
any information you choose to include in your message

If you are a candidate
We may collect:

name and contact details
CV, employment history and career information
current and desired salary or day rate
notice period and availability
location and right to work information
qualifications, skills and professional memberships
interview notes, preferences and career goals
references, where appropriate
information shared during conversations with us
publicly available professional information, such as LinkedIn profile details

If you are a client or prospective client
We may collect:

name and contact details
company name and role
recruitment requirements
business and role information
communication history
information needed to manage our relationship with you

Website usage data
We may collect limited technical information about how visitors use our website, such as:

IP address
browser type
device information
pages visited
time spent on the website
referral source

This may be collected through cookies or similar technologies. See section 10 for more information.

3. How we collect personal information

We may collect personal information when:

you complete an enquiry form
you email, phone or message us
you send us your CV
you speak to us about a role or hiring requirement
you connect with us on LinkedIn or another professional platform
a client, candidate or professional contact refers you to us
we identify publicly available professional information relevant to recruitment activity

4. How we use your personal information

We use personal information to:

respond to enquiries
provide recruitment, search, contract and interim hiring services
assess candidate suitability for roles
introduce candidates to relevant client opportunities, where appropriate
manage client relationships
discuss hiring requirements and potential assignments
communicate with clients and candidates
arrange interviews and provide feedback
carry out reference checks, where appropriate
maintain business records
improve our website and services
meet legal, regulatory and accounting obligations

We will only use your personal information where we have a lawful basis to do so.

5. Lawful bases for processing

We may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

Consent

Where you have given us clear permission to process your personal information for a specific purpose, such as sending your CV to a client.

Contract

Where processing is necessary to take steps before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you.

Legitimate interests

Where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, provided your rights and freedoms do not override those interests. This may include providing recruitment services, maintaining candidate and client relationships, and contacting suitable HR professionals about relevant opportunities.

Legal obligation

Where we need to process personal information to comply with the law.

6. Special category data

We do not usually ask for special category data, such as information about health, ethnicity, religion, trade union membership or political opinions.

If you choose to provide this information, or if it becomes relevant during a recruitment process, we will only process it where we have a lawful basis and where permitted under data protection law.

7. Sharing your personal information

We may share personal information with:

clients and prospective employers, where relevant and appropriate
candidates, where necessary during a recruitment process
referees, where references are requested
service providers who support our business, such as website, email, database, IT or accounting providers
legal, professional or regulatory advisers, where required
public authorities or regulators, where legally required

We will not sell your personal information.

We will not send a candidate’s CV or personal profile to a client without appropriate permission.

8. International transfers

Some of the platforms or service providers we use may process personal information outside the UK.

Where this happens, we will take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as using providers with suitable data protection protections or contractual safeguards.

9. How long we keep your personal information

We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.

Candidate information may be retained so we can contact you about suitable future opportunities, unless you ask us to delete it.

Client and business contact information may be retained for as long as we have an ongoing relationship or a legitimate business reason to keep it.

We may also retain certain information where required for legal, regulatory, accounting or reporting purposes.

If you would like us to delete your information, please contact us.

10. Cookies and website analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality, understand website usage and improve the visitor experience.

Cookies are small files placed on your device when you visit a website. You can usually control or disable cookies through your browser settings.

If the website uses analytics, tracking pixels, advertising cookies or embedded third-party content, this section should be updated to explain those tools clearly.

11. How we protect your information

We take appropriate steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

This includes using secure systems, limiting access to personal information and working with trusted service providers.

However, no website or email transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you may have the right to:

access the personal information we hold about you
ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
ask us to delete your personal information
ask us to restrict how we use your information
object to certain processing
withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
request transfer of your information in certain circumstances
complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 1.

13. Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

14. Updates to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “last updated” date.