Follow up the job rejections
Laura Banks, The Age
Katina Michael, University of Wollongong
Abstract
Unsuccessful job candidates should access notes taken during the interview process to better prepare themselves for future applications, a national privacy advocacy group says.
Australian Privacy Foundation's Katina Michael said under privacy laws unsuccessful candidates had the right to ask for records kept about them, regardless of whether the job process was through a recruitment agency or an individual company.
''Businesses are required to disclose any personal information they have collected on any individual consumer,'' she said.
The information systems and technology associate professor at the University of Wollongong said this right included notes from psychological assessments.
Dr Michael said it was good practice for individuals to follow up on unsuccessful job interviews and encouraged this as a vital feedback mechanism for self-improvement. ''You might learn that your skill set did not address the selection criteria appropriately, or that you were not competitive relative to the field.'' .
She said companies could shred notes after a decision had been made by a staff selection team to alleviate the burden of data retention.
Suggested Citation
Laura Banks and Katina Michael. "Follow up the job rejections"The Age Oct. 2013, www.theage.com.au/national/follow-up-the-job-rejections-20131005-2v14h.html