Kitchener Executive Consultants is committed to providing our clients and candidates with exceptional service. Since our services involve the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our candidates, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities. With respect to your personal information, this Privacy Policy applies to the entire KEC organization, which includes all our employees, consultants, and affiliates that work in collaboration with us to support our candidate’s needs.
While we have always respected our candidate’s privacy and safeguarded their personal information, we have strengthened our commitment to protecting personal information as a result of the ‘ Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act’ (PIPEDA), which sets out the ground rules for how Canadian businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.
We will inform our candidates of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate under the circumstances.
This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPEDA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting candidate’s personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our candidate’s personal information, and allowing our candidates to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.
Definitions
Personal Information – means information about an identifiable individual. At Kitchener Executive Consultants, this information is usually provided by you in the form of a resume, and includes your name, address, phone number, email address and work/education history. Personal information does not include contact information (described below).
Contact information – means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPEDA.
Privacy Officer – means the individual designated to be responsible for ensuring that Kitchener Executive Consultants complies with this policy and PIPEDA.
Collecting Personal Information
Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the candidate voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.
We will only collect candidate’s information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:
To verify past employment: we may collect reference information and past work history information.
To verify education: we may collect educational information and contact the institutions, if required.
To identify candidate preferences: we may collect information regarding your interests.
To understand the financial needs of our candidates: we may collect past salary information as well as salary expectations.
Consent
We will obtain candidate consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without your consent).
Consent can be provided orally, in writing or electronically, or it can be implied if the purpose for collecting, using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the candidate voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), candidates can withhold or withdraw their consent for Kitchener Executive Consultants to use their personal information in certain ways. Note that a candidate’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product. If so, we will explain the situation to assist the candidate in making the necessary decision.
We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the candidate’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances: where the use is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way.
Using and Disclosing Personal Information
We will only use or disclose a candidate’s personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection.
We will not use or disclose a candidate’s personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain your consent to do so.
We will not sell candidate lists or personal information to other parties.
Retaining Personal Information
If we use a candidate’s personal information to make a decision that directly affects the candidate, we will retain that personal information for at least one year, giving the candidate a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
We will retain a candidate’s personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the identified purposes, or for a legal or business purpose.
Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information
We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that a candidate’s personal information is accurate and complete, given it may be used to make a decision about the candidate or disclosed to another organization.
If the personal information is proven to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization where this personal information has already been disclosed.
Securing Personal Information
KEC is committed to ensuring the security of your personal information. To prevent the loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure or modification of your personal information, KEC has put in place various safeguards. As part of these precautions, we have established appropriate physical, technical and managerial procedures to secure the information that we collect and retain. Authorized company employees and authorized agents have access to the files that contain personal information.
KEC operates in a virtual environment, where clients and consultants email material such as resumes, letters, invoices, and responses to questionnaires. It is understood that the internet is not completely secure, and that any information sent through this means may be compromised or susceptible to malicious attacks, which are out of the control of KEC, its employees, consultants, and contractors.
We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure the ongoing security of your personal information.
Providing Candidates Access to Personal Information
Candidates have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions.
A request to access personal information must provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. Upon request, we will also tell candidates how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.
Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer or designated individual
The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring Kitchener Executive Consultants’ compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
Candidates should direct any complaints, concerns or questions regarding Kitchener Executive Consultants’ compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer
Attention: Privacy Policy Officer
Kitchener Executive Consultants
1601 River Road East, Suite 201
Kitchener Ontario, Canada
N2A 3Y4
