Training Today: How Safe Is Your Job Applicant Data? November 16, 2009
By Margery Weinstein
Applicants to your workforce are just lucky to have the chance to try for a position at your company. Why would they think you'd also keep their data safe? That seems to be the attitude at many organizations, as mass layoffs cause an increase in those applying for work, and in the process, sharing private information with corporations. ID theft expert Brian Lapidus, chief operating officer of Kroll Fraud Solutions (the data security arm of global risk consulting company Kroll Inc.), offers the following tips for protecting applicant data:
1. Know your organization's data "hot spots," and secure them against misuse, loss, or theft. When job seekers submit applications on your company's Website, is that transmission secure? Where do you store resumes, job applications, credit reports, or other background check information? How are they protected? Who has access to this data, and how carefully do you screen those employees?
2. Establish a privacy policy at your organization and stand behind it. "Review the privacy policy with employees and stress that applicant data is just as important as that of customers," Lapidus says.
3. Be sensitive to the concerns of job applicants about the use and storage of their personal information. "Understand reluctance to provide certain information until later on in the process does not necessarily mean a person has something to hide," Lapidus reminds.
4. Familiarize yourself with the laws governing recordkeeping and disposal of information. "Many states have laws concerning the use of Social Security Numbers as identifiers," he points out, "as well as minimum time periods for which applicant records should be maintained."
5. Have a plan in place in case an applicant's data is breached. "Make sure it incorporates measures for protecting applicant records, not just employee, customer, or vendor records."
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