Dovetail Recruitment Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your information.
We are the “data controller” for the personal information we hold. This means we are responsible for deciding how it is used. Our use of your information is governed by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and related UK law.
This policy should be read alongside our Cookies Policy, which explains how we use cookies on our website.
1. Who we are and how to contact us
Dovetail Recruitment Ltd
42 Christchurch Road, Ringwood, BH24 1DN
Registered in England, company number 6604821
Email: hello@dovetailrecruitment.co.uk
Telephone: 01202 424824
If you have any questions about this policy or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us using the details above.
2. The information we collect
The information we collect depends on your relationship with us.
If you are a candidate or job seeker, we may collect:
- Identity and contact details — name, address, email address, telephone number.
- Career information — your CV, employment history, education, qualifications, skills, references and salary expectations.
- Eligibility information — details needed to confirm your right to work in the UK.
- Records of our dealings with you, such as interview notes, assessments and the roles we have discussed with you.
In some cases, and only where relevant and lawful, we may also collect:
- Special category data, such as information about your health (for example, to arrange reasonable adjustments) or diversity monitoring information.
- Criminal records information, where a role you apply for requires a background or DBS check.
If you are a client or prospective client, we may collect the names, job titles and business contact details of relevant individuals, together with records of the vacancies and services we discuss and provide.
If you visit our website or contact us, we may collect the details you provide through our contact forms, registration forms or newsletter sign-up (such as your name, email address and message), and limited technical and usage data through cookies (see our Cookies Policy).
3. How we collect your information
We collect personal information:
- Directly from you — when you submit your CV, register an account, complete a form, or communicate with us by phone, email or in person.
- From third parties and public sources — such as job boards you have applied through, professional networking sites (for example LinkedIn), and referrals or recommendations.
- From referees — when we take up references with your knowledge.
4. How and why we use your information
We use your personal information for the following purposes, relying on the lawful bases set out below.
| What we use it for | Our lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Providing recruitment services — matching candidates to suitable roles, putting candidates forward to clients, and arranging interviews | Legitimate interests; and, where we have an agreement with you, performance of a contract |
| Contacting you about relevant opportunities and keeping you informed during a recruitment process | Legitimate interests |
| Managing our relationship with clients and providing services to them | Legitimate interests; performance of a contract |
| Confirming your right to work and meeting other legal requirements | Compliance with a legal obligation |
| Sending you marketing, newsletters and job alerts | Consent (which you can withdraw at any time) |
| Keeping records and improving our services | Legitimate interests |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have considered your rights and interests and are satisfied that our use of your information is reasonable and does not override them. You can ask us for more information about this assessment.
Where we process special category data (such as health information), we do so on the basis of your explicit consent, or because it is necessary for reasons of employment law or for equality of opportunity monitoring, as permitted by the Data Protection Act 2018. Any criminal records information is handled only where the law allows and where it is necessary for a specific role.
5. Who we share your information with
We share personal information only where necessary, and never sell it to third parties for their own marketing. We may share your information with:
- Prospective employers and clients — we will share your CV and relevant details with clients in connection with roles you are being considered for. Wherever practical, we will discuss this with you first.
- Referees — when taking up references at the appropriate stage.
- Background-check providers — where a role requires reference, qualification or DBS checks.
- Our service providers — including IT, hosting, recruitment software (CRM) and email providers who process information on our behalf under contract and only on our instructions.
- Professional advisers, regulators and law enforcement — where we are required to do so by law or to protect our legal rights.
6. International transfers
Some of our service providers may process information outside the UK. Where this happens, we take steps to ensure your information receives an appropriate level of protection — for example by relying on countries the UK Government considers to provide adequate protection, or by putting in place approved data protection clauses (such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement).
7. How long we keep your information
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, after which it is securely deleted or anonymised.
- Candidate information is generally kept for up to two years from our last meaningful contact with you, after which it is reviewed and deleted unless there is an ongoing relationship, you have asked us to keep it longer, or we are required to retain it by law.
- Records relating to placements and our clients may be kept for longer where needed to meet legal, tax or contractual obligations (typically up to six years).
8. Your rights
Under data protection law you have the right to:
- Be informed about how your information is used (this policy).
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Rectification — to have inaccurate information corrected.
- Erasure — to ask us to delete your information in certain circumstances.
- Restrict our use of your information in certain circumstances.
- Data portability — to receive certain information in a portable format.
- Object to our use of your information where we rely on legitimate interests, and to object to direct marketing at any time.
- Withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on your consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in section 1. We will respond within one month. There is normally no charge, and we may ask you to verify your identity before we act on your request.
9. Marketing
We will only send you marketing communications, newsletters or job alerts where you have agreed to receive them. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in our emails, or by contacting us directly.
10. Keeping your information secure
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure, and we limit access to those who need it to do their job.
11. Other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites that we do not control. This policy applies only to our website, so we encourage you to read the privacy policy of any other site you visit.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. We encourage you to review it periodically.
13. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details in section 1 so we can try to put things right.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator:
Information Commissioner’s Office — ico.org.uk — telephone 0303 123 1113.
Last updated: June 2026