Yes. The General Data Protection Regulation gives job applicants the right to see any interview notes that are held in an electronic format. That includes those held on a PC or in cloud storage. It also includes those that form part of a paper-based ‘relevant filing system’. This could be the interviewer’s handwritten notes filed chronologically or in alphabetical order. With this in mind, ensure that all interviewers know that a job applicant may request access to their interview notes.
Interview notes should not be retained indefinitely. However, they should be kept for long enough to enable you to defend a tribunal claim. A job applicant may accuse you of discrimination. There are time limits in discrimination legislation, but you should retain recruitment records for a year as the time limit for bringing a claim can be extended.
You can explain how long a job applicant’s data will be retained in your GDPR privacy notice for job applicants.
