access to employment applications

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Can anyone please tell me what the rule is (if one exists) on who can have access to employment applications (for people who have not been hired)? Do they need to be kept in a secure (locked) location? Or is it acceptable for them to be kept in a filing room that general office employees have access to them? Are members of administration able to have access to them, or should it be HR personnel only? I would greatly appreciate any assistance available in this area, and I need to know this yesterday .
Thank you.

franfields

Why would anyone need access to employment applications other than a hiring manager requesting them through the HR department?

They contain personal information and in many cases need to be held confidential since many current employers are not aware their employees are seeking other employment.

I always keep resumes and employment applications in my office in a locked file cabinet. I discard after one year.

AnneLa

I'd check with any state regulations that may apply. Also, several states govern the access that employees may have to their files which include applications, references, etc.

Anita

I also always keep employment applications locked in my office. If they are no longer needed (time expired) I shred them. I wouldn't allow an application to get out where other people could see them, they have confidential information on them such as social security number, address, phone numbers etc. I know that I wouldn't want my information left out where just anyone could copy it or whatever!

njjel

In our organization, the staff (several) sit in on interviews and receive a copy of both the resume and the application. (I am not in favor of this large group participation, however I am outvoted at the current time.) As all of these staff members see the application, and keep it, what do you suggest? Also, I gather that there isn't a specific law/regulation that states they must be kept confidential?

Anita

Njjel,

What do the other employees who get copies of the application and resumes do with them after the interview? If you have to give copies (I don't like that idea either) why don't you black out the confidential information before distributing them, or make sure when the interview is over they all are turned back into HR!

HR Beginner

>>>In our organization, the staff (several) sit in on interviews and receive a copy of both the
resume and the application. (I am not in favor of this large group participation, however I am outvoted at the current time.) As all of these staff members see the application, and keep it, what do you suggest? Also, I gather that there isn't a specific law/regulation that states they must be kept confidential?<<<

I have a related question...
In our organization, I do a phone screening; if they "pass", the ee goes on to a personal interview with the immediate supervisor; if they "pass", they go on to a group interview with various department heads. An edited copy of the application (I use a template to block out confidential info like address & phone number, etc.) is given to each participant and then they cry about things like, "Why can't we see what school they went to?" (the reason, if it isn't obvious, is that if they saw it, they could, and have, used the info for inappropriate conversation in the interview, as well as biased decision-making.) x:-(

Actually, I just had a group interview today (which brought me to this forum to post a question!) and the gripe came up again, "Why are some parts of the app blanked out? We need this info to make an 'informed decision'."

Please understand that we're a healthcare agency that is very team-oriented -- nursing, social work, chaplains, volunteers, etc. all work very closely together, so they're used to making "team decisions" in patient care, which is appropriate. They don't seem to see the interview process any different from that, but it is. :-S

I have never felt good about giving out copies of the apps. They USED to be distributed as is, but I instituted the template to block out private info. I don't collect the copies when we're through with the interview. But now that I've read this thread, I think I should.

I'm very curious to hear from others out there that conduct group interviews and how they handle this situation with interviewers thinking they "need to know" more than they should. I look forward to your replies very much! x:D

AZOTHR

applications are kept in my office with access to the HR Director and department hiring Manager ONLY! Depending on how many people you have on your HR staff I would keep applications and resumes in your department accessible only to those who have direct desicion making on anyone who is being hired, out of reach of those that may work in your benefits administration ect.. (for bigger HR teams)

Timeframe to keep applications/resumes my suggestion to keep your applications filed by position applied-keep applications for a 1 year timeframe and resumes without applications for 6 months.

neveradull

We too do group interviews. I or someone from HR
sits in on all interviews. Interviewers are given copies of the applications, rssumes, attaboy letters etc. All copies together with any notes the interviewer may take are also collected. These remain under lock and key in HR until time for disposal, then they are shredded.