SEEK - Privacy Statement

Privacy

SEEK's commitment to maintaining your privacy

SEEK’s Privacy Statement has been created because we value our users and recognise their right to keep Personal Information private.
This statement discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for www.seek.co.nz (including as published across desktop, mobile, tablet, apps and any subdomains) (referred to in this Privacy Statement as the “Site”). SEEK collects Personal Information and Personal Data from Site visitors for the purposes of providing services to our users, and (as described below) for the purposes of better customising our services to you. Any Personal Information and Personal Data collected from you will be used by us in accordance with and as described in this Privacy Statement
This Privacy Statement has been prepared by SEEK (NZ) Limited (Company Registration Number 978512)

Definitions

In this Privacy Statement:
  • any reference to “SEEK”, “we”, “us” and “our” includes a reference to SEEK (NZ) Limited and each of SEEK’s related companies.
  • “Advertiser” refers to individuals or entities that post job ads on our Site or use other products to source potential Candidates for job vacancies;
  • “Candidates” refers to users of the Site and “Registered Users” refers to Candidates who register on the Site;
  • Candidates, Advertisers and users who otherwise subscribe for SEEK products, services or information offered via the Site are referred to generically in this Statement as “visitors”, “users” or “you”, unless the context provides that only Candidates, Registered Users or Advertisers are being referred to;
  • “GDPR” means the General Data Protection Regulation, being Regulation 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
  • “Personal Data” has the meaning attributed to that term in the GDPR;
  • “Privacy Act” means the Privacy Act 2020;
  • “Talent Search” refers to a SEEK product which allows Advertisers to search, refine and connect with Candidates who maintain a SEEK Profile and have a privacy setting of Standard or Limited; and
  • “Talent Search Connection Method” means a method by which an Advertiser using Talent Search is able to contact a candidate by sending a Candidate a copy of a job opportunity for which the Advertiser is recruiting, (by using the “send job” function), or sending a Candidate a customised email about a job opportunity, (by using the “message” function). Advertisers who use either of these functions do not, by using those functions, receive access to any Candidate’s Personal Information.

Collecting other information on SEEK visitors

SEEK collects non-Personal Information on Site visits by users including, without limitation, which sections of the Site are most frequently visited, how often, and for how long. This data is always used as aggregated, non-Personal Information, and may be shared with SEEK partners to provide them with information relating to how SEEK visitors ‘use’ the Site. This is done for the purpose of providing you with the best and most efficient career management and recruitment services.
IP Addresses
SEEK’s web servers gather your IP address to assist with the diagnosis of problems or support issues with our services, and to monitor the use of our Site, including the monitoring of the location of our users.
Cookies
SEEK uses cookies and applets to provide Candidates with a better browsing experience and tailor advertisements from SEEK or from our business partners that appear, (on the Site or other websites) to your browsing preferences and/or your SEEK Profile, (as defined below).These cookies and applets collect non-Personal Information such as preferences and click activity for measurement and for features such as remembering your details for ‘Auto Login’ (provided you have chosen this option), and remembering your search criteria for the ‘My Last Search’ function.
SEEK uses cookies and scripts in respect of Advertisers to assist SEEK in improving website performance, making business decisions, aiding in error reporting, aiding online payments and testing new functionality. These cookies and scripts collect non-Personal Information such as preferences and click activity for measurement and for features such as remembering your details for ‘Auto Login’ (provided you have chosen this option).If you do not wish to have cookies active whilst you browse the Site you can “opt out” by modifying the privacy options in your browser. However, doing so will prevent access to some areas of the Site and limit your use of some of the SEEK services.
In addition to the above, where users access the SEEK mobile applications (“SEEK Apps”) we use third party software development kits (SDK’s) and services which collect non-Personal Information relating to your use of the SEEK Apps, including tracking of app installs and re-engagement. This information is used to tailor and measure advertisements to install and/or use the SEEK Apps which appear on third party sites/apps and are targeted towards users’ usage preferences.
If you want to opt-out from the collection and usage of information for advertisement targeting you can do so by enabling “Limit Ad Tracking” (Settings > Privacy > Advertising) on your iOS device or by enabling the “Opting out of interest-based ads” option (Settings > Services > Ads) on your Android device. By opting out from ad targeting SEEK and its third party providers will not use the collected information to target ads to you, however the information collected may continue to be used by SEEK for, amongst other things, estimation of user numbers, advertising fraud detection and debugging.
Third Party Measurement
In order to better understand our users, SEEK utilises third party measurement companies to assess Site and mobile Site traffic. A tracking code is used to collect the following information on the usage of the Site:
  • The number of page views (or page impressions) that occur on the Site;
  • The number of unique visitors to the Site;
  • How long these unique visitors (on average) spend on the Site when they do visit; and
  • Common entry and exit points into the Site.
This aggregated, non-Personal Information is collated and provided to SEEK to assist in analysing the usage of the Site. This data is also accessible by media organisations and research companies, for the purpose of conducting industry comparisons with other Internet websites.

Collecting information on Registered Users

As part of registering with SEEK, we collect Personal Information about Registered Users in order for Registered Users to take full advantage of SEEK’s services. To do this it will be necessary for Registered Users to provide additional information to SEEK.
Registration
Becoming a Registered User allows you to take advantage of more of the tools, services and resources that may assist you in finding a job. To become a Registered User you will need to submit some Personal Information such as your name and email address. You may access your information at any time by clicking ‘Settings’ on ‘the Site’. SEEK may also use this information in order to customise the service we provide to you. For example, SEEK may use this information to create a SEEK Profile that you may choose to use in the future. However, we will never activate this SEEK Profile (or any other service) without your express consent.

Other information SEEK may collect

SEEK may also collect and use information about your job seeking needs, characteristics and priorities by collecting and analysing data about how you use, or interact with, the products and services offered on the Site (including, by way of example, usage patterns around how regularly you update your profile or how often you submit job applications). SEEK may use this information, including through automated processes applying algorithms, for the purposes set out in this Privacy Statement, including without limitation to better tailor SEEK’s offerings to your job seeking needs and to provide more targeted services to Advertisers and to Candidates including to allow more targeted job opportunities to be surfaced to Candidates and to create ‘signals’ to advertisers that you may be more or less approachable for job opportunities (Approachability Signal). You may disengage your Approachability Signal by clicking here.

Job Mail

Job Mail is an optional service available to Registered Users. SEEK requests that Registered Users provide their email address, and information relating to their employment preferences, so that SEEK can notify Registered Users via email of jobs within their specified criteria. Registered Users can modify or delete their Job Mail preferences (or their Job Mail account) at any time by going to the ‘Saved Searches’ area of the Site.
Users of the Site may also subscribe to Job Mail without creating a SEEK Profile and becoming a Registered User by electing to do so when searching for jobs on the Site. If you choose to subscribe to Job Mail in this manner, any Personal Information you provide us when creating your Job Mail subscription will be stored and used by SEEK in the same manner as if you were a Registered User. You will be able to unsubscribe from Job Mail subscriptions at any point in time by clicking on the unsubscribe link within the email. In order to best utilise SEEK’s services, we recommend creating a SEEK Profile (see below).

Storing resumes

Registered Users may elect to store up to 10 resumes in their ‘Profile’ area, and use those resumes when applying for a job and to supplement their SEEK Profile. Deleting a resume from the ‘Profile’ area will mean it is no longer accessible to the Registered User. Deleted records may still be stored by SEEK in testing or backup systems for a period of time.
Where resumes are held in testing environments, these are held in closed and secure environments and information is only used for the purpose of internal software testing. Information held in backup systems is only held for the purposes of backing up systems in the event of a data loss.
If you choose a stored resume as your default resume SEEK may use an algorithm that uses that resume, along with other factors, to calculate how you may rate against other candidates in relation to job opportunities that are surfaced to you following a job search or otherwise through SEEK products. This assessment may be shown to you when you are viewing a job ad and may also be shown to hirers as an indication of SEEK’s assessment of your suitability to a position that a hirer is trying to fill.

SEEK Profile

A SEEK Profile can include a resume, employment and educational history, contact details, minimum salary expectations, and preferred job classifications and locations. You may populate this information on your SEEK Profile or the information may be automatically populated using answers to questions you have provided as part of a job application. You can edit your SEEK Profile at any time.
Advertisers are able to search SEEK’s Profile database to find and contact relevant candidates. Upon registration, all Registered Users will be asked to create a personal SEEK Profile (‘SEEK Profile’) by providing some key information and selecting one of the privacy settings outlined below. Candidates without SEEK Profiles will also be required to create a SEEK Profile when they first apply for a job on the Site. Registered Users can elect how much of their SEEK Profile they wish to share with Advertisers in the following ways:
  1. In circumstances where Advertisers are searching to find and contact potential candidates, Registered users can elect one of the following privacy settings:
    Standard
    If you elect a “Standard” privacy setting for your SEEK Profile, then:
    • except for your resume and contact details, your SEEK Profile can be seen by Advertisers searching the Talent Search database;
    • if an Advertiser wishes to purchase access to your SEEK Profile, your full SEEK Profile including your resume and contact details will be emailed immediately to the relevant Advertiser;
    • an Advertiser may contact you via a Talent Search Connection Method;
    • if you choose to follow a company within the Company Reviews section of the Site, your SEEK Profile, except for your resume and contact details, will be made available to that company; and
    • SEEK may parse information from your CV to populate your SEEK Profile.
    Limited
    If you elect a “Limited” privacy setting for your SEEK Profile, then:
    • except for your resume and contact details, your SEEK Profile can be seen by Advertisers searching the Talent Search database (but Advertisers cannot purchase your resume and contact details);
    • an Advertiser may contact you via a Talent Search Connection Method; and
    • if you choose to follow a company within the Company Reviews section of the Site, your SEEK Profile, except for your resume and contact details, will be made available to that company.
    Hidden
    If you elect a “Hidden” privacy setting for your SEEK Profile, then your SEEK Profile is completely hidden (thereby preventing Advertisers from viewing your SEEK Profile).All information provided by you when creating a SEEK Profile (including your name, resume, email address, telephone numbers, employment and educational history) may be used by SEEK for the purpose of improving placement opportunities for you or for tailoring specific products to you.
  2. In circumstances where applying for a job opportunity requires some or all of your profile to be sent to the Advertiser, Registered Users are able to amend their SEEK Profile prior to applying (see the paragraph “In some circumstances, sending your SEEK Profile with an application will be required” below).
Registered Users can modify their resume at any time, or modify the privacy options in relation to their SEEK Profile at any time, by going to the Profile area of the Site.
To delete your SEEK Profile you will need to delete your entire account with SEEK. SEEK reserves the right to disable a SEEK Profile at its sole discretion (for example if information is found or believed to be untrue or being stored for improper purposes).

Online Applications

Making an online application to a job advertisement on SEEK is a free and optional service that requires Candidates to complete mandatory fields (for example first name, last name, telephone number and email) so that the Advertiser can identify and contact the applicant. When first applying for a job, Candidates who do not have a SEEK Profile will also be required to create a SEEK Profile based on the information contained in their application - you may subsequently edit your SEEK Profile here. Registered Users will also have the option of easily attaching a saved resume. When you apply for a job advertisement on the Site, applications, including attachments and cover letters, are:
  • forwarded directly on to the Advertiser and/or its nominated representative; or
  • stored in the SEEK Advertiser Centre on behalf of the Advertiser. The SEEK Advertiser Centre allows Advertisers to easily and effectively manage their recruitment process via one central facility made available by SEEK.
Some advertisers may also require you to answer a list of questions selected by that Advertiser as part of your online application. By answering the Application questions you acknowledge that SEEK will provide your answers to that Advertiser and may use your answers to populate your SEEK Profile and enable Advertisers to surface that information when using Talent Search. SEEK may also use your answers to improve our products, including through improving our search and matching capabilities.
By applying to a position advertised on SEEK you are requesting that SEEK pass the information you provide to the relevant Advertiser and/or their nominated representative. Any questions you have relating to a position advertised on SEEK, your online application and/or the status of your application should be directed directly to the Advertiser or their nominated agent, not SEEK.SEEK will also retain this information in order to customise the service we provide to Candidates. SEEK reserves the right to disable or delete a saved resume or cover letter at its discretion.
Advertisers are asked by SEEK to comply with all relevant obligations relating to the use and disclosure of Personal Information. The use of your information (personal or otherwise) by these Advertisers is not within the control of SEEK and we cannot accept responsibility for the conduct of these companies.
Candidates have the right to directly contact Advertisers to request access to any Personal Information that you have sent as part of an application or that has been provided to them as part of a SEEK Profile.
In some circumstances, sending your SEEK Profile with an application will be required.
In order to apply for some job opportunities, some or all of your SEEK Profile will be required to be shared with the Advertiser.
When this is required, notwithstanding the privacy setting chosen by you when creating your SEEK Profile (whether it be Standard, Limited or Hidden as set out above), both your online application and some or all of your SEEK Profile (which can include information submitted by you in connection with your employment, educational history, contact details, minimum salary expectations and preferred job classifications and locations) will be shared with the Advertiser.
SEEK will notify you when your SEEK Profile will be part of your application. SEEK will also specify which parts of your SEEK Profile will be sent to the Advertiser with your application.
You can edit your SEEK Profile here at any time and prior to submitting your application.

Advertisers

SEEK collects the company name, business address and billing address of Advertisers. It also collects the name, email address and phone number of a primary contact (also referred to on the Site as the ‘administrator’). Advertisers can choose to add additional users to their account, in which case SEEK will collect the name and email address of those other users. Advertisers can change the company name or billing address by emailing accounts@seek.com.au and can change any other details by emailing customerservice@seek.com.au. SEEK uses these details to manage your account, including sending Advertisers applications of Candidates, contacting Advertisers if there is an issue with their job ad and organising payment and invoicing of the account.

Investor Information

Users may also subscribe on Site to receive investor information about and from SEEK. In order to send you such information, SEEK collects the first and last name of such users, the company for which they work (if this information is provided to SEEK) and an email address.

Communications to and from SEEK

SEEK may also provide you with selected information about job placement and career-related topics in email communications including in our email newsletter ‘SEEK News Update’. From time to time SEEK may also contact you by telephone. You agree that SEEK may contact you about products and services purchased or used by you, and to offer additional products and services. Registered Users may ‘opt-out’ of receiving emails from SEEK in the ‘Settings’ area of the Site, otherwise Users may opt out by clicking ‘unsubscribe’ in the footer of an email received.
When we speak to you over the phone we may record the calls for training, verification and quality assurance purposes. Any Personal Information collected on those calls is used in accordance with this Privacy Statement.

Research

SEEK may invite you to participate in market or other research from time to time. This includes research about our current or potential products and services, the overall employment market and/or specific segments of the employment market (“Research”). You may opt out of receiving Research invitations at any time.

Contractors and Partners

SEEK may also disclose your Personal Information to SEEK’s service providers, contractors and partners from time to time but only for the purpose of:
  • assisting us to deliver the products and services we offer to you
  • enabling you to access the products or services they offer, or
  • conducting Research
Where you have consent to us doing so, we’ll pass the information provided to us to a contractor or partner, and in some circumstances, we may also receive information back from them about you (for example, where via our website you are referred to and enrol in a course operated by a third party, then your progress through your chosen course may be shared with SEEK).
Third parties with whom we share your Personal Information are asked by SEEK to comply with all relevant obligations relating to the use and disclosure of Personal Information that are outlined in the Privacy Act. Where you are asked by a third party to provide your information directly to them (for example, following a referral from SEEK), the use of your information (personal or otherwise) by these parties partners will be governed by their own privacy policies and is not within the control of SEEK and we cannot accept responsibility for the conduct of these entities.

Related Companies

SEEK may also disclose your Personal Information to SEEK’s related companies from time to time but only for the purpose of assisting SEEK and its related bodies corporate to deliver the products and services offered to you. SEEK may also receive Personal Information from SEEK’s related bodies corporate from time to time in accordance with the privacy policy of those related bodies corporate and/or the Privacy Act (as applicable).

Storage & Security of Personal Information

SEEK takes all reasonable steps to ensure the security of our system and to protect your information from misuse, interference and loss as well as unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. SEEK allows you to access your information at any time to keep it accurate and up to date. Any information which we hold for you is stored on secure servers, either in Australia or overseas (including the United States of America), that are protected in controlled facilities.
In addition, our employees and the contractors who provide services related to our information systems are obliged to respect the confidentiality and privacy of any Personal Information held by SEEK. Except in the case of breaches of our obligations under the Privacy Act to protect your Personal Information, SEEK will not be held responsible for events arising from unauthorised access of your Personal Information.
In the event of a data breach, SEEK is committed to complying in all respects with any requirements of the Privacy Act or the GDPR. You can also play an important role in keeping your Personal Information secure, by maintaining the confidentiality of any password and accounts used on the Site. Please notify us immediately if there is any unauthorised use of your account by any other Internet user, or any other breach of security relating to your account.
Access to Your Information
Unless you become a Registered User, subscribe to Job Mail and/or submit a job application online, or become an Advertiser, SEEK does not collect information that identifies you personally. If you become a Registered User, you are able to change or update your Profile at any time by logging in to ‘Profile’ area of the Site. Users who are Job Mail subscribers but not Registered Users do not have access to this additional functionality, however you are able to unsubscribe from Job Mail. In addition, any user is able to at any time request that SEEK deletes any Personal Information held by us by accessing the Site, logging in to your account and accessing the ‘Settings’ section.
Candidates who have applied for any position on the Site should be aware that the Advertiser to whom their application is sent may also be holding their Personal Information and should you wish to access that information this should be requested directly from those Advertisers.

Data retention

We retain information you provide to us and which we collect about you, including Personal Information and Personal Data, for so long as we continue to provide services to you and specifically until such time as you request us to delete your Personal Information and Personal Data.

Data transfers

SEEK’s corporate headquarters are located in Australia, and so your information may be transferred to, and/or stored in, Australia. In addition, we sometimes transfer or disclose information to third parties including to persons and businesses outside New Zealand and Australia including in the United States of America, Ireland and India. These transfers are made in order to assist us to provide you with the products and services, and/or to improve the products and services we offer you. Where we transfer information to persons outside of New Zealand that information will be treated according to similar (but not lesser) standards imposed by the requirements of the Privacy Act (and where appropriate the GDPR) in relation to that information by SEEK’s entry into binding contractual arrangements with such third parties.

Feedback and Complaints about privacy and the SEEK website

SEEK welcomes ideas and feedback about all aspects of the Site. SEEK stores feedback that users send to us. This feedback may be used to administer and refine the service we provide and may be shared with SEEK partners either in aggregate form or with specific identifying characteristics removed.
If you have any complaints about our dealings with your Personal Information including any breaches by us of any privacy laws or any questions regarding this Privacy Statement you are able to submit that complaint or query by contacting us at privacy@seek.com.au or by telephone or post using the methods detailed in the “Contact Us” paragraph below.
Any complaints received by us will be referred to our compliance team for prompt investigation and a written response will be provided to you as soon as possible.
Privacy & Site Changes
From time to time, SEEK may review and update its Privacy Statement. Revised versions will be made available on the Site.
Contact Us
If you have any feedback or questions about this Privacy Statement, the practices of this Site, or your dealings with SEEK, you can contact us in the following ways:
Email: usersupport@seek.co.nz
Phone: 0508 733 569
Post: Customer Service SEEK Limited (NZ) PO Box 9184, Newmarket Auckland New Zealand
More Information About Privacy
For more information about privacy issues in New Zealand and protecting your privacy, visit the New Zealand Privacy Commissioner’s website.

European Union

If you are a resident of the European Union for the purposes of the GDPR, then in addition to what is set out above, the following applies to you.
SEEK is a data controller and processor for the purposes of the GDPR and by your consenting to this Privacy Statement SEEK is able to processes your Personal Data in accordance with this Privacy Statement. Our Contact details are set out in the “Contact Us” paragraph above.
In providing its services to you, SEEK may make use of a number of automated processes using your Personal Data and your activity on our Site as tracked by us, in order to provide more tailored and relevant services to you such as providing recommended job opportunities to you through email communication, and on the Site or within our Apps.
SEEK may also use such data in automated processes aimed at providing more tailored and relevant services to Advertisers, such as:
  • an approachability signal which indicates to Hirers the likelihood of you being approachable or amenable to being approached about a particular job opportunity; and
  • recommending questions that an Advertiser may require Candidates to answer as part of a job application received from the Site.
  • In addition to your rights set out above, you may:
  • update or rectify any of the Personal Data that we hold about you, in the manner described in the “Access to Your Information” paragraph above.
  • withdraw your consent to SEEK’s use of your Personal Information as described in this Privacy Statement by deleting your account. This will also delete all the Personal Data about you which we hold. This can be done by accessing the Site, logging in to your account and accessing the ‘Settings’ section.
  • request that SEEK:
    1. provides you with a copy of the Personal Data SEEK holds about you in a portable and machine readable form; or
    2. share your Personal Data with a nominated third party;
  • disengage your Approachability Signal by clicking here.
you may request that from us by contacting us using any of the methods set out in the “Contact Us” paragraph above.
Should you have any concerns in relation to SEEK’s collection and/or processing of your Personal Data, then in addition to the process set out in the “Feedback and Complaints about privacy and the SEEK website“ set out above (including the right to complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner), you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority (within the meaning of the GDPR).

Our representative for the purposes of the GDPR is set out below:
MCF Legal Technology Solutions Limited
Riverside One
Sir John Rogerson’s Quay
Dublin 2
IRELAND Email: seek@mcf.ie