Applicant and Candidate Privacy Policy

(United States and Canada)

Last Updated Date: October 5, 2020

This Privacy Policy applies to information collected by or on behalf of The Talbots, Inc. (“Talbots”, “we”, “us”) in the context of your role or former role as an employee, job applicant, job seeker or contractor of Talbots, including but not limited to personal information collected through this website at jobs.talbots.com and mobile versions of this website (the “Site”), in our stores or offices, by phone, or other platform (collectively, with the Site referred to herein as the “Services”). This policy explains:

• What information we collect during our application, recruitment, and employment process and why we collect it;
• How we use and disclose that information;
• How to access and update that information;
• Your rights and choices with regard to that information.

By interacting with the Site or Services or disclosing your personal information to us in the context of employment or potential employment, you accept the practices described in this Privacy Policy and consent to the application of this Privacy Policy to the collection, storage, use and disclosure of your personal information as described.

Types of Information We Collect

Personal information is information that directly identifies or can be used to identify you as an individual. When you use the Services, we collect certain personal information about you, including:

• Contact information such as your name, address, email address, and telephone number;
• Your resume or CV, cover letter, previous and/or relevant work experience or other experience, education, transcripts, or other information you provide to us in support of an employment activity or application and/or recruitment process
• Information from interviews and phone-screenings, if any;
• Details related to your current employment status and the type of employment you are or may be looking for and terms relating to compensation and benefits packages, willingness to relocate, or other job preferences;
• Information about how you heard about the position you are applying for;
• Information confirming your eligibility to work in the United States and Canada, as applicable, including your citizenship and/or immigration status;
• Reference information and/or information received from background checks (where applicable), including information provided by third parties; and/or
• Information relating to any previous applications you may have made to Talbots and/or any previous employment history with Talbots.

How We Collect Information

We generally collect information in one of three ways: 1) information you provide to us; 2) information we collect automatically; and 3) information we receive from third parties, as described further below.

Information you provide

You may provide your personal information to Talbots when you:

• Request to be added to our Talent Network or ask to receive our careers newsletter
• Register for an applicant or employee account
• Apply for employment or job transfer
• Contact us, submit to interviews or phone-screenings, or otherwise communicate with us

Information collected automatically

We may automatically collect and receive your personal information when you interact with the Site. We use this information, which typically remains in aggregate form and does not identify individual users, to improve the Site and the Services we offer. If a combination of information we collect does identify you as an individual, we will treat the combined information as personal information. The following are examples of how we automatically collect information through the Site:

Cookies. The Site uses 'cookies', small data files stored on your web browser, or other passive means of data collection. Cookies are used to personalize your visit, remember your preferences, or to enhance your experience and online browsing.  You can adjust your web browser to accept or reject cookies; however, if you disable all cookies, some features of the Site may not work as intended.

Pixel Tags. We use 'pixel tags' (small graphic images also called web beacons or clear gifs) or similar technologies to track information in the aggregate about your use of the Site like the web pages you view, the links you click, and the time you spend on a page. We use this information to monitor the effectiveness of our advertising and marketing campaigns for career opportunities so we can learn how to best deliver your experience. We also use pixels to track our email campaigns to determine whether recipients opened the email and what links they clicked on from the email.

Analytics tools and aggregate data. The Site uses analytics tools such as Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, Inc. Google Analytics uses cookies to help the Site analyze how you use the Site. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the Site (including your IP address) will be transmitted to and stored by Google in aggregate form. Google uses this aggregated information on our behalf in order to evaluate use of the Site, compile reports on Site activity and other services relating to Site activity and usage. You can learn more about how Google Analytics and how to opt out here: Google Analytics opt out

Information Collected from Third Parties

If you connect or interact with us on third-party sites or applications such as social media platforms or other job or career sites, the third-party platform may send us your information such as your profile or resume information from that platform. The information collected and disclosed to us is controlled by the third-party platform and its terms and privacy policy or as you direct by adjusting your privacy settings on the third-party platform. By directing the third-party platform to share your information with us, you agree to our use of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

How We Use Information

We use your information for the purposes of creating communities to keep you up to date with opportunities in our different departments and carrying out our application, recruitment, and employment processes and other business and commercial purposes which include: 

• Assessing your skills, qualifications and interests against our career opportunities and performing activities necessary for our employment, application and recruiting processes;
• Verifying your information and carrying out reference checks (note that it is your responsibility to obtain consent from references before providing their personal information to us) and/or conducting background checks (where applicable);
• Communications with you about employment or the recruitment process and/or your application(s), or informing you of other potential career opportunities at Talbots;
• Creating and/or submitting reports as required under any local laws and/or regulations, providing accommodations, or otherwise complying with applicable laws, regulations, legal processes or governmental requests;
• When requested by you, assisting you with obtaining an immigration visa or work permit or other employment-related requests;
• Making improvements to Talbots application and/or recruitment process and the Services;
• Protecting our legal rights or the rights, safety and property of Talbots, our users, applicants, candidates, employees or the public as required or permitted by law;

If you are offered and accept employment with Talbots, the information collected during the application and recruitment process will become part of your employment record.

How We Share Your Information

Except as described in this Privacy Policy, we will not share your personal information outside of our corporate family of companies without your consent. When appropriate, we may share your information as follows:

• Talbots Corporate Family of Companies. Your information may be shared with our affiliates and subsidiaries, including in the U.S., Canada, and in other jurisdictions in which Talbots does business.
• Current Employees. If you have been referred for a job at Talbots by a current Talbots employee, with your consent, we may inform that employee about the progress of your application and the outcome of the process. In some cases, if it is identified that you have attended the same university/school or shared the same previous employer during the same period as a current Talbots employee, we may disclose that information while consulting with that employee for feedback to you.
• Service Providers. Talbots may also use service providers acting on Talbots behalf to perform some of the activities described in this Privacy Policy or as necessary for us to provide the Service and business operations, including for the purposes of information verification / background checks.
• Third Parties. We may sometimes be required to disclose your information to external third parties such as local authorities, courts, tribunals, regulatory bodies and/or law enforcement agencies for the purpose of complying with applicable laws and regulations, or in response to legal process. We will also share your personal information with third parties if we have your consent, or to detect, prevent or otherwise address fraud, security or technical issues, or to protect against harm to the rights, property or safety of Talbots, our users, applicants, candidates, employees or the public or as otherwise required by law.
• Successor Entities. We reserve the right to sell, rent, disclose or transfer your personal information to a successor entity in the event of a corporate merger, consolidation, sale of assets or other corporate changes respecting Talbots or our family of companies.

“Do Not Track” Signals

We do not permit third parties to collect personal information through the Site concerning your online activities over time across different websites. The Site does not currently respond to browser based “do not track” signals.

Security

Talbots maintains reasonable and appropriate physical, administrative, and technical security measures to help protect your personal information.  However, the security of information transmitted over the Internet is not guaranteed. We suggest you take steps to help protect the confidentiality of your information, such as: using complex passwords to secure your account, using a unique password for each site on which you have an account, and keeping your password confidential; keeping the operating system, anti-virus and other protections on your computer or mobile device up-to-date; sign out of your account when not using it; and contact us using the contact details below if you receive any suspicious mail, emails, phone calls or other communications purporting to be from Talbots.

Your Rights and Choices

You can choose not to give us personal information we request but in some cases, we will not be able to respond to your request without certain information. You may also contact us using the contact information listed at the end of this Privacy Policy to exercise any of your rights and choices, which include the following:

• Update Your Information. You may view, update and correct your personal information by logging into your account or by contacting us using the contact information listed below.
• Managing Your Account. You may update your account communication preferences and options by logging into your account or by contacting us using the contact information listed below.
• Future Applications. Talbots may retain your information to consider you for other jobs at Talbots which you may be interested in the future. If you do not want us to retain your information, or want us to update it, please contact recruiting@talbots.com. Please note, however, that some information may be retained if required by law. 

International Users

Talbots is based in the United States. Our Services and the Site are not targeted at individuals outside North America. If you are visiting the Site from outside Canada or the United States and provide us with personal information, please note that your personal information may be accessed or transferred, stored and processed by us or our affiliates in Canada and/or the United States. The data protection or privacy laws in Canada or the United States may be different than those in your country.  By interacting with our Services, you are consenting to the transfer of your personal information to facilities located in Canada and/or the United States and understand that such information will be stored and processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy and U.S. and/or Canadian law, as applicable.

Links to Other Websites

We may provide links on the Site to third-party websites we think may be of interest to you. You can also choose to share with us information and content you maintain on third-party websites or share job opportunities through those websites, including plug-ins that link to social media sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. These websites are independent from Talbots and have their own separate terms of use and privacy policies. Talbots is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of such third-party websites. Whenever you click on links on the Site that take you to a third-party website, you will be subject to the third party's privacy policies. We recommend that you review the third-parties’ privacy polices before you visit these websites. You may also choose to sign up to receive customized job alerts based on your search criteria. This feature is provided by a third-party job aggregator site that can notify you of job opportunities at Talbots and other employers, based on your account settings and preferences or as you otherwise request. As with other third-party sites and services, you should carefully read the relevant terms and conditions and privacy policies for use of those services. To the extent you choose to share your personal information with Talbots through these third-party sites or services, we handle your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. However, Talbots is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party sites.  

Children’s Privacy

The Site is not intended for use by children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect or solicit any personal information from children under the age of 16 or knowingly allow such persons to register for an online account. Should we learn that someone under the age of 16 has provided any personal information to or on the Site, we will remove that information as soon as possible.

Notice to California Residents

Under California Civil Code Section 1798.83, California residents with whom we have a business relationship can request certain information regarding what types of personal information, if any, we shared with third parties for the direct marketing purposes of the third parties and the identities of the third parties with whom we have shared such information in the immediately preceding twelve months. You may request this information by contacting us using the contact information at the bottom of this Privacy Policy. 

Changes to this Policy

We may change this Privacy Policy at any time and may apply changes to previously collected information, as permitted by applicable law. We will post any changes to this Privacy Policy on the Site and will indicate the last updated date of the changes. Your continued use of the Site or Services covered by this Privacy Policy means you accept those changes as of the posted updated date.

Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us. Talbots postal address is:

            Talbots, Inc.

            One Talbots Drive

            Hingham, MA 02043

You can contact us by telephone at 1-800-TALBOTS (1-800-825-2687), Fax 1-800-438-9443, or by email at Privacy@talbots.com. Canadian customers should direct their inquiries to our Canadian Privacy Officer, who can be contacted using the contact information in this section or by email at Canada.Privacy.Officer@talbots.com.