Data privacy policy

WU Data Protection Statement for Job Applicants

WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) is committed to protecting your personal data. Your personal data are kept confidential and processed in accordance with the provisions of the applicable data protection laws. In fulfillment of the regulations of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), in particular Article 13, we would like to inform you about the types of personal data that are processed in connection with the hiring process at WU and also about the purposes for which these data are processed.

Contact information

Controller: WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business), Welthandelsplatz 1, 1020 Vienna

Data Protection Officer: WU (Vienna University of Economics and Business) c/o Data Protection Officer Legal Affairs Office Welthandelsplatz 1, AR building, 1020 Vienna

If you have any questions or requests regarding the application procedures, please contact the WU Personnel Office at recruiting@wu.ac.at.

For any other matters related to data protection, please contact the WU data protection team at datenschutz@wu.ac.at.

Purposes of data processing activities

When you apply for a position at WU – via the online job application tool, by email, or by mail – WU processes the personal data you provide for recruitment and hiring purposes, i.e. for filling either a specific, advertised vacancy that is referenced in the application or other open positions at WU in general. In addition, your data may also be processed for the evaluation of WU’s selection procedures and for statistical purposes.

In the event that the application is successful, WU will further process the data for purposes related to the employment relationship.

Types of data, required information

The information that applicants are required to provide is indicated specifically in the online form, or is specified in the position announcement. In general, this includes information about the identity of the applicant, contact details, and the required application documents, e.g. the cover letter, résumé/CV, and relevant certificates. In addition, applicants can also provide optional information about themselves.

To ensure the maintenance of proper university operations and, at the same time, expose employees and students to the lowest possible health risk in connection with COVID-19, WU has decided to hire new employees only with proof of vaccination against COVID-19, appropriate proof of recovery (recovery certificate, quarantine notice, doctor’s confirmation) for individuals who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection, proof of neutralizing antibodies for individuals vaccinated with a non-EMA-approved vaccine, or confirmation from a medical specialist if vaccination is not possible for medical reasons.

You will only be required to present proof of your status to a member of the WU staff once during the selection process (at an advanced stage). Neither the details on your specific status nor the proof will be stored.
Please do not upload any proof or send it to WU by email or by postal mail.
If you voluntarily submit such proof as part of your application documents, contrary to this explicit request, it will be processed on the basis of your explicit consent.

Legal basis of data processing activities

a. Consent (Art. 6 [1] item a of the GDPR, Art. 9 [2] item a of the GDPR)

If you submit your application via an online application tool, you will be asked to consent to the processing of your personal data. Without storing and processing your data electronically, it is not possible to process your application. This means that your consent to data processing is required when submitting your application. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, thereby also withdrawing your application. However, any processing of your data that occurred before consent was withdrawn remains legal and unaffected. If you withdraw your consent, your data will be deleted, unless WU is bound by a legal obligation to retain the data.

If you voluntarily provide any special categories of personal data within the meaning of Art. 9 (1) of the GDPR (sensitive data such as information about your health) as part of the application procedure, these data are processed based on your explicit declaration of consent pursuant to Art. 9 (2) item a of the GDPR.

b. Taking steps prior to entering into a contract (Art. 6 [1] item b of the GDPR)

If you submit your application by email or mail, processing of your data is required for WU to be able to process your application and carry out the selection procedure.

c. Compliance with a legal obligation

In some cases, WU is legally obligated to process applicants’ personal data, especially in the context of selection proceedings for senior faculty positions, which are regulated by the Universities Act (Universitätsgesetz, UG; cf. §§ 98 ff. of the UG).

d. Overriding legitimate interests of WU (Art. 6 [1] item f of the GDPR)

The processing of applicants’ data is necessary for purposes of WU’s overriding legitimate interests, namely carrying out balanced and fair selection procedures to find the applicant who is best suited for the position, taking into account considerations of equal opportunities and diversity, avoiding discrimination, and evaluating the selection procedures on a regular basis.

Data recipients

As a rule, your application data are only forwarded to the WU organizational units that are directly involved in the specific recruitment procedures and, if necessary, to external reviewers used by WU, external Search Committee members (pursuant to § 98 of the Universities Act), or human resources consultants. [RN2] WU will not usually disclose any personal data to third parties (except processors acting on WU’s behalf), with the exception of public authorities, courts, and lawyers as part of ongoing legal proceedings (e.g. in cases of alleged discrimination) or cases where WU is obligated by law to disclose personal data.

WU’s online job application tool is provided by an external IT services provider, rexx systems GmbH, Süderstraße 75, 20097 Hamburg, Germany. Once you have entered and submitted your data, they are transmitted to the server of the IT services provider via an encrypted connection. The processor processes the data exclusively on behalf of WU and in accordance with WU’s instructions.

Storage period

Applicants’ personal data are stored for up to seven months after the end of the application procedure and the issuance of a notification should the application be rejected. In the event of any ongoing court proceedings or legal proceedings carried out by public authorities, the data are stored beyond this period, until the end of said proceedings.

If an employment contract is to be concluded with an applicant, his or her personal data will be further processed for purposes of human resource management.

After the end of the application procedure, applicants who have not been selected for the advertised position are asked for separate consent to allow WU to store their application documents and consider them for positions that may need to be filled in the future.

Any bills and receipts for potential refunds of travel expenses are stored in accordance with the applicable provisions under tax law.

When you have presented your proof, no data on your status (neither data on your specific status nor the proof itself) will be stored, other than the fact that you have presented proof of it. If you voluntarily submit such proof as part of your application documents, contrary to this explicit request, it will be deleted immediately.

Data subject rights

As a data subject in the context of these data processing operations, you have the following rights vis-a-vis WU: information and access, rectification, deletion, restriction of data processing, data portability, and objection. As a data subject, you also have the right to file a complaint with the Austrian Data Protection Authority.

Further information on your rights as a data subject is available on our web pages at https://www.wu.ac.at/en/datenschutz/betroffenenrechte

To exercise any of these rights, please write to the address listed under “Contact information.”
 
Vienna, October 28, 2021