Privacy Policy

For job applicants

Preamble

With this privacy policy we inform you about the personal data (hereinafter referred to as "data") we process when you apply for a position with us, why we process it, who has access to it and how long we keep it.

It applies to applications for advertised positions and to speculative applications. Separate privacy policies apply to visitors to our website and to our customers.

The terms used are not gender-specific.

Status: 8 September 2026

Content overview

• Preamble
• Controller
• How to send us your application
• Who can see your application
• What we process
• Legal bases
• Recipients
• The application process
• What happens to your application afterwards
• No automated decision-making
• Your rights
• Data protection officer
• Changes and updates to this privacy policy

Controller (referred to as the "controller" in the GDPR)

The data processing controller is:

How to send us your application

Please send your application to careers@zealience.com.

Applications sent to the personal email address of an individual member of our team are not considered, and are deleted without being opened. Fraudulent emails disguised as job applications are common, and this is a security measure rather than a comment on your application.

Who can see your application

Applications are sent to a dedicated mailbox that only those involved in our recruitment process can access. Within that group, your application is read only by those taking part in the selection process for the position concerned.

What we process

Data you provide. Your name and contact details, your CV and covering letter, your qualifications and employment history, certificates and references you send us, and anything else you choose to include.

We do not need — and do not take into account — a photograph, your date of birth, your gender, your marital status, your nationality or your family circumstances. You are welcome to leave them out. If your documents contain them, they play no part in our decision.

Data arising during the process. Correspondence with you, appointment details, the notes our interviewers take, and the outcome of our internal discussion about your application.

Special categories of data. We do not ask for data concerning your health, and you are not required to provide it. If you choose to tell us about a disability or about adjustments you need for an interview, we process that information in order to make those adjustments and to meet our obligations in employment law (Art. 9(2)(b) GDPR).

Legal bases

Pre-contractual measures (Art. 6(1)(b) GDPR). Processing your application is necessary in order to take steps at your request prior to entering into an employment contract.

Legitimate interests (Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR). For retaining your application for a limited period after a rejection, so that we are able to defend ourselves against claims under the General Equal Treatment Act (Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz, AGG).

Legal obligation (Art. 6(1)(c) GDPR). For the retention of accounting records where we reimburse your travel expenses.

Consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). Where you agree to us keeping your application on file for future vacancies. Consent is voluntary and may be withdrawn at any time with effect for the future.

Recipients

Your application is handled within our company. In addition, the following categories of recipient are involved:

• Communication, productivity and document storage services — the mailbox through which you reach us, our online meeting tool, and the internal storage where applications are held. Data is stored in Germany, and the provider acts as our processor under Art. 28 GDPR.
• Accountants and our bank — only where we reimburse your travel expenses.

We do not pass your application to any other company, and we do not transfer it outside the European Union.

The application process

Receipt and review

We confirm nothing automatically. Your application is read by those involved in the selection process, and we decide whether to invite you to an interview.

Interviews

Interviews are held online or in person. We schedule them by email. Our interviewers take notes during the conversation, and we discuss your application internally in order to reach a decision.

These notes are held in our company systems, form part of your application record, and are deleted together with it. They are not stored on personal devices or in private accounts.

Verification and references

We may ask you to provide certificates or other evidence of the qualifications you have stated.

Before reaching a decision we may also wish to speak to people who have worked with you. We discuss this with you beforehand: we may ask you to suggest someone we could contact, and you are welcome to tell us if there is anyone you would rather we did not approach, such as your current employer. Where we obtain information about you from someone else and record it as part of your application, we will let you know, in line with Art. 14 GDPR.

Travel expenses

If we ask you to travel to meet us, we will reimburse your reasonable costs. You book and pay first, then send us your receipts. To pay you we need your bank details. These documents are processed in the same way as our other accounting records.

What happens to your application afterwards

If we offer you a position and you accept, your application data is transferred into your personnel record and is then covered by the privacy notice we give you as an employee.

If we do not take your application further, we may write to tell you, or we may not reply. In either case we delete your application — including our correspondence with you and our interview notes — six months after the end of the application process.

We keep it for those six months because a claim under the AGG must be asserted in writing within two months of a rejection (§ 15(4) AGG) and brought before the labour court within a further three months (§ 61b(1) ArbGG). Six months allows for those periods and a short margin.

If you would like us to keep your application on file for future vacancies, tell us and we will keep it for two years from the date you agree. This is entirely voluntary, it has no bearing on the current application, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.

Travel expense records are retained for ten years as accounting documents (§ 147 AO), separately from your application.

No automated decision-making

We read and assess every application ourselves. We do not use automated decision-making or profiling within the meaning of Art. 22 GDPR, and we do not use software to screen, score or rank applicants.

Your rights

You have the right to access your data (Art. 15), to have inaccurate data corrected (Art. 16), to erasure (Art. 17), to restriction of processing (Art. 18), to data portability (Art. 20), and to object to processing based on our legitimate interests (Art. 21). Where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time with effect for the future (Art. 7(3)).

To exercise any of these, write to info@zealience.com. Asking us to delete your data during an application will mean we can no longer consider you for the position.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the Member State of your habitual residence, your place of work or the place of the alleged infringement. The authority responsible for us is:

Data protection officer

We are not required to appoint a data protection officer. For any question about your data, write to info@zealience.com.

Changes and updates to this privacy policy

We adapt this privacy policy as soon as changes to our processing make this necessary. The current version is always available on our website.