Privacy Policy

Last updated: 12 August 2026

1. About this Privacy Policy

Finest People considers it important that personal data is handled carefully and transparently. In this Privacy Policy, we explain which personal data we process, why we do so, where the data comes from, with whom we may share it and which rights you have.

This Privacy Policy applies when you:

visit our website;
contact us;
apply for a position or create a candidate profile;
are approached by us regarding a position, assignment or business collaboration;
sign up for job alerts or other communications;
work, or wish to work, for a client through us;
work with us as a seconded employee, employee, interim professional, freelancer or self-employed professional;
are a client, prospective client, supplier, business partner, referee or other business contact.

For certain services or processing activities, we may provide supplementary privacy information, for example in an employment contract, services agreement, candidate portal, assessment environment or specific form. This supplementary information applies in addition to this Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Policy is intended to inform you. Where consent is required for a processing activity, we request that consent separately, specifically and clearly.

2. Who is responsible for your personal data?

The following entities within Finest People may process personal data:

Finest People Group B.V., Dutch Chamber of Commerce number 98627333;
Finest People Recruitment B.V., Dutch Chamber of Commerce number 98635468;
Finest People Contracts B.V., Dutch Chamber of Commerce number 56737548.

The shared contact address is:

Finest People
Leidseplein 1
1017 PR Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Which entity acts as the data controller depends on the service and the purpose for which your personal data is processed. As a general rule, the following division applies:

Finest People Recruitment B.V. is responsible for recruitment and selection, executive search, recruitment advice, candidate placement and associated relationship management;
Finest People Contracts B.V. is responsible for secondment, the engagement of interim and freelance professionals, contract management, time registration, invoicing and, where applicable, employment, salary and payroll processes;
Finest People Group B.V. is responsible for central and group-wide activities.

The entity named in an agreement, offer, vacancy, email, form or other document is, in principle, the controller responsible for the associated processing.

Where two or more entities jointly determine the purposes and means of a processing activity, they may be joint controllers. In that case, they make arrangements between themselves regarding their responsibilities under the GDPR. You may always exercise your privacy rights through the central point of contact. We will ensure that your request reaches the appropriate entity.

In certain situations, a Finest People entity processes personal data solely on behalf of a client. In that case, the client is the data controller and Finest People acts as a processor. The client’s privacy policy may then also apply.

3. Whose personal data do we process?

We may process personal data relating to:

candidates, applicants and professionals;
individuals whom we approach directly regarding a position or assignment;
former candidates and professionals;
employees, seconded employees, temporary agency workers and other individuals who work through Finest People;
freelancers, self-employed professionals and representatives of their businesses;
contacts at clients and prospective clients;
contacts at suppliers, partners and other business relations;
referees and individuals who recommend a candidate;
visitors to our website, office or events;
individuals who submit a question, complaint, report or request to us;
other individuals named in documents or communications that we lawfully receive.

4. What personal data do we process?

The personal data we process depends on your relationship with Finest People and the services you use. We may process the following categories of personal data:

identification and contact details, such as your name, contact details and, where necessary, information that enables us to verify your identity or right to work;
professional and career information, such as work experience, education, skills, CV, job preferences, availability and information from professional profiles;
application and selection data, such as correspondence, interview notes, assessments, references and the results of any assessments or tests;
contractual, financial and administrative data, such as information required for agreements, salary or fee payments, invoicing, time registration and financial administration;
information about assignments and work, insofar as necessary for placement, support, contract management and the performance of work;
business and communication data, including information relating to clients, hiring organisations, suppliers and other business relations, and our communications with them;
technical and usage data, such as information about the use of our website, devices, cookies and security logs.

In exceptional cases, we may also process special categories of personal data or personal data relating to criminal convictions and offences. We do so only where this is necessary and permitted by law.

5. Where does the personal data come from?

We may obtain personal data:

directly from you, for example through a form, application, interview, email or agreement;
from a client, hiring organisation, employer or business relation;
from an individual who recommends you to us;
from a referee provided by you;
from job boards, CV databases and recruitment platforms to which we have lawful access;
from public professional sources, such as LinkedIn, company websites, portfolios and public registers;
from screening, assessment or verification providers;
from public authorities or authorised registers, where permitted by law;
from information generated during an application process, assignment, employment relationship or business collaboration.

6. Why do we process personal data?

We process personal data only where there is a valid legal basis for doing so. Depending on your relationship with Finest People, we may process personal data for the following purposes:

recruitment and placement: to find, assess, approach and match candidates and professionals with vacancies or assignments;
entering into and performing agreements: for placements, secondments, interim and freelance assignments, contract management, payments, invoicing and other administrative activities;
client and relationship management: to maintain contact with clients, hiring organisations, suppliers, candidates and other business relations;
marketing and communications: to send relevant vacancies, services, news and other communications, insofar as permitted by law;
website and services: to operate, secure, analyse and improve our website, systems and services;
legal and regulatory obligations: to comply with applicable laws and regulations and to protect our rights and those of others;
internal business operations: for administration, quality assurance, reporting, security, fraud prevention and the improvement of our organisation.

Depending on the circumstances, we base these processing activities on one or more of the following legal bases under the GDPR:

your consent;
taking steps to enter into or performing an agreement;
compliance with a legal obligation;
a legitimate interest of Finest People or a third party, provided that your privacy interests do not override that interest.

7. Legitimate interests

Where we rely on a legitimate interest, that interest may include:

providing and improving recruitment and placement services;
finding and approaching suitable professionals;
maintaining business relationships;
securing data and systems;
preventing and investigating fraud and misuse;
managing and improving our organisation;
establishing or defending legal claims.

We assess in advance whether the interest is necessary and proportionate and whether your rights and interests outweigh it. You may object to processing based on a legitimate interest.

8. How do we handle candidate and application data?

We may use your data for one specific vacancy or assignment, as well as for broader recruitment and placement services.

Before providing an identifiable profile or CV to a specific client or hiring organisation, we will generally inform you about the organisation and the relevant opportunity. We will usually ask for your approval before introducing you in an identifiable manner. During an exploratory stage, we may discuss an anonymised or limited profile.

A client or hiring organisation that receives your data will generally become an independent data controller for its own selection process. That organisation must process your data in accordance with its own privacy obligations.

We may consult professional information from public sources where it is relevant to a position or assignment. We do not use information from a private context without a valid reason. Where information obtained through an online screening is taken into account in a decision, you will, where appropriate, be given the opportunity to explain or correct that information.

We ask referees only for information that is relevant to the position or assignment.

9. Secondment, interim, freelance and employment processes

When you work through Finest People, additional data may be required for contract management, payment, statutory checks and support.

This may include:

identity and work permit information;
Dutch citizen service number (BSN) and payroll tax information;
bank details;
salary, fees and allowances or reimbursements;
pension and insurance information;
hours worked, leave and expense claims;
information about the assignment and work location;
evaluations and work-related incidents;
information required for occupational health and safety, support and reintegration.

Where necessary, we share this data with the hiring organisation, payroll processor, bank, pension provider, insurer, occupational health service, occupational physician, accountant and competent public authorities.

Medical records are not managed by Finest People, but by an authorised occupational physician or occupational health service. Finest People receives only the information that an employer is legally permitted to receive, such as information about work capacity, the expected duration of absence and possible workplace adjustments. As a rule, we do not ask for or record a diagnosis.

For freelancers and self-employed professionals, we may also process business, VAT, Dutch Chamber of Commerce, insurance, invoicing and contract details. We may verify information necessary to assess the working relationship, tax status, authorisation and compliance with contractual or legal requirements.

10. Cookies and similar technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to ensure that the website functions properly, to analyse its use and, where you have given your consent, for personalisation and marketing purposes.

For cookies and similar technologies that legally require consent, we request that consent in advance. You may change your choices or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings on our website.

More information about the cookies used, their purposes, providers and retention periods can be found in our cookie settings.

11. With whom do we share personal data?

Where necessary, we may share personal data with:

clients, hiring organisations and prospective employers;
candidates and professionals, where business contact information is required for a process or collaboration;
providers of ATS, CRM and recruitment software;
hosting, cloud, IT and information security providers;
email, telephony, video conferencing and communication services;
providers of electronic signature and document management services;
assessment, screening, reference checking and identity verification services;
payroll processors, accountants and financial service providers;
banks and payment service providers;
pension providers and insurers;
occupational health services and occupational physicians;
marketing and analytics providers, insofar as the processing is permitted;
legal, tax and other professional advisers;
auditors, certification bodies and supervisory authorities;
the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration, UWV, courts, law enforcement agencies and other competent authorities;
parties involved in a potential merger, acquisition, financing or transfer of business activities.

Recipients of personal data are independent data controllers.

We do not sell or rent personal data.

12. Transfers outside the European Economic Area

Our preference is to process personal data within the European Economic Area. However, some software, cloud, communication or other service providers may process personal data in countries outside the European Economic Area.

Where the European Commission has determined that a country provides an adequate level of protection, we may rely on that adequacy decision.

In other cases, we use a legally permitted transfer mechanism, such as the standard contractual clauses adopted by the European Commission. Where necessary, we assess additional risks and implement supplementary technical, contractual or organisational measures.

13. Automated tools and profiling

Where we use automated or AI-assisted tools, they may help with:

searching candidate profiles;
structuring, summarising or categorising information;
identifying potential matches between a profile and a vacancy;
removing duplicate data;
supporting scheduling, communications and administration;
identifying incomplete or outdated information.

The output of a tool is not automatically assumed to be correct. Our employees remain responsible for assessing relevant information and for final recruitment and contract decisions.

As a rule, we do not make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affect you.

14. How long do we retain personal data?

We do not retain personal data for longer than necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted to retain it for longer by law or on the basis of a legitimate interest.

When determining a retention period, we take into account factors including:

the purpose for which the data was collected;
the duration of our relationship with the individual or organisation concerned;
the nature and sensitivity of the data;
applicable statutory retention obligations;
the need to exercise or protect our rights or those of others.

We retain data processed for recruitment and placement purposes for as long as it remains relevant to an ongoing procedure or active placement relationship.

We retain data used for marketing until you unsubscribe, withdraw your consent or we determine that the data is no longer relevant. We may retain a limited record to ensure that an unsubscribe request or objection continues to be respected in the future.

Data relating to complaints, incidents and legal disputes may be retained for as long as necessary to handle them and for the duration of any applicable statutory limitation or retention periods.

15. How do we secure personal data?

We take technical and organisational measures appropriate to the nature of the data, the processing and the potential risks.

Depending on the processing activity, these measures may include:

access rights based on role and necessity;
strong authentication and access controls;
logging and monitoring of system use;
encryption during transmission and, where appropriate, during storage;
secure backups and recovery procedures;
confidentiality obligations;
security and privacy instructions for employees;
supplier assessments;
data processing agreements and security arrangements.

No method of data transmission or storage is entirely free of risk.

16. What privacy rights do you have?

Depending on the circumstances, you have the following rights:

Access

You may ask which personal data we process about you and receive a copy of that data.

Rectification

You may have factually inaccurate or incomplete personal data corrected or supplemented.

Erasure

You may ask us to erase personal data where it is no longer necessary or is being processed unlawfully.

This right is not absolute. For example, we may be required to retain certain data because of a legal obligation or legal claim.

Restriction of processing

In certain circumstances, you may ask us to temporarily restrict processing, for example where you contest the accuracy of the data.

Objection

You may object, on grounds relating to your particular situation, to processing based on a legitimate interest.

You may always object to the use of personal data for direct marketing. Following such an objection, we will no longer use your data for that purpose.

Data portability

Where processing is carried out by automated means and is based on consent or an agreement, you may, subject to certain conditions, ask to receive the data you have provided in a commonly used digital format or to have it transferred to another organisation.

Withdrawal of consent

Where we process data on the basis of consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not have retroactive effect and does not render processing carried out lawfully before the withdrawal unlawful.

Rights in relation to automated decision-making

Where a decision is based solely on automated processing and produces legal or similarly significant effects, you may, among other things, request human intervention and contest the decision.

17. How can you submit a privacy request?

You may send a request or question to:

Email: avg@finestpeople.nl
Postal address: Finest People, Attn: Privacy, Leidseplein 1, 1017 PR Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Telephone: 020 8200 676

Please include sufficient information in your request to enable us to determine which data and which Finest People entity your request concerns.

We may ask for additional information to verify your identity. We will not request more identification data than necessary. Please do not send an unredacted copy of your identity document by ordinary email unless we ask you to do so.

As a rule, we respond within one month. In the case of a complex request or a large number of simultaneous requests, this period may be extended by up to two months in accordance with the GDPR. We will inform you within the first month if an extension is necessary.

In exceptional circumstances, we may refuse a request, giving reasons, or charge a reasonable fee, for example where a request is manifestly unfounded or excessive.

18. Complaints

If you have a complaint about how we handle your personal data, please first contact us at avg@finestpeople.nl. We will endeavour to resolve the complaint carefully.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Dutch Data Protection Authority or, if you live or work in another country within the European Economic Area, with the competent data protection supervisory authority in that country.

19. Are you required to provide personal data?

Providing personal data is generally voluntary. However, without certain information, we may be unable to handle a question, application or placement request.

When we enter into an agreement with you or you work through us, certain data is necessary to:

perform the agreement;
verify your identity and right to work;
pay salary or invoices;
comply with tax and other legal obligations.

If you do not provide the necessary data, we may be unable to enter into an agreement, arrange a placement or process a payment.

Non-essential cookies and marketing communications are optional. Refusing or withdrawing consent for these does not affect your ability to use our recruitment and placement services.

20. External websites and platforms

Our website and communications may contain links to external websites, job boards, social media or other platforms. Finest People is not responsible for how these external parties process personal data where they independently determine what they do with that data.

We recommend that you review the privacy policy of the relevant external party.

21. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may amend this Privacy Policy if our services, organisation, systems or applicable laws and regulations change.

The most recent version will be published on our website. In the event of significant changes, we will inform the individuals concerned where appropriate or legally required.