A careers page can become the centre of your recruitment process, even if your business only hires occasionally. To make it useful, you need more than a vacancy and an email address: decide what information to collect, where documents go, who can view them and when they will be deleted. Follow an application from the first click through to closing the vacancy.
Build job adverts around useful information
List open positions separately on your careers page. Give each vacancy its own page with a clear job title, specific responsibilities, essential requirements, location and working arrangements. Distinguish between requirements and skills that are simply desirable, so you do not unnecessarily discourage suitable applicants.
For example, replace “We are looking for a dynamic colleague” with “You will handle customer enquiries by email and update order records”. If the role requires attendance at your premises, state the location and relevant working hours. Briefly explain the selection stages and who will contact people invited to an interview.
- Assign each vacancy a reference, such as “SUPPORT-01”.
- Show the publication date and application deadline, if applicable.
- Use a clear button label: “Apply for this role”.
- Check that the advert and application form are easy to read and use on a phone.
The reference helps you manage applications when the same person applies for several roles. Avoid promising a quick response unless you have decided who will send it and when.
Collect only what you need for initial screening
Receiving CVs does not justify collecting every detail that might become useful after someone joins your business. A name, email address and CV may be enough at the start. Ask for a phone number only if you use it at this stage. A portfolio may be optional or necessary for particular roles.
Do not request a Romanian personal identification number, identity document copy, full home address, family circumstances or health information on the initial form. Collect information needed for employment separately, at the appropriate time. Avoid requesting supporting documents before there is a specific reason to do so.
For a design role, for example, include a field labelled “Portfolio link” rather than asking applicants to upload an archive of projects. Beside the CV upload field, add “Please do not include personal identification numbers, medical information or copies of identity documents”.
Clearly mark required fields and explain upload restrictions before submission. Keep any free-text introduction optional and avoid questions that encourage applicants to disclose personal details unrelated to the position.
Organise document submission and application acknowledgements
Choose a main application route: a website form or a dedicated recruitment email address. If you offer both, bring applications into the same tracking process so that emailed CVs are not overlooked. Record the vacancy, date received, status and person responsible without copying the entire CV into several places.
For the form, you could accept only PDF and DOCX files, with a size limit suited to your infrastructure. Validate uploads on the server as well as in the browser. Configure file checks, protection against automated submissions and document storage that cannot be accessed publicly.
An automated acknowledgement might say: “Thank you for applying for the support specialist position. We have received your documents. If your profile is selected for the next stage, we will contact you at the email address provided”. Do not confirm receipt if the upload failed, and do not automatically attach the CV to the reply.
For your company website, you can choose GazduireOnline.ro’s web hosting or WordPress hosting, depending on your platform. Check the form’s requirements and the storage needed for documents before setting it up.
Limit access to the people involved in selection
Applicant data should not automatically circulate throughout the business. Decide who administers applications, who assesses experience and who makes the final decision. Use individual accounts, two-factor authentication where available and permissions limited to each person’s responsibilities.
For example, the support team leader could see only applications for their department, while the person coordinating recruitment could update all application statuses. A colleague attending one interview does not need permanent access to the full archive.
- Do not share CVs in general messaging groups.
- Avoid public links to applicant folders.
- Remove access when someone changes roles or leaves.
- Keep assessment notes professional and relevant to selection.
A note such as “Has experience handling enquiries by email” is useful; comments about someone’s private life are not. If you use external providers for forms, email or recruitment, check their roles, processing terms and applicable safeguards.
Explain data processing before submission
Privacy information should be available beside the application form, not hidden on a page that is difficult to find. For a Romanian business, the relevant framework includes the General Data Protection Regulation, GDPR, and Romanian Law no. 190/2018. Identify the appropriate lawful basis for each purpose rather than making a consent checkbox an automatic requirement for every application.
The notice must explain who the controller is, its contact details, the purposes and lawful bases for processing, recipients or categories of recipients, retention periods or the criteria used to determine them, and the individual’s rights. Where applicable, include the data protection officer’s contact details, the legitimate interests pursued, and transfers outside the European Economic Area with the associated safeguards.
Also explain whether providing the information is mandatory and what happens if it is not supplied. Cover the right to complain to the Romanian supervisory authority, ANSPDCP, withdrawal of consent where consent is the lawful basis, and any relevant automated decision-making.
For example, beside the submit button you could display “Read how we process your personal data during recruitment”, linking to the full notice. If you want to keep applications for future vacancies, define that purpose, its lawful basis and retention period separately. Where you rely on consent, provide a separate, unticked option that applicants can decline without affecting their current application.
Close vacancies and apply retention periods
When a role is filled or recruitment stops, update the advert and disable its application form. You can keep the page available for information with the message “This position is no longer available”, but remove the invitation to submit CVs for that role. Check links from the main careers page too.
Decide retention periods in advance for unsuccessful applications, withdrawn applications and those kept for future opportunities. There is no universal period suitable for every business. Justify the duration by reference to the processing purpose and any legal needs, then follow a process for effective deletion or anonymisation. For the successful applicant, transfer only the necessary information into the personnel file.
For example, when recruitment closes, schedule a review of the application files for the date set in your internal procedure. Cover downloaded documents, messages and copies in shared storage. Account for the deletion cycle of backup copies as well, and do not reuse those copies for recruitment.
Before publishing the page, submit a test application using fictitious details. Check the acknowledgement, the reviewer’s access, the privacy information and document deletion. This lets you identify problems across the whole application journey, not just in the appearance of the page.
