Company getting unsolicited CVs

[GuinnessMK]

I run a small construction company. We are starting to get cover letters / CV's from people asking if we have any vacancies.

Do I need to do anything specific with these letters to comply with employment legislation, human rights act, data protection act etc etc, eg keep them on file, respond with an acknowledgement letter?

Or do I just keep them in file, for when we do need someone?

[bucksmanuk]

Write back to them with the words you think you would like to hear.
There are lots of standard format letters available on line. Google "business letter template".
Not repsonding in any manner at all, or with a degree of sarcasm is just not done. (seen that)
I have been amazed at how people re-appear in my life, some bad but mainly good, what goes around....

[voicey]

I don't know about the legal aspect but I would send them something out of common courtesy. My father-in-law owns a factory out in the middle of nowhere and has people walking the 10 miles or so from the nearest town to him to ask if they have any work. He says it's quite sad to see people desperate for work and even more sad to turn them away.

[Mr AJ]

You don't legally have to respond to them, It'd be nice if you did though. I've sent out quite a few of these letters, Mainly because companies in my line of work tend to be small family run setups and usually hire through word of mouth very rarely advertising. It's worked though, One i contacted a couple of months ago has now contacted me to setup an interview and they're not the first to respond this way.

Just take a browse through the CV's, If theres any you think 'Oh, I'd bring them in for an interview if i was hiring' keep them to one side - Atleast then if you find you do need to bring someone in at a later date you might just save yourself the hassle of advertising.

Oh, and most other companies don't bother replying to them - Usually if they go to a HR Office or a General office admin type of person they get binned or filed away and forgotten about. I Generally only ever had replies from them when they've been going to the small companies where the director still opens the mail!.

[Conian]

If they include an email address, send an email response.
If they haven't then dont go to the expense of stamps.

DO reply to everyone who applies for an actual real advertised job though.

[Kudos]

Conian said:

If they include an email address, send an email response.
If they haven't then dont go to the expense of stamps.

DO reply to everyone who applies for an actual real advertised job though.

I wish recruitment companies would do this - majority are a shower of ignorant bds

[Engineer1]

+1 Even just an Auto reply from them would be better than the CV vanishing into their system with no idea when or if you will hear back.

[Who me ?]

GuinnessMK said:

I run a small construction company. We are starting to get cover letters / CV's from people asking if we have any vacancies.

Do I need to do anything specific with these letters to comply with employment legislation, human rights act, data protection act etc etc, eg keep them on file, respond with an acknowledgement letter?

Or do I just keep them in file, for when we do need someone?

Could this be on the insistence of the Jobcentre ,to go looking for any jobs about to be created ?Know a few years ago , job-seekers had to keep some form of record of their job hunting activities to continue to receive/not get docked benefits .