1. New Position
When the need arises for a new employee as a result of replacement, growth and/or change, a vacancy is drawn up based on the job description and talks with the hiring manager.

The hiring manager fills in a hiring intake form and sends it to the People team through the P&C Channel by raising a request “Recruitment - New position”- with a job description written for the role, the completed Hiring intake form, as well as any requests for help from the People team.

The recruiter holds an intake meeting with the hiring manager about the position and vacancy text.

2. Vacancy
After the vacancy text is ready, the vacancy/job will be opened in the ATS. The vacancy may be shared through:
- Recruitment ATS system (with integrations of job boards)
- Jobslot Linkedin Company (Recruiter Seat)
- Internal organizational channels
- Professional networks
- Public media platforms
- Recruitment and selection agencies
- Online job boards

3. Data Storage Permissions Candidates
When applicants submit their application, we explicitly request their consent to store and process their personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (AVG/GDPR). This consent is obtained through a clear check box mechanism during the application process, where candidates actively agree to our privacy statement. In a confirmation email and on our career page we inform applicants about what data we collect, how it will be used for recruitment purposes, who has access to it, and their rights regarding their personal information. Candidates are made aware they can withdraw their consent at any time by contacting our privacy department, and we provide transparent information about our data processing practices to ensure full compliance with privacy regulations.

Following the conclusion of the recruitment process, we retain applicant data for a maximum period of four weeks after the position has been filled or the recruitment process has ended.

Before this retention period expires, we contact unsuccessful candidates to ask if they consent to keeping their information in our talent pool for future opportunities. If candidates agree, we store their data for an additional period of up to one year for potential suitable vacancies. If no consent is given, or once the retention period has expired, all personal data is securely deleted from our systems. We send reminders to candidates before their data is removed, giving them the opportunity to update their preferences or confirm deletion of their information.

After a candidate has applied for a position, their information goes into our Applicant Tracking System (ATS). We currently work with HRBamboo.

4. Candidate Review
Candidates are initially screened based on their motivation letter, resume, and answers to application questions. Additionally, for creative positions, portfolios are reviewed to assess the applicant's work quality and demonstrated experience with social organic content.

The review of CVs can happen both from the Recruiter and the Hiring Managers (or collaborators in the ATS system.

Following the initial screening, the most promising candidates are invited for a video orientation call, two (online) interview rounds and an assessment round with presentation. The interview rounds may be conducted with various stakeholders from the teams within the organization. This order can be altered if needed, case-specifically.

4.1 Selection criteria first screening
The candidate selection is based on evaluation of:
- Educational background and professional competencies
- Experience with the position they applied for
- Cultural fit and organizational suitability
- Portfolio quality and relevant experience
- Salary expectations and alignment with organizational budget

4.2 Background verification candidates
For positions of trust or roles requiring access to sensitive or confidential information, a Statement of Conduct or Certificate of Good Conduct (Dutch: Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag - VOG) must be obtained (such as higher level Finance or IT positions).

4.3 Reference checks candidates
If during the interview process any doubts are raised regarding a candidate's qualifications, experience, or suitability for the position. The Recruiter shall initiate contacting previous employers or professional references provided by the candidate (with prior consent).

It will be documented using standardized forms that record the date, contact details, and the questions and answers that were asked to the references. Here you can find our GoSpooky Reference call guide.

The completed documentation shall be stored securely in the candidate's recruitment file with restricted access, retained according to the organization's data retention policy, and reviewed by the hiring manager in consultation with the Recruiter before making a final hiring decision.

5. Candidate Communication
The communication with candidates will mostly go via the Recruiter through a phone call or mails through our ATS. Sometimes applicants also email directly to the GoSpooky email of the Recruiter.

Unsuccessful candidates will be notified via email or telephone. Following rejection, personal data will be deleted after a period of 30 days, unless the candidate consents to retention for consideration in future vacancies, for a maximum period of one year.

6. Job offer and contract

6.1 Job offer
After the selection and interview process, contract negotiations are conducted with the chosen candidate. The candidate will receive a job offer that will be sent via our ATS. The job offer includes:

- Position title (and department/team)
- Proposed start date
- Salary offer
- Probationary period duration
- Expected working hours (and location)
- Overview of primary benefits and secondary employment conditions

The offer may be communicated verbally initially, followed by written confirmation via email through our ATS. Candidates are typically given a reasonable timeframe (e.g., 5-10 business days) to review the offer and respond.

If the candidate accepts the offer, the Recruiter adds the new person to BambooHR, the “New Hires doc” and the “Recruitment Tracker doc”, and the P&C Officer drafts a contract and starts onboarding.

If the candidate comes back with a counteroffer, agree with hiring manager and or CEO on whether we can make a second offer

6.2 Contracts
Once terms are mutually agreed upon, the People and Culture officer prepares the formal employment contract and will send it to the candidate via our HR System.

If the contract is not accepted, P&C will inform the Recruiter and they continue with other candidates.