Plainly: we collect as little as we can, we never sell your data, and everything on the free side of this site works without you handing over anything at all. This notice explains what we do collect, why, and the rights you have over it.
Last updated: 13 August 2026
The Com'mon People is a free resource centre for people on both sides of recruitment, operated by Neil Copping trading as The Com'mon People. For anything to do with your data, we are the "data controller", and you can reach us at neil.copping@thecommonpeople.co.uk.
Reading the guides, dispatches and Loudspeaker web editions needs nothing from you. We only hold personal data when you choose to give it: when you subscribe to the newsletter, buy an Interview Prep Report or CV Rewrite, or book a coaching call. We use it to do the thing you asked for, and nothing else. We don't sell it, and we don't send you marketing you didn't ask for.
Newsletter signups. When you subscribe to the Loudspeaker or the Dispatch email, we collect your email address (and your name, if you give it). We use it only to send you the newsletter and to let you know about the free resources. Our lawful basis is your consent, which you can withdraw at any time using the unsubscribe link in every email.
Interview Prep Report and CV Rewrite. To build these for you, the apps process the CV text and job advert or job description you provide, plus any answers you give, and your email address so we can deliver the result. This content can include personal data about you and, if your CV mentions them, other people. We process it to deliver the paid service you have bought (our lawful basis is performance of a contract). Uploaded files are deleted from our servers as soon as the text has been extracted from them.
Payments. Card payments are handled by our payment provider, Stripe. We do not see or store your full card details; Stripe processes them and gives us a confirmation and a record of the transaction.
Coaching bookings. When you book a call, our booking provider, Cal.com, collects your name, email and the time you choose so we can hold the session and send reminders.
Emails you send us. If you email us, we keep that correspondence so we can reply and keep a record of the conversation.
Website use. Our host may log basic technical information (such as IP address and browser type) to keep the site secure and working. If we add analytics or any non-essential cookies, we will name them in the Cookies section below and ask for your consent where required.
We do not sell your data or share it for anyone else's marketing. We do use a small number of trusted providers who process data on our behalf, under contract, only to run the service:
We may also disclose information if the law requires it.
Uploaded CV and job-advert files are deleted as soon as the text is extracted. Newsletter subscriber details are kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove them. Records we need for our accounts, such as proof of a transaction, are kept for as long as the law requires (generally six years for UK tax records). Otherwise we keep personal data only as long as we need it for the purpose we collected it.
Some of our providers are based outside the UK, including in the United States. Where data is transferred outside the UK, we rely on the safeguards those providers offer, such as approved data transfer agreements, to keep your data protected to UK standards.
Under UK data protection law you have the right to ask us to give you a copy of your data, correct it, delete it, restrict how we use it, or provide it in a portable form. You can object to certain processing, and you can withdraw consent to marketing emails at any time. To exercise any of these, email neil.copping@thecommonpeople.co.uk and we will respond within one month.
The core site runs without non-essential cookies. If we add anything that tracks you, such as analytics or embedded content, we will list it here and, where the rules require it, ask for your consent first.
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data, please tell us first and we will try to put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK regulator, at ico.org.uk.
We may update this notice as the service changes. When we do, we will change the "last updated" date at the top, and for significant changes we will say so more clearly.