Applicant Privacy Notice

1.Introduction

MERGEON INC., a Delaware corporation (“MergeOn,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who apply for employment, contract, or consulting positions with MergeOn (“Applicants” or “you”). This Applicant Privacy Notice describes how we collect, use, disclose, and retain Applicant personal information during the recruitment and hiring process. This Notice applies whether you apply directly, through a recruiter, via job boards, through referrals, or by any other channel.

By submitting an application or otherwise participating in our recruiting process, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Notice.

2.Information We Collect

We may collect the following categories of personal information, to the extent applicable and permitted by law.

2.1 Identity and Contact Information

• Full legal name and preferred name
• Email address, phone number, and mailing address
• Professional profiles and identifiers (e.g., LinkedIn, GitHub)
• Portfolio URLs, personal website links, and similar professional materials

2.2 Professional and Educational Background

• Resume/CV, cover letter, employment history, and work experience
• Education history, degrees, certifications, and training
• Licenses, credentials, and professional memberships
• Work samples, writing samples, code repositories, project examples, and portfolios
• References and recommendations

2.3 Application, Interview, and Assessment Information

• Responses to application questions, screening forms, and questionnaires
• Interview feedback, notes, and evaluations (including internal assessments)
• Results of skills assessments or job-related tests
• Availability and scheduling information
• Compensation expectations and other role-related preferences
• Compensation history only where legally permitted (some jurisdictions prohibit this)

2.4 Background, Verification, and Eligibility Information

Where lawful and appropriate for the role, we may collect or obtain:

• Employment verification and reference check results
• Education verification results
• License and credential verification
• Background check results, including criminal history only where legally permitted and relevant
• Credit history only where legally permitted and relevant to the role
• Drug screening results only where legally required or permitted

2.5 Equal Employment Opportunity and Voluntary Demographic Information

Where offered and where permitted by law, we may collect voluntary self-identification information (such as race/ethnicity, gender, veteran status, disability status) for equal opportunity monitoring, reporting, and compliance purposes. This information is handled with heightened sensitivity and, where feasible, maintained separately from hiring decision materials.

2.6 Right to Work / Immigration Information

If relevant, we may collect information necessary to verify your legal right to work, such as citizenship/immigration status and work authorization documentation, and visa-related details.

2.7 Sensitive Personal Information

We collect sensitive personal information only where necessary, relevant, and legally permitted, such as:

• Government-issued identifiers (e.g., SSN/passport) where required for verification
• Health information related to accommodation requests
• Background check information where legally permitted and role-relevant

3.How We Collect Applicant Information

We may collect Applicant information from:

• You directly (applications, interviews, communications, submissions)
• Recruiting agencies, job boards, and referral sources
• References you provide
• Background check and assessment providers (where lawful)
• Publicly available professional sources (e.g., LinkedIn, GitHub, portfolios), where relevant and legally permitted

4.How We Use Applicant Information

4.1 Recruitment and Hiring

• Evaluate qualifications, experience, and suitability
• Conduct interviews, assessments, and selection processes
• Verify information you provide (where lawful)
• Communicate with you about your candidacy and process status

4.2 Compliance, Legal, and Risk Management

• Comply with applicable employment, labor, and anti-discrimination laws
• Maintain records required by law
• Respond to lawful requests from regulators or authorities
• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims

4.3 Business Operations

• Improve and administer recruiting and hiring processes
• Maintain applicant tracking and recruiting systems
• Consider you for future roles, where permitted or with your consent (depending on jurisdiction)

4.4 Security and Fraud Prevention

• Protect our personnel, systems, and recruiting operations
• Detect and prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorized access

5.Legal Bases for Processing (Where Applicable)

Where required (e.g., GDPR/UK GDPR), we rely on:

• Legitimate interests (recruiting and hiring)
• Steps prior to entering into a contract (at your request)
• Legal obligations (employment and compliance requirements)
• Consent (where required for specific activities)
• Vital interests (rare emergencies)

6.Sharing and Disclosure

We may share Applicant information with:

• Internal teams involved in hiring (HR, interviewers, hiring managers, leadership as needed)
• Service providers supporting recruiting (ATS, scheduling, assessments, background checks), under contractual safeguards
• Government authorities or regulators where required by law
• Parties to corporate transactions (merger, acquisition, financing) subject to confidentiality protections

7.Retention

If you are hired, Applicant materials may become part of your personnel file and be retained according to applicable retention requirements.

If you are not hired, we typically retain Applicant information for 24 months from the final decision, unless (a) you request deletion where legally allowed, (b) a longer period is required by law, or (c) you consent to longer retention for future opportunities.

8.Your Rights

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the right to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or to object to certain processing. We will not retaliate or discriminate against Applicants for exercising rights.

Requests: privacy@mergeon.com

9.International Applicants

If you apply from outside the United States, your information may be processed in the United States. Where required, we implement appropriate safeguards for international transfers.

10.Security

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect Applicant information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction.

11.Changes to This Notice

We may update this Notice from time to time. We will post updates and revise the “Last Updated” date.

12.Contact