Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to NEXT Career Intelligence ("NEXT", "we", "us", or "our"). We are committed to protecting your personal information and your right to privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our career intelligence platform.

By using NEXT, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. If you do not agree with our policies and practices, please do not use our services.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Personal Information

We collect information that you voluntarily provide when registering, using our services, or communicating with us:

• Account Information: Name, email address, password (encrypted)
• Profile Information: Current job title, experience level, skills, location, career goals
• Resume Data: Work history, education, certifications, accomplishments
• Application Data: Jobs applied to, interview history, application outcomes
• Payment Information: Billing address, payment method (processed securely via Stripe)
• Communications: Messages with our AI career coach, mock interview transcripts

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you use NEXT, we automatically collect certain information:

• Usage Data: Pages visited, features used, time spent, click patterns
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, device identifiers
• Log Data: IP address, timestamps, error logs, performance metrics
• Cookies and Tracking: Analytics cookies, authentication tokens, preferences

2.3 AI Training Data

We collect feedback on AI-generated content (resume bullets, interview answers) to improve our models through Reinforcement Fine-Tuning (RFT). This includes:

• User acceptance/rejection of AI suggestions
• Ratings and edits to AI-generated content
• Success signals (interviews secured, offers received)

Note: This data is anonymized and aggregated for model training purposes.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use your information for the following purposes:

• Service Delivery: Provide resume tailoring, job matching, career coaching, mock interviews
• Personalization: Customize job recommendations, career pathways, skill gap analysis
• AI Improvement: Train our proprietary AI models to provide better suggestions
• Analytics: Calculate Career Health Score, track application success, measure engagement
• Communication: Send email notifications, weekly job digests, account updates
• Payment Processing: Process subscription payments, manage billing
• Security: Detect fraud, prevent abuse, ensure platform security
• Compliance: Meet legal obligations, enforce our Terms of Service

4. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do NOT sell your personal information. We may share your information in the following circumstances:

4.1 Service Providers

We share data with trusted third-party vendors who help us operate our platform:

• Supabase (Database): User data, resume content, application tracking
• Google Gemini (AI): Resume content, job descriptions (for AI processing)
• Stripe (Payments): Payment information, billing data
• SendGrid (Emails): Email addresses, notification content
• Sentry (Monitoring): Error logs, performance data
• Cloudflare (CDN): IP addresses, request logs

All service providers are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for specified purposes.

4.2 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, court order, or government request, or to:

• Comply with legal obligations
• Protect our rights, property, or safety
• Prevent fraud or security threats
• Respond to emergency situations

4.3 Business Transfers

If NEXT is acquired, merged, or undergoes a business transition, your information may be transferred to the successor entity. You will be notified via email of any such change.

4.4 With Your Consent

We may share your information for other purposes with your explicit consent.

5. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services and comply with legal obligations:

• Active Accounts: Data retained while account is active
• Deleted Accounts: Most data deleted within 30 days (some anonymized data retained for analytics)
• RFT Training Data: Anonymized feedback retained indefinitely for AI model improvement
• Billing Records: Retained for 7 years for tax/accounting purposes
• Legal Holds: Data subject to legal proceedings retained until resolved

6. Your Rights and Choices

6.1 Access and Portability

You have the right to access and download your personal data. Visit your account settings or contact us at privacy@nextcareer.ai to request a copy of your data in machine-readable format (JSON).

6.2 Correction and Update

You can update your profile information, resume data, and preferences at any time through your account settings.

6.3 Deletion (Right to be Forgotten)

You can request deletion of your account and personal data at any time. We will delete your data within 30 days, except for:

• Anonymized RFT training data (cannot be linked back to you)
• Billing records (required for tax/legal compliance)
• Data subject to legal holds

6.4 Opt-Out of Marketing

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails by clicking the "unsubscribe" link in any email or updating your notification preferences.

6.5 Cookie Management

You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie consent banner. Note that disabling essential cookies may impact platform functionality.

7. GDPR Rights (EU Users)

If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have additional rights under GDPR:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data
• Right to Restriction: Limit how we use your data
• Right to Data Portability: Receive your data in machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Object to data processing for direct marketing
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@nextcareer.ai. We will respond within 30 days.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

8. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: Data encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256)
• Authentication: Secure password hashing (bcrypt), optional 2FA
• Access Control: Role-based access, row-level security in database
• Monitoring: 24/7 security monitoring, intrusion detection
• Backups: Daily automated backups with 30-day retention
• Compliance: SOC 2 Type II, GDPR, CCPA compliant infrastructure

While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.

9. Children's Privacy

NEXT is not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at privacy@nextcareer.ai, and we will delete such information promptly.

10. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence, including the United States. These countries may have data protection laws different from your jurisdiction.

We ensure adequate safeguards are in place, including:

• Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission
• Data Processing Agreements with all third-party vendors
• Compliance with applicable data transfer regulations

11. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under CCPA:

• Right to Know: Request disclosure of personal information collected
• Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information
• Right to Opt-Out: Opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to Non-Discrimination: Not be discriminated against for exercising your rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@nextcareer.ai.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date. For material changes, we will notify you via email or prominent notice on our platform.

Your continued use of NEXT after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: