Privacy Policy – Career Growth Utility

1. Information We Collect

Career Growth Utility collects minimal information to provide and improve our platform and services:

• Usage data (pages visited, tools used, e.g. Job Finder, Course Finder, Travel & Guides) through analytics
• Browser information and device type for optimization
• Quiz responses and career assessment data (stored locally in your browser)
• Resume content you upload (processed on our servers only for text extraction; we do not retain resume text after processing)
• Job search, course, or travel preferences you enter (used only to serve the tool; we do not use them for advertising profiling)
• Contact form submissions (name, email, message)

2. User Inputs and Data You Provide

When you use our tools, you may provide:

• Resume content — Uploaded PDFs or documents are processed on our servers to extract text for analysis. Extracted text is used only to generate feedback and is not retained after the response is sent. We do not use resume content for advertising or profiling.
• Quiz and assessment answers — Used to generate career recommendations. Stored locally in your browser; we do not retain them on our servers unless you submit a contact form.
• Financial or salary inputs — Used only to calculate estimates in your session. Not stored on our servers. Our financial and salary tools are for informational purposes only; see our Terms of Service for disclaimers.
• Wellness or stress-check inputs — Used only to provide self-assessment feedback in your session. Not stored on our servers. Not a substitute for professional health or medical advice.
• Job Finder, Course Finder, Travel & Guides — Search terms and filters are used only to deliver results. We do not use them to build advertising profiles.
• Contact form data — Name, email, and message are used only to respond to your inquiry. We do not use them for marketing unless you opt in.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Provide personalized career recommendations and insights
• Improve our AI tools and user experience
• Analyze platform usage through Google Analytics
• Respond to your inquiries and support requests
• Send important updates about our services (if you opt-in)

4. Analytics and Tracking

We use analytics to understand how users interact with our platform (e.g., which pages and tools are used). This helps us improve our services. Data is aggregated and anonymized where possible.

5. Google Analytics (GA)

We use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our platform. This service may collect data such as page views, session duration, approximate geographic location (country/region), device type, and referral source. We use this information only to improve our site and services. We do not use GA data to identify you personally.

You can opt out of Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on, or by adjusting your browser or device privacy settings. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

6. Google Tag Manager (GTM)

We may use Google Tag Manager to manage analytics and marketing tags on our site. GTM itself does not collect personal data; it helps us deploy tags (e.g. for Google Analytics) that may collect data as described in this policy. You can control or block tags via your browser settings or privacy extensions.

7. Third-Party Services

Career Growth Utility uses third-party services to operate and improve the platform. These may include analytics (e.g., Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager) and, in the future, advertising (e.g., Google AdSense). We may also link to external job boards, course providers, and travel or content sites. Each third party has its own privacy practices; we encourage you to review their policies. We do not control data collected by these third parties.

8. Advertising and Google AdSense (Current and Future)

Career Growth Utility is a free platform and may be supported in whole or in part by advertising. We may use Google AdSense or other ad networks to display ads on our site. If we do, those services may use cookies and similar technologies to show relevant ads based on your visits to our site and other sites. Ad content is provided by the ad network and is not endorsed by Career Growth Utility. We strive to ensure that ads comply with our standards and applicable policies (e.g. Google AdSense program policies).

You can control or opt out of personalized ads via Google Ads Settings and your browser or device privacy settings. This policy will be updated if we enable or change advertising practices.

9. Cookies

We use cookies to enhance your experience:

• Essential Cookies: Required for the platform to function properly
• Analytics Cookies: Help us understand usage patterns (Google Analytics)
• Advertising Cookies: Used to display relevant ads (Google AdSense)
• Preference Cookies: Remember your settings and preferences

10. Data Security

We take data security seriously. Resume content is processed on our servers only for text extraction and is not retained. Quiz and assessment responses are stored locally in your browser where applicable. We use industry-standard security measures to protect any data we collect and do not use your inputs for AI tools to train third-party models or for advertising profiling.

12. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Access your personal data
• Request data deletion
• Opt-out of analytics and advertising cookies
• Update or correct your information

13. Contact Us About Privacy

For questions about this Privacy Policy or how Career Growth Utility handles your data, please contact Career Growth Utility.