These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Career Steer, an AI-powered career guidance platform that helps job seekers explore opportunities, mentors guide careers, and employers find top talent through personalised career exploration and intelligent matching.

By accessing or using Career Steer, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of these terms, then you may not access the Service.

Career Steer provides the following services:

• AI-Powered Career Guidance: AI-driven career path exploration, job matching, and professional development recommendations
• CV/Resume Analysis: Automated parsing and analysis of CVs, resumes, and professional profile screenshots using artificial intelligence
• Job Search Services: General job searches, reverse job searches, and professional network searches
• Voice Chat Services: Interactive AI-powered voice conversations for career coaching and interview preparation
• Career Path Exploration: Three types of career paths (Linear Lanes, Adjacent Avenues, Transformational Tracks) with AI-generated insights
• Professional Networking: Professional profile searches and networking recommendations

Account Creation

You may create an account via email registration or Google OAuth. Our authentication is powered by Clerk to ensure security and reliability.

Profile Data

We collect and store professional information including your name, email, career preferences, work experience, education, and usage analytics to provide personalised career guidance.

Account Management

You have the right to update, export, or delete your account data at any time through your account settings.

Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials. We implement industry-standard security measures including multi-factor authentication options and secure session management.

Free Plan Limitations

• 600 career suggestions per month
• 10 minutes of voice chat per month
• 10 general job searches per month
• 10 reverse job searches per month
• 5 professional network searches per month
• Unlimited CV uploads

Pro Plan Features

• Unlimited career suggestions
• 5 hours of voice chat per month
• 1,000 general job searches per month
• Unlimited reverse job searches
• 1,000 professional network searches per month
• Unlimited CV uploads

Billing & Payment

Billing is powered by our Autumn billing system with Stripe integration. Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually in advance. All fees are non-refundable except as expressly stated.

Cancellation & Refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time, with cancellation taking effect at the end of your current billing cycle. Pro-rated refunds are available for annual subscriptions cancelled within 30 days of purchase.

Consumer Rights & Cooling-Off Period

For Individual Consumers: If you are purchasing our services as an individual consumer (not for business purposes), you have the right to cancel your subscription within 14 days of purchase without giving a reason. However, by agreeing to these Terms and accessing the service immediately, you expressly request that we begin providing the digital service straight away and acknowledge that you lose your right to cancel once you begin using the service.

This does not affect your statutory rights under consumer protection law, including rights related to faulty digital content or services not provided with reasonable care and skill.

Personal Data We Collect

• Account information: Name, email address, phone number, location
• Professional information: Current title, work experience, education, skills, career level
• CV/Resume content: Full text extraction and structured data from uploaded documents
• Usage data: Feature usage patterns, session duration, search queries, and interaction analytics (collected via PostHog analytics)

Voice Chat Data

Important: We do not store audio recordings from voice chat sessions. We only retain transcriptions of conversations for the purpose of providing AI-generated summaries and insights. No audio data is used to train AI models or shared with third parties for training purposes.

Data Storage & Security

Your data is stored securely using Convex for database storage and Supabase for file storage, with encryption in transit and at rest. We implement role-based access controls and regular security audits.

Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Upon account deletion, personal data is removed from our systems within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.

AI Processing

We use multiple AI providers including OpenAI, Google AI, Anthropic, Hume AI, and OpenRouter to deliver our services. This may involve sharing your data with these providers as necessary for service delivery.

Voice AI Services

Voice chat functionality is powered by OpenAI Realtime API and Hume Empathic Voice. We share voice transcriptions (not audio recordings) with these providers to generate responses and insights.

AI Output Limitations & Risk Disclosure

Important Career Guidance Warning: AI-generated career advice, job recommendations, interview feedback, and analysis are provided for guidance purposes only and should not be the sole basis for career decisions. AI output may:

• Contain inaccuracies, outdated information, or be incomplete
• Reflect biases present in training data that could affect career recommendations
• Not account for current market conditions or industry changes
• Provide generalised advice that may not suit your specific circumstances
• Generate content that appears authoritative but may be incorrect

You should always: Verify AI-generated career advice independently, consult with qualified career professionals for major decisions, and use your own judgement when making career choices. We strongly recommend seeking additional professional career guidance for significant career transitions.

AI Training and Data Usage

We may use anonymised, aggregated data from your interactions with our AI services to improve our algorithms and career matching capabilities. However:

• CV Content: Your uploaded CV content is not used to train AI models
• Voice Transcriptions: Voice chat transcripts are not used for AI training
• Personal Information: Individual personal data is never used for training
• Usage Patterns: We may use anonymised usage patterns to improve job matching

Third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Google AI, Anthropic, Hume AI) have their own data usage policies which govern how they handle data we share with them for service delivery.

Model Updates

We reserve the right to update AI models and providers to improve service quality. Such updates may affect the nature and quality of AI-generated content.

Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you upload, including CVs, personal information, and voice chat transcriptions. You grant us a licence to process this content to provide our services.

AI-Generated Content

You receive a non-exclusive licence to use AI-generated content (career advice, summaries, recommendations) created specifically for your account. This content may not be redistributed or used for commercial purposes.

Platform Content

Career Steer owns all rights to the platform, including software, algorithms, user interface, and proprietary technology. You may not reverse engineer, copy, or create derivative works from our platform.

Data Export Rights

You have the right to export your processed data, including AI-generated insights and career recommendations, in standard formats.

Acceptable Use

Career Steer is intended for professional career development purposes only. You agree to use the service lawfully and in accordance with these Terms.

Prohibited Activities

• Using the service for spam, harassment, or illegal activities
• Attempting to circumvent usage limits or security measures
• Sharing account credentials or allowing unauthorised access
• Uploading malicious content or attempting to compromise system security
• Using the service to compete with Career Steer or develop competing products

Career Service Restrictions

The following restrictions apply specifically to career-related usage:

• Commercial Use Prohibition: You may not use AI-generated career advice, job recommendations, or interview feedback as part of commercial career consulting services you offer to clients
• Data Extraction Prohibition: You may not conduct systematic data scraping, data mining, or automated extraction of job listings, career paths, or other structured data from the platform
• Confidential Information: You must not input confidential company information, proprietary business strategies, or sensitive employer data into the system
• Competing Platform Creation: You may not use our AI outputs, career matching algorithms, or service insights to create competing career guidance platforms or services
• Bulk Processing Restrictions: You may not use the service to process CVs or career data in bulk for third parties or commercial purposes
• Misleading Representations: You may not present AI-generated career advice as coming from qualified human career counsellors or professional advisors

Rate Limits & Quotas

We enforce usage quotas and API rate limiting to ensure fair use and system stability. Exceeding limits may result in temporary service restrictions.

Account Suspension

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in abusive behaviour, or compromise system security.

Transcription Consent

By using voice chat features, you consent to the transcription of your speech for the purpose of providing AI-generated responses and career guidance. We do not store audio recordings—only text transcriptions.

Interview Preparation

Our mock interview features provide AI-generated feedback based on your responses. This feedback is for educational purposes and may not reflect actual interview outcomes.

Voice Data Processing

Voice transcriptions are processed by our AI partners to generate insights and responses. No audio data is retained, shared for training purposes, or used for any purpose other than providing immediate service responses.

Communication Privacy

Voice chat transcriptions are treated as confidential and are only accessible to you and our AI processing systems. We do not share transcriptions with third parties except as required for service delivery.

Job Data Sources

We aggregate job listings from various sources including SerpAPI, Scraping Dog, and other job search providers. We do not guarantee the accuracy or availability of job listings.

Professional Network Integration

Professional network search capabilities may include data from various professional platforms. This data is used solely for providing career guidance and networking recommendations.

Employer Relationships

Career Steer is not affiliated with employers whose job listings appear on our platform. We do not guarantee job placement, interview opportunities, or employment outcomes.

Application Process

When applying for jobs through our platform, you may be redirected to external sites. We are not responsible for the application process or hiring decisions of external employers.

Supported Formats

We support PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT files for CV uploads, and various image formats (JPG, PNG, etc.) for professional profile screenshots.

File Size Limits

Maximum file size for uploads is 10MB. Files exceeding this limit will be rejected.

Processing & Analysis

Uploaded files are processed using AI to extract relevant career information. Processing times may vary based on file complexity and system load.

Data Extraction

We extract text, professional information, and structured data from uploaded files to provide career analysis and recommendations. Original files may be stored for processing purposes but are not shared with third parties.

Security Measures

We implement industry-standard security measures including data encryption in transit and at rest, secure authentication, and regular security audits.

Storage Providers

Data is stored using secure cloud providers: Convex for database storage and Supabase for file storage. These providers maintain SOC 2 compliance and other security certifications.

Access Controls

We implement role-based access controls and principle of least privilege to ensure that only authorised personnel can access your data.

Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach, we will notify affected users within 72 hours and take immediate steps to secure the system and prevent further unauthorised access.

Uptime & Availability

We strive to maintain high service availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. Scheduled maintenance will be announced in advance when possible.

Feature Updates

We reserve the right to modify, add, or remove features to improve the service. Significant changes will be communicated to users in advance.

Customer Support

Support is available through our help centre and support channels. We aim to respond to support requests within 24-48 hours during business days.

Service Interruptions

We will make reasonable efforts to minimise service interruptions and provide advance notice of planned maintenance when possible.

UK/EU Compliance

We comply with UK GDPR and EU GDPR requirements for data protection, including rights to access, rectification, erasure, and data portability.

International Data Transfers

Your data may be processed in countries outside the UK/EU by our service providers. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place for such transfers.

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.

Age Requirements

You must be at least 16 years old to use Career Steer. Users under 18 should have parental consent.

Account Deletion Process

You may delete your account at any time through your account settings. This will permanently remove your data from our systems, including Clerk authentication, Convex database, Supabase storage, and Autumn billing system.

Data Export Rights

Before deleting your account, you may export your personal data, including AI-generated insights and career recommendations, in standard formats.

Retention After Deletion

Most personal data is deleted within 30 days of account deletion. Some data may be retained for legal compliance, fraud prevention, or legitimate business purposes as permitted by law.

Third-Party Cleanup

Account deletion includes removal of your data from all integrated third-party services and AI providers where technically feasible.

Career Advice Disclaimer

AI-generated career advice, job recommendations, and professional guidance are provided for informational purposes only. Career decisions should be based on your own research and professional judgement.

Job Search Results

We do not guarantee job placement, interview success, or employment outcomes. Job search results are based on available data and may not be complete or current.

Third-Party Services

We are not liable for failures, errors, or issues with third-party services including AI providers, job boards, or authentication services.

Maximum Liability

Our total liability to you for any claims arising from these Terms or the service shall not exceed the amount paid by you for the service in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Service "As Is"

The service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose.

Notification Process

We will notify users of material changes to these Terms via email and through prominent notices on our platform at least 30 days before changes take effect.

Effective Dates

Updated Terms take effect on the date specified in the notice. The current version will always be available on our website with the "last updated" date clearly displayed.

Continued Use

Your continued use of the service after updated Terms take effect constitutes acceptance of the new Terms. If you disagree with updates, you may terminate your account before the effective date.

Version History

Previous versions of these Terms are available upon request for reference and transparency.

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us through our support channels or help centre. We are committed to addressing your concerns and providing clarity on our policies.

These Terms of Service are effective as of 15 September 2025 and govern your use of Career Steer services.