Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

HVAC Jobs Center ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our job board platform.

By using HVAC Jobs Center, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our policies, please do not use our Platform.

2. Information We Collect

2.1 Information You Provide

We collect information you voluntarily provide when using our Platform:

• Account Information: Email address, password (encrypted), name
• Job Posting Information: Company name, job title, description, location, salary, contact information
• Application Information: Name, email, phone number, resume (if you choose to upload), cover letter
• Payment Information: Billing details are collected and processed by Stripe (we never see your full card number)
• Communications: Messages sent to our support team or through contact forms

2.2 Automatically Collected Information

When you access our Platform, we automatically collect:

• Device Information: IP address, browser type, device type, operating system
• Usage Information: Pages visited, time spent on pages, links clicked, referring pages
• Location Information: General geographic location based on IP address

2.3 Cookies and Tracking Technologies

We use minimal cookies and similar technologies:

• Essential Cookies: Required for authentication and site functionality
• Analytics Cookies: Used by Plausible Analytics (privacy-friendly, no personal data collected)

We do not use advertising cookies or share your data with ad networks.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information for:

• Providing Services: Creating accounts, processing job postings, facilitating applications
• Payment Processing: Processing payments through Stripe for job postings
• Communication: Sending transactional emails (receipts, confirmations, password resets)
• Platform Improvement: Analyzing usage patterns to improve user experience
• Security: Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and security incidents
• Legal Compliance: Complying with legal obligations and enforcing our Terms of Service
• Customer Support: Responding to your questions and support requests

4. How We Share Your Information

4.1 With Your Consent

When you apply to a job, your application information is shared with the employer who posted that job.

4.2 Third-Party Service Providers

We share information with trusted service providers who assist in operating our Platform:

• Supabase: Database and authentication services (stores user accounts, job data)
• Stripe: Payment processing (handles all payment information securely)
• Resend: Transactional email delivery (sends receipts, notifications)
• Vercel: Web hosting and infrastructure
• Plausible Analytics: Privacy-friendly website analytics (no personal data collected)

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and use it only for the services they provide to us.

4.3 Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required by law, including:

• In response to valid legal process (subpoenas, court orders)
• To protect our rights, privacy, safety, or property
• To detect, prevent, or address fraud or security issues
• In connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets

4.4 Public Information

Job postings are publicly visible on our Platform and may be indexed by search engines. Do not include sensitive personal information in job descriptions.

5. Data Security

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your information:

• Encryption: All data transmitted is encrypted using HTTPS/TLS
• Password Security: Passwords are hashed using industry-standard algorithms
• Access Controls: Limited access to personal data by authorized personnel only
• Regular Security Updates: We keep our systems and dependencies updated
• Monitoring: We monitor for suspicious activity and security threats

While we strive to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. You are responsible for keeping your password confidential.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services:

• Account Data: Retained until you delete your account
• Job Postings: Retained for 90 days after expiration (for analytics and historical purposes)
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years for accounting and legal compliance
• Application Data: Retained until deleted by the employer or for 1 year, whichever is sooner

After the retention period, we securely delete or anonymize your information.

7. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights:

7.1 Access and Portability

You can request a copy of your personal data in a portable format.

7.2 Correction

You can update your account information at any time through your dashboard. Contact us to correct information you cannot edit yourself.

7.3 Deletion

You can request deletion of your account and associated data. Note that we may retain certain information for legal compliance (e.g., transaction records).

7.4 Opt-Out

You can opt out of marketing communications (if we send any in the future). You cannot opt out of transactional emails (receipts, password resets) as they are necessary for the service.

7.5 Exercising Your Rights

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at privacy@hvacjobscenter.com. We will respond within 30 days.

8. Children's Privacy

Our Platform is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect information from children. If we become aware that we have collected information from a child under 18, we will promptly delete it.

9. California Privacy Rights (CCPA)

If you are a California resident, you have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):

• Right to know what personal information is collected, used, shared, or sold
• Right to delete personal information
• Right to opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell your data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your CCPA rights

To exercise these rights, contact us at privacy@hvacjobscenter.com.

10. European Privacy Rights (GDPR)

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), you have rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to rectification of inaccurate data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right to withdraw consent

Legal Basis for Processing:

• Contract performance (providing services you requested)
• Consent (where you have given it)
• Legitimate interests (improving our Platform, preventing fraud)
• Legal obligations (compliance with laws)

11. International Data Transfers

Your information may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your own. We ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in compliance with applicable data protection laws.

12. Do Not Track Signals

Our Platform does not respond to Do Not Track (DNT) browser signals. We use minimal tracking (Plausible Analytics) that does not collect personal data.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Platform after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Third-Party Links

Our Platform may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing any information.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact us: