Privacy Policy

1. Information we collect

• Account details: first and last name, email address, password (stored only as a secure hash), and — if you sign in with Google — the basic profile details Google returns (name, email, profile picture).
• Contact and identity details: phone number, date of birth, physical address.
• Location: the province and city you enter in your profile and your preferred work location. We do not track your device GPS location.
• Education and employment history: highest qualification, institution, field of study, year completed, work experience entries, skills, languages, employment preferences and expected salary.
• Documents you upload: CV, matric certificate, academic transcript, qualification certificates and cover letters.
• Usage data: jobs you view, save, search for and apply to, plus basic technical data (device type, app version, error logs) needed to keep the app working.

2. Why we collect it

• Job matching: to show you relevant opportunities based on your location, qualification level and job-type preferences.
• Easy Apply: so we can submit your profile details and required documents to an employer with a single tap instead of you re-typing them each time.
• GraduateRoom verification: to confirm you are a genuine student or graduate before you post or comment in community spaces, and to attribute posts to a real account for moderation.
• Account security and support: to authenticate you, prevent abuse, act on reports, and respond to your queries.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your documents for advertising.

3. How and where your data is stored

FirstJobly runs on managed cloud infrastructure (PostgreSQL database, managed authentication and object storage) hosted on Amazon Web Services infrastructure. This project's database and file storage are hosted in the AWS eu-west-1 (Ireland, European Union) region, so your data is processed outside South Africa. Where the hosting region changes, we will update this page.

Data is transmitted over encrypted HTTPS connections and encrypted at rest by the hosting provider. Your uploaded documents live in a private storage bucket that is not publicly browsable: database and storage access rules restrict every row and file to the account that owns it, and links to your documents are short-lived signed URLs. Passwords are handled by the managed authentication service and are never visible to us.

4. Who we share it with

• Employers and recruiters — be aware of this one: when you apply to a job through FirstJobly, we share the profile information and documents that application requires (name, contact details, location, education, work experience, skills, CV and any other documents the listing asks for) with the employer or recruiter who posted it. Once shared, that employer handles your information under their own privacy practices, which we do not control. If you tap "Apply on employer site", you leave FirstJobly and submit your details directly to that employer.
• Service providers: our hosting, database and email delivery providers, who process data on our behalf under contract.
• Other users: in GraduateRoom, only your display name is visible with your posts. Posts made anonymously do not display your identity to other users. Your phone number, address, date of birth, documents and employment preferences are never shown to other users.
• Legal: where we are required to disclose information by law or to protect users from harm.

5. How long we keep it

We keep your profile and documents for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, your profile, saved jobs, saved searches and uploaded documents are removed. Applications already sent to an employer cannot be recalled from that employer, and we may retain minimal records where the law requires it.

6. Your rights and how to delete your data

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) you may ask us to access, correct, or delete your personal information, or object to how we use it. You can edit or clear most fields and delete uploaded documents yourself on the Profile screen at any time.

To request full deletion of your account and data, email privacy@firstjobly.co.za from the address on your account with the subject "Delete my account". We aim to action deletion requests within 30 days and will confirm once it is done.

7. Children

FirstJobly is intended for users aged 16 and over. If you believe a younger child has created an account, contact us and we will remove it.

8. Changes and contact

We may update this policy as the app develops; the "last updated" date above will change. Questions about privacy can be sent to privacy@firstjobly.co.za.