Privacy Policy

1. Start Your Story ("we", "our", "us") operates a CA-focused career platform that connects CA Students, qualified and semi-qualified CA Professionals, CA Firms and Finance Content Creators. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your information when you use our website, mobile experience and related services (collectively, the "Platform").

Start Your Story is owned and operated by NEXTSTEP SOLUTIONS.

By creating an account or using the Platform, you agree to this Privacy Policy.

2. We collect information you provide directly, based on your role on the Platform.

From CA Students & Professionals:

• Name, email and mobile number
• SRN number and qualification details (CA Foundation, Intermediate, Final, Qualified, etc.)
• Resume and profile photo
• Address and preferred work locations
• Articleship and work experience details
• Professional information — skills, departments, current employer

From CA Firms:

• Firm name and FRN (Firm Registration Number)
• Contact person, email and mobile number
• Firm logo and office information
• Hiring requirements and job postings

From Content Creators:

• Profile information and portfolio
• Social media links (YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)
• Professional information and pricing

3. We use your information to:

• Operate, maintain and improve the Platform
• Verify your identity and qualifications
• Match candidates with relevant jobs and firms
• Surface profiles to firms based on their hiring requirements
• Send transactional notifications (applications, interview invites, account alerts)
• Send product and marketing communications you have opted into
• Detect, prevent and respond to fraud or misuse

4. We use your profile, qualification, experience and location preferences to recommend relevant jobs to you, and to surface your profile to firms whose openings match your profile. Match results are algorithmic; firms make all final hiring decisions independently.

5. Your profile and resume become visible to verified CA Firms when you apply to their job openings, when firms search the Platform within the limits of their subscription plan, or when you choose to make your profile discoverable. You control discoverability from your profile settings.

6. Important: Candidate profiles, resumes and professional information may be visible to registered firms according to platform access permissions and the firm's subscription plan.

Firms can:

• View profiles of candidates who apply to their jobs
• Search and view candidate profiles within their plan limits
• Download resumes of applicants for hiring evaluation
• Contact candidates regarding job opportunities

Firms are contractually required to use this information only for recruitment and to comply with applicable data-protection and employment laws.

7. Candidates can view firm profiles, job postings, office locations and contact details of firms they apply to. Sensitive firm information (e.g. internal hiring notes) is never shared with candidates.

8. We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, security, preferences and analytics. See our Cookie Policy for the full list of categories and how to manage them.

9. We follow industry-standard security practices including encrypted connections (HTTPS), encryption of sensitive data at rest, role-based access controls, regular security reviews and least-privilege access for our team. No system is 100% secure, and we encourage you to use a strong unique password and protect your account credentials.

10. You have the right to:

• Access, correct or update your profile information
• Control the visibility of your profile and resume
• Opt out of marketing communications
• Request a copy of the data we hold about you
• Request deletion of your account and associated data

11. You can request account deletion by emailing info@startyourstory.in from your registered email. We process deletion requests within 30 days. Certain information may be retained where required by law (e.g. invoice records, fraud-prevention logs).

12. We retain your data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Inactive accounts may be anonymised after a defined retention period.

13. We use trusted third-party providers for hosting, analytics, communications, payment processing and email delivery. These providers process data on our behalf under contractual data-protection terms and only for the specific purposes we instruct.

14. For privacy questions or data requests, email info@startyourstory.in.

15. We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the latest change. Material changes will be notified via email or in-product notice.