Privacy Policy

At Real World Careers, operated by Advanced Learning Academy, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our platform.

1. Information We Collect

Personal Information

We collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

• Account Information: Buyer email and office name for office purchases; other account details only where required by the relevant account service
• Payment Information: Processed securely through Stripe (we do not store full credit card numbers)
• Work-fit Results: Your cognitive assessment scores across 6 cognitive domains
• Search History: ZIP codes, job searches, and viewed listings
• Communications: Messages you send to team@advancedlearning.academy

Automatically Collected Information

• Usage Data: Pages viewed, time spent, features used
• Device Information: Browser type, operating system, IP address
• Cookies: Session cookies, analytics cookies

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide cognitive-matched job search results based on your Real World IQ profile
• Process payments and maintain your account
• Generate Verified Cognitive Profile Summaries (Full Package tier only)
• Send transactional emails (order confirmations, password resets)
• Improve our cognitive matching algorithms
• Prevent fraud and ensure platform security
• Comply with legal obligations
• Communicate about platform updates (you can opt-out of marketing emails)

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We DO NOT Sell Your Data

We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information or Real World IQ scores to third parties for marketing purposes.

We Share Information With:

• Service Providers: Stripe (payments), Cloudflare (hosting and security), and Mailgun/Advanced Learning Academy transactional email services
• Employers (With Your Consent): If you share your credential code with an employer, they can verify your cognitive fit score through our portal
• Legal Requirements: If required by law or to protect our rights
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger or acquisition

Affiliate Data: If you purchase through an affiliate link, we share commission information with that affiliate but never your cognitive assessment results.

4. Real World IQ Data Protection

Your cognitive assessment data is treated with the highest level of security:

• Encrypted Storage: All cognitive domain scores are encrypted at rest
• Access Controls: Only authorized personnel can access raw assessment data
• Anonymized Analytics: We use aggregated, anonymized data to improve algorithms
• No Discrimination: We never share individual cognitive data with employers unless you provide your credential code

5. Data Retention

For office-funded seats, participant names and employee numbers are not collected. Answers are processed to score the sitting and are not retained. The office PDF is available for one year, then our copy is deleted. The answers are not stored, so the grade cannot be rebuilt after that year. An emailed transmission copy may remain with the email provider. The office data addendum describes this service separately from individual Career Fit access.

• Account Data: Retained while your account is active
• Work-fit Scores: Retained for the duration of your membership
• Search History: Retained for 6 months
• Transaction Records: Retained for 7 years (legal requirement)

You can request account deletion at any time by emailing team@advancedlearning.academy

6. Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

Depending on your location, you have rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of your data
• Right to Rectification: Correct inaccurate data
• Right to Erasure: Delete your account and data
• Right to Portability: Export your data in a machine-readable format
• Right to Object: Opt-out of marketing communications
• Right to Restrict Processing: Limit how we use your data

To exercise these rights, contact team@advancedlearning.academy

7. Cookies and Tracking

We use cookies for:

• Essential Cookies: Login sessions, shopping cart
• Analytics Cookies: Google Analytics (you can opt-out via browser settings)
• Affiliate Tracking: 90-day cookies to credit affiliate referrals

You can disable cookies in your browser settings, but some features may not work properly.

If you enter your email address during checkout, we store it so we can deliver your purchase and, if you do not complete checkout, send you a reminder. You may opt out of reminder emails at any time using the link in the email.

8. Third-Party Links

Our platform links to job listings from Direct Openings, The Muse, and Remotive. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. Please review their privacy policies before applying to jobs.

9. Children's Privacy

Real World Careers is not intended for individuals under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect data from children. If we discover we have collected data from a child, we will delete it immediately.

10. Security Measures

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmission
• Encrypted database storage
• Multi-factor authentication planned for employer and admin accounts; enable where offered
• Employer-portal passwords are hashed with PBKDF2-SHA256 at 100,000 iterations. Older passwords may still be stored as unsalted SHA-256 until the next successful sign-in replaces the hash. There is no bcrypt hash.

While we implement strong security measures, no system is 100% secure. Please use a strong, unique password.

11. International Data Transfers

Your data is stored on servers in the United States. If you access our platform from outside the US, your data will be transferred, stored, and processed in the US in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable laws.

12. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. We will notify you of significant changes via email or a prominent notice on our platform. The "Last Updated" date at the top indicates when changes were made.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data:

Email: team@advancedlearning.academy
Company: Advanced Learning Academy
Response Time: Within 48 hours

14. State-Specific Rights

California Residents (CCPA)

California residents have additional rights:

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to know if personal information is sold (we do not sell your data)
• Right to opt-out of data sales (not applicable, as we don't sell data)
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising CCPA rights

European Union Residents (GDPR)

EU residents have rights under GDPR as outlined in Section 6 above. Our lawful basis for processing is:

• Contract: To provide our services to you
• Consent: For marketing communications
• Legitimate Interests: For fraud prevention and security