Question 1

Do I get any free credits when I sign up?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once your employer account has been reviewed and approved, you will automatically receive 1 free credit as a goodwill gesture from Restart Talent. This allows you to unlock one candidate profile and experience the quality and depth of what you will receive before purchasing a credit pack. The free credit is available to new accounts only and cannot be transferred or exchanged for cash.

Question 2

Is there a minimum age to use Restart Talent?

Accepted Answer

Yes - you must be at least 18 years old to register on Restart Talent, whether as a candidate or an employer. By registering, you confirm that you are 18 or over. If we become aware that someone under 18 has created an account, we will remove it immediately along with all associated data.

Question 3

How do I register as an employer?

Accepted Answer

Register directly on the website or through the app. You will need to provide your company name, company registration number, registered address, and a contact email address. All employer accounts are reviewed and verified by our admin team before you are granted access to candidate profiles. We check that you are a legitimate end-hiring business before approval. Once your account is approved, you will automatically receive 1 free credit as a goodwill gesture - so you can unlock a candidate profile and experience the quality of what you will receive before committing to a credit pack purchase.

Question 4

Can recruitment agencies or staffing companies register as employers?

Accepted Answer

No. Restart Talent is exclusively for end-hiring employers - businesses that intend to hire candidates directly for their own organisation. Recruitment agencies, staffing companies, executive search firms, and any other recruitment intermediaries are not permitted to register as employers on the platform. If you are a recruitment professional looking for work yourself, you are welcome to register as a candidate.

Question 5

How long does employer verification take?

Accepted Answer

Our admin team typically reviews employer registrations within 2 working days. You will be notified once your account has been approved and you can begin browsing candidate profiles.

Question 6

Can multiple people in my organisation use the platform?

Accepted Answer

Each individual must register their own account. Accounts are personal and cannot be shared between colleagues, departments, or hiring managers. Credits are also held on the individual account of the person who purchased them and cannot be transferred. Team and department account functionality is planned for a future release - we will communicate this to all registered employers when it becomes available.

Question 7

What information do I need to provide to register?

Accepted Answer

You will need your company name, company registration number, registered business address, your name and job title, and a valid business email address. You must ensure this information is accurate and kept up to date at all times. If your business circumstances change - such as a change of company name, ownership, or if the business ceases to trade - you must notify us promptly at legal@restarttalent.co.uk.

Question 8

How do credits work?

Accepted Answer

Credits are the currency of the platform. Each credit unlocks one candidate profile, revealing their full name, email address, telephone number, LinkedIn URL (if provided), photographs, and introduction video. One credit unlocks one profile - you cannot split a credit across multiple candidates or use a single credit to unlock multiple profiles.

Question 9

Which credit pack should I buy?

Accepted Answer

It depends on how many candidates you are looking to connect with. Our packs are: Starter (5 credits, £49 - £9.80 per unlock), Basic (10 credits, £89 - £8.90 per unlock, 9% saving), Growth (20 credits, £159 - £7.95 per unlock, 19% saving), and Pro (50 credits, £349 - £6.98 per unlock, 29% saving). All prices are inclusive of VAT. Credits do not expire, so there is no pressure to use them within a set timeframe. Note that all new employer accounts also receive 1 free credit upon approval - this is separate from any purchased pack and is available to try the platform before buying.

Question 10

Do credits expire?

Accepted Answer

No - credits never expire. Once purchased, they remain in your account until used, regardless of how much time passes.

Question 11

Can I get a refund on unused credits?

Accepted Answer

No. All credit purchases are final and non-refundable once bought. This applies whether you have used some credits, all credits, or none. We recommend purchasing the pack size that best matches your current hiring needs, though given credits never expire there is no risk in buying a larger pack.

Question 12

What if the candidate does not respond after I unlock their profile?

Accepted Answer

A credit purchases access to a candidate's contact details - the introduction itself. Once that information has been revealed to you, the service has been delivered, and the credit is spent. No refund is issued if a candidate does not respond. This is equivalent to a recruiter making an introduction - the fee for the introduction is not contingent on what happens after.

Question 13

Can I transfer credits to a colleague?

Accepted Answer

No. Credits are held on the individual account of the person who purchased them and cannot be transferred to another account. Each person in your organisation who wishes to use the platform must hold their own account and purchase their own credits.

Question 14

What can I see before I unlock a candidate's profile?

Accepted Answer

Before spending a credit, you can see a candidate's initials (not their full name), professional headline, job title, work history, education, skills, languages, certificates, CV, and any portfolio or project work they have uploaded. The candidate's name is automatically redacted on their CV so they cannot be identified from it prior to unlock. You cannot see their references, full name, email address, phone number, LinkedIn URL, photographs, or introduction video until you unlock.

Question 15

What do I get when I unlock a candidate's profile?

Accepted Answer

Unlocking a candidate's profile reveals their full name, email address, telephone number, LinkedIn URL (if provided), photographs, introduction video, and professional references. You can then contact them directly by email, phone, or through the platform's in-app messaging system. Supporting documents - such as proof of identity, proof of address, DBS certificate, and reference letters - remain locked and can only be accessed if the candidate individually chooses to release them to you.

Question 16

Can I unlock the same profile twice?

Accepted Answer

No - and you will not need to. Once you have unlocked a candidate's profile, they remain unlocked on your account permanently. There is no time limit on how long an unlock lasts. You will never be asked to spend a further credit to re-contact a candidate you have already unlocked.

Question 17

Can I see a candidate's DBS certificate or identity documents?

Accepted Answer

Only if the candidate chooses to share them with you specifically. All supporting documents - including DBS certificates, passports, proof of address, and reference letters - are locked by default and can only be released by the candidate, one document at a time, for each specific employer they choose. You cannot request or purchase access to these documents - the release is entirely at the candidate's discretion.

Question 18

How do I know candidates are genuine?

Accepted Answer

Every candidate profile is reviewed by our admin team before it goes live. We cross-check that documents submitted are consistent with the profile information - for example, confirming the name on a proof of identity matches the name on the profile. However, our verification is a consistency check, not an independent authentication of documents. We do not use third-party verification agencies or contact previous employers or referees. You remain solely responsible for conducting your own pre-employment checks before making any hiring decision.

Question 19

How do I contact a candidate after unlocking their profile?

Accepted Answer

Once you have unlocked a candidate's profile, you can contact them through the platform's in-app messaging system, by email, or by phone using the details provided. We recommend using the in-app messaging system where possible as it keeps all communications in one place and feeds into the platform's hiring pipeline tracker.

Question 20

Can I send interview links through the platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes - you can send interview links, share documents, and manage the full hiring conversation through the in-app messaging system. Both you and the candidate can upload documents to message threads where relevant.

Question 21

Can I contact a candidate outside the platform?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Once you have unlocked a candidate's profile, you may contact them by email, phone, or any other channel using the details provided. However, if a hire results from that contact within the 12-month liability period, the success fee remains payable regardless of where communications took place.

Question 22

What is the hiring pipeline?

Accepted Answer

The platform includes a hiring pipeline tool that allows you to track candidates through your recruitment process. The stages are: Interviewing, Offered, Contract Sent, Hired, and Not Selected. You are responsible for keeping pipeline stages accurate. Please note that Restart Talent retains pipeline data and it may be used as supporting evidence in any dispute or circumvention investigation - if you mark a candidate as Hired in the pipeline, that record is available to us regardless of whether a hire confirmation was subsequently submitted.

Question 23

What is the success fee?

Accepted Answer

The success fee is 10% of the Annual Salary Equivalent, payable to Restart Talent when you hire a candidate whose profile you have previously unlocked on the platform. It applies to all types of engagement - permanent employment, fixed-term contracts, temporary work, freelance, contractor, and any other paid working arrangement.

Question 24

How is the success fee calculated?

Accepted Answer

For permanent and fixed-term roles: 10% of the agreed annual gross salary. For day rate contractors: 10% of the day rate multiplied by 260 working days. For hourly rate engagements: 10% of the hourly rate multiplied by 2,080 hours. The full annual equivalent is used for contract and freelance hires regardless of the initial contract length, reflecting the fact that you may re-engage the same contractor at any time.

Question 25

When is the success fee due?

Accepted Answer

The success fee is due within 14 days of a hire confirmation being received. Restart Talent will issue you an invoice upon confirmation of the hire. If payment is not received within 14 days, interest may be charged at 8% per annum above the Bank of England base rate under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

Question 26

What if I already knew the candidate before finding them on the platform?

Accepted Answer

The success fee still applies. If you unlocked a candidate's profile on the platform, you used Restart Talent's verified introduction - regardless of any prior relationship. If you already intended to hire someone without using the platform's introduction, you should not have unlocked their profile. The act of unlocking is the trigger for the liability period, not any prior contact.

Question 27

What if the candidate accepts the offer but does not start the role?

Accepted Answer

You have a 14-day window from the date of the invoice to raise a dispute. If a candidate accepts an offer but fails to start the role, contact us at legal@restarttalent.co.uk within 14 days and provide evidence that the candidate did not commence and that the contract has been formally terminated. If the dispute is upheld, the success fee will be waived if it has not yet been paid. No refund is issued if it has already been paid. If the candidate later provides a legitimate reason for not starting and is rehired by you, the success fee is reinstated in full.

Question 28

What if I hire the same candidate again later?

Accepted Answer

No additional success fee is payable. The success fee is charged once per candidate. If you re-engage the same person - for a new role, a contract extension, or any other arrangement - after having already paid the success fee, no further fee is due.

Question 29

What is the 12-month liability period?

Accepted Answer

The liability period is 12 months from the date you unlocked a candidate's profile. If you hire that candidate at any point within those 12 months - regardless of how the hire progressed or through what channel the final offer was made - the success fee is payable.

Question 30

How does Restart Talent know when a hire has taken place?

Accepted Answer

Restart Talent independently verifies hires through its own processes. Any discrepancy between information provided by an employer and evidence obtained by Restart Talent through its verification process will be treated as a potential circumvention and investigated accordingly.

Question 31

What counts as circumvention?

Accepted Answer

Circumvention is any act intended to avoid, reduce, or delay payment of the success fee. This includes hiring a candidate without reporting it, instructing a candidate not to submit a hire confirmation, claiming a prior relationship with a candidate as a reason not to pay after having unlocked their profile, or creating additional accounts to bypass account-level obligations. Circumvention is a serious breach of our Terms of Business.

Question 32

What happens if we try to avoid the success fee?

Accepted Answer

If Restart Talent identifies circumvention, we will: immediately and permanently remove your account from the platform, invoice for the full success fee with interest calculated from the date the confirmation should have been submitted, pursue recovery of all outstanding amounts through debt recovery or legal proceedings, and where appropriate, report the matter to relevant authorities. Outstanding fees remain payable even after account termination.

Question 33

Can I share a candidate's details with a colleague or another company?

Accepted Answer

You may share candidate details internally with colleagues directly involved in your hiring decision for that specific candidate. However, you must not share candidate details with any third party - including subsidiaries, parent companies, sister companies, or affiliated entities - without that third party registering their own account and purchasing their own unlock. Each organisation that wishes to contact a candidate must do so through their own account.

Question 34

What are my data protection obligations?

Accepted Answer

By registering and accessing candidate data through the platform, you agreed to the Restart Talent Data Processing Agreement (DPA) at the point of registration. As an independent Data Controller of candidate data you receive through the platform, you are solely responsible for complying with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. This includes processing data only for the recruitment purpose for which it was obtained, keeping it secure, and deleting it when no longer needed. A copy of the DPA is available at www.restarttalent.co.uk/dpa.

Question 35

Am I responsible for right-to-work checks?

Accepted Answer

Yes - entirely. Restart Talent's verification is a consistency check, not a right-to-work check. You are solely and legally responsible for conducting right-to-work checks under the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 before making any hire. Failure to carry out right-to-work checks is a civil and criminal liability that rests entirely with you as the hiring employer.

Question 36

How long can I keep candidate data?

Accepted Answer

You should only retain candidate data for as long as necessary for the specific recruitment purpose for which it was obtained. If you decide not to proceed with a candidate, we recommend deleting their data within 6 months of your last interaction. If you make a successful hire, you may retain pre-employment data as part of your employment records, subject to your own obligations as an employer. Identity documents, DBS certificates, and proof of address should be securely deleted once no longer needed for verification.

Question 37

What if there is a data breach involving candidate data?

Accepted Answer

If you become aware of or suspect a data breach involving candidate data you hold, notify Restart Talent at legal@restarttalent.co.uk without delay and in any event within 72 hours. Provide details of the nature of the data affected and the number of individuals involved. You must also notify the ICO if required under UK GDPR Article 33 in your capacity as Data Controller.

Question 38

Can I screenshot or copy candidate profiles?

Accepted Answer

No. You must not screenshot, screen-record, copy, or otherwise reproduce candidate profile pages, photographs, introduction videos, or unlocked documents for any purpose other than your own internal recruitment process. Sharing such content externally or storing it outside your secure internal systems is strictly prohibited.

Question 39

What happens if I close my account?

Accepted Answer

Closing your account does not extinguish any financial obligations already incurred. The 12-month liability period continues to run for all candidates whose profiles you have unlocked - if you hire any of them within that period, the success fee remains payable. You must also securely delete all candidate data you hold following account closure. If Restart Talent later discovers evidence of a hire that occurred during the liability period, we retain the right to pursue the outstanding fee.

Question 40

Can a permanently removed employer re-register?

Accepted Answer

No. Permanently removed employer accounts cannot be reinstated and the individual or organisation may not re-register on the platform.

Question 41

How do I raise a complaint or dispute?

Accepted Answer

Contact us at legal@restarttalent.co.uk. For success fee disputes, your dispute must be raised within the 14-day window from the date of the invoice. Include full details and any supporting evidence. We will investigate and respond within 5 business days. If you remain unhappy following our response, you may pursue the matter through the courts of England and Wales.

Employer FAQ

Getting Started

Credits - Buying & Using

Browsing & Unlocking Candidates

Messaging & Communicating

The Success Fee

Circumvention & Fair Use

Data Protection & Compliance

Account Management