Terms of Service

1. Who These Terms Apply To

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the relationship between HQ Career, a managed reverse-recruitment service operated by Darren Miller ("HQ Career," "we," "us"), and any individual who engages HQ Career's services ("Client," "you"). By submitting a consultation request or beginning a paid engagement, you agree to these Terms.

2. What HQ Career Does

HQ Career runs your executive job search on your behalf. Specifically, we: identify roles that match your 10-Dimension Fit Score; prepare and submit applications with custom ATS-optimized resumes and cover letters; route every application through the HITL Gate for your explicit approval before submission; conduct compensation benchmarking; and provide negotiation support at the offer stage. The scope of services varies by tier (Precision, Accelerator, Executive) as described on the Pricing page.

We do not guarantee placement. Job search outcomes depend on market conditions, role availability, hiring decisions made by third-party employers, and factors outside our control. Past client outcomes do not guarantee future results.

3. The HITL Promise — Clause 4.2

Nothing bearing your name — no application, no outreach message, no submission of any kind — goes out without your explicit prior approval. This is not a courtesy. It is a structural constraint of the service and is non-waivable.

You will receive approval requests through our designated channel (email or the client portal, depending on your tier). Approvals must be given explicitly; silence is not consent. If an approval request goes unacknowledged for more than five business days, we will flag it as stalled and pause the sourcing run until you respond.

This obligation runs both ways: we will not act without your approval, and timely approvals are required for the service to function at the cadence you are paying for.

4. Payment Terms

Engagements are month-to-month. No long-term contract is required. Monthly fees are billed at the start of each engagement period. You may cancel at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and no partial-month refunds are issued after the first 30 days.

30-Day Full Refund. If you are unsatisfied for any reason within the first 30 days of your engagement, we will refund your first month's fee in full. No questions asked. This applies once per client relationship. To request a refund, email hello@hqcareer.org within 30 days of your engagement start date.

Fees are quoted in USD. Payment is processed by our designated payment processor. We do not store payment card data.

5. Success Fees

The Accelerator tier includes a 5% success fee on base salary at placement. The Executive tier offers the option to convert to a 10% success fee only (no monthly fee). Success fees apply only to base salary — not equity, not signing bonus, not annual bonus.

Monthly fee credit. Monthly fees paid during the Accelerator engagement are credited against the success fee at placement, so you are not double-paying for months of active work. The credit cannot exceed the success fee amount; no refund is issued if credits exceed the fee.

The success fee is due within 15 days of your first day of employment at the placed role. You agree to notify us promptly upon accepting an offer so we can issue the success fee invoice.

Success fees do not apply to roles you source independently and that were never submitted through the HQ Career process. If there is a dispute about whether a placement was sourced by HQ Career, the determining factor is whether the application was approved through the HITL Gate.

6. Founding Cohort Rate Lock

The first five clients to begin a paid engagement ("Founding Cohort") lock their monthly fee at the rate in effect at engagement start. This rate applies to all future engagements, at any tier, regardless of when they occur. Rate locks are personal to the original client and are non-transferable.

Founding Cohort status is confirmed in writing at engagement start. If you did not receive written confirmation, you are not a Founding Cohort member.

7. Client Obligations

To receive the full benefit of the service, you agree to:

• Provide accurate information on intake — including your actual compensation expectations, target role criteria, and employment history
• Respond to HITL approval requests within a reasonable time (see Section 3)
• Notify us of any active applications or offers you are pursuing independently, to avoid duplication
• Notify us promptly upon accepting an offer so we can close your engagement and issue any applicable success fee invoice

Providing false information that leads to a mismatch or damages a third-party employer relationship is grounds for immediate termination of your engagement without refund.

8. Confidentiality

We will not disclose your identity, your job search activity, or any information you share with us to any third party — including employers, recruiters, or other clients — without your explicit written consent. This obligation is unconditional and survives termination of the engagement.

You agree to keep the specifics of our methodology — including the 10-Dimension Fit Score framework, The Right 30™ sourcing process, and the HITL Gate workflow — confidential and not to share, publish, or reproduce them without our written permission.

9. Intellectual Property

All proprietary methodology, scoring frameworks, templates, and tooling developed by HQ Career remain our intellectual property. Resumes, cover letters, and other materials produced for your engagement are yours to use freely for personal job-search purposes.

HQ Career's client portal and operational tooling are built on CareerOps, an open-source project licensed under the MIT License by Santiago Fernández de Valderrama. That software is used in accordance with its license terms.

10. Limitation of Liability

HQ Career's liability to you in connection with any engagement is limited to the total monthly fees you paid in the 90 days preceding the claim. We are not liable for lost income, lost opportunity, or consequential damages of any kind arising from your job search, an employer's decision, or any outcome of the engagement.

This limitation does not apply to fraud, gross negligence, or willful misconduct.

11. Results Disclaimer

All case studies, client outcomes, and compensation figures referenced on this website and in our materials represent specific client results. They are illustrative and are not a representation that you will achieve similar results. Job search outcomes vary based on market conditions, candidate background, role availability, hiring manager judgment, and factors neither party controls. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

12. Termination

Either party may terminate the engagement at any time. You may cancel by emailing hello@hqcareer.org. We may terminate your engagement if you materially breach these Terms and fail to cure the breach within five business days of written notice.

Upon termination, our HITL Gate stops immediately — no further applications will be submitted on your behalf. All materials produced for your engagement (resumes, cover letters, negotiation briefs) remain yours.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the state of Texas, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising from these Terms shall be resolved by binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, with proceedings conducted in English. You waive any right to a jury trial or to participate in a class action.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated by email to active clients at least 14 days before taking effect. Continued engagement after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you disagree with a material change, you may terminate your engagement before the change takes effect and receive a pro-rata refund of unused fees for that period.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms: hello@hqcareer.org.