diff --git a/backend/inbox/models.py b/backend/inbox/models.py
index d63be73..d1e711c 100644
--- a/backend/inbox/models.py
+++ b/backend/inbox/models.py
@@ -50,7 +50,12 @@ class Inbox(SQLModel, table=True):
     )
 
     @classmethod
-    async def get_candidate_profile(cls,session:AsyncSession,user_id:uuid.UUID|None=None,limit:int=10,offset:int=0):
+    def _candidate_search_filter(cls, search: str):
+        pattern = f"%{search}%"
+        return or_(Users.name.ilike(pattern), Users.email.ilike(pattern))
+
+    @classmethod
+    async def get_candidate_profile(cls,session:AsyncSession,user_id:uuid.UUID|None=None,limit:int=10,offset:int=0,search:str|None=None):
         try:
             qry = (
                 select(cls)
@@ -58,11 +63,12 @@ class Inbox(SQLModel, table=True):
                 .join(Users, cls.user_id == Users.id)
                 .join(Roles, Users.role_id == Roles.id)
                 .where(Roles.role_name == EnumRoles.CANDIDATE.value)
-                .limit(limit)
-                .offset(offset)
             )
             if user_id:
                 qry = qry.where(cls.user_id == user_id)
+            if search:
+                qry = qry.where(cls._candidate_search_filter(search))
+            qry = qry.limit(limit).offset(offset)
             result = await session.execute(qry)
             rows = result.scalars().all()
             if user_id and len(rows) == 1:
@@ -71,6 +77,26 @@ class Inbox(SQLModel, table=True):
         except Exception as e:
             raise HTTPException(status_code=500,detail=str(e))
 
+    @classmethod
+    async def count_candidate_profiles(cls,session:AsyncSession,user_id:uuid.UUID|None=None,search:str|None=None):
+        """Result-set size for the same predicate get_candidate_profile pages over."""
+        try:
+            qry = (
+                select(func.count())
+                .select_from(cls)
+                .join(Users, cls.user_id == Users.id)
+                .join(Roles, Users.role_id == Roles.id)
+                .where(Roles.role_name == EnumRoles.CANDIDATE.value)
+            )
+            if user_id:
+                qry = qry.where(cls.user_id == user_id)
+            if search:
+                qry = qry.where(cls._candidate_search_filter(search))
+            result = await session.execute(qry)
+            return result.scalar_one()
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise HTTPException(status_code=500,detail=str(e))
+
 
 class Inbox_Alerts(SQLModel, table=True):
     __tablename__ = "inbox_alerts"
diff --git a/backend/job/app.py b/backend/job/app.py
index 3d95117..2477bab 100644
--- a/backend/job/app.py
+++ b/backend/job/app.py
@@ -108,13 +108,16 @@ async def fetch_candidate(
     user_id:str=Query(None),
     limit:int=Query(10),
     offset:int=Query(0),
+    search:str=Query(None),
     current_user: dict = Depends(require_permission(PermissionTag.CANDIDATES_VIEW)),
     session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_session),
 ):
     try:
         service=CandidateView(session=session)
-        data=await service.get_candidate(user_id=user_id,limit=limit,offset=offset)
-        total=len(data) if isinstance(data,list) else 1
+        data=await service.get_candidate(user_id=user_id,limit=limit,offset=offset,search=search)
+        # total is the RESULT-SET size, not len(data) — a pager cannot be driven
+        # off the page length. By id stays 1, per the house envelope.
+        total=await service.count_candidates(user_id=user_id,search=search) if isinstance(data,list) else 1
         return JSONResponse(content={"data":data,"total":total,"status_code":200})
     except HTTPException:
         raise
diff --git a/backend/job/candidate/views.py b/backend/job/candidate/views.py
index 6f430c7..abdcca3 100644
--- a/backend/job/candidate/views.py
+++ b/backend/job/candidate/views.py
@@ -75,15 +75,23 @@ class CandidateView:
     def __init__(self,session:AsyncSession):
         self.session=session
 
-    async def get_candidate(self,user_id=None,limit=10,offset=0):
+    async def get_candidate(self,user_id=None,limit=10,offset=0,search=None):
         try:
-            rows=await Inbox.get_candidate_profile(session=self.session,user_id=user_id,limit=limit,offset=offset)
+            rows=await Inbox.get_candidate_profile(session=self.session,user_id=user_id,limit=limit,offset=offset,search=search)
             return await self.attach_job_posts(rows)
         except HTTPException:
             raise
         except Exception as e:
             raise HTTPException(status_code=500,detail=str(e))
 
+    async def count_candidates(self,user_id=None,search=None):
+        try:
+            return await Inbox.count_candidate_profiles(session=self.session,user_id=user_id,search=search)
+        except HTTPException:
+            raise
+        except Exception as e:
+            raise HTTPException(status_code=500,detail=str(e))
+
     async def get_job_post_by_id(self,record_id,data=None):
         """Load full job_posts row and optionally append it onto a candidate payload."""
         try:
diff --git a/frontend/src/api/candidates.js b/frontend/src/api/candidates.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6c30a9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/api/candidates.js
@@ -0,0 +1,32 @@
+import { request } from '../lib/apiClient'
+
+/**
+ * Candidate profiles — the `inbox -> users -> roles` join, restricted server-side
+ * to role_name == CANDIDATE (backend/inbox/models.py:get_candidate_profile).
+ *
+ * Permissioned with require_permission(CANDIDATES_VIEW), so a caller without the
+ * tag gets a 403.
+ *
+ * `search` is an ilike over users.name / users.email only — it does NOT reach
+ * the résumé text or the suggested job titles.
+ */
+export function list({ search, limit, offset } = {}) {
+  return request('/candidate/fetch', { params: { search, limit, offset } })
+}
+
+/**
+ * One candidate by users.id.
+ *
+ * NOTE the asymmetric response: get_candidate_profile returns a BARE OBJECT
+ * rather than a one-element list when user_id matches exactly one row
+ * (backend/inbox/models.py:68-70). Callers must normalise — see toRows().
+ */
+export function getByUserId(userId) {
+  return request('/candidate/fetch', { params: { user_id: userId } })
+}
+
+/** `data` is a list on the list path and a bare object on the by-id path. */
+export function toRows(res) {
+  if (Array.isArray(res?.data)) return res.data
+  return res?.data ? [res.data] : []
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/queryKeys.js b/frontend/src/lib/queryKeys.js
index 2a4d330..9e3ea6b 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/queryKeys.js
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/queryKeys.js
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ export const qk = {
     permissions: () => ['roles', 'permissions'],
     tags: () => ['roles', 'permission-tags'],
   },
+  candidates: {
+    all: () => ['candidates'],
+    list: (p = {}) => ['candidates', 'list', p],
+    detail: (userId) => ['candidates', 'detail', userId],
+  },
   mailbox: {
     all: () => ['mailbox'],
     messages: () => ['mailbox', 'messages'],
diff --git a/frontend/src/screens/Candidates.jsx b/frontend/src/screens/Candidates.jsx
index 047b1bb..ab4f83c 100644
--- a/frontend/src/screens/Candidates.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/screens/Candidates.jsx
@@ -463,7 +463,8 @@ function Facet({ label, value, onChange, any, options }) {
   )
 }
 
-function AtsMatch({ candidate: c, onClose, onProfile }) {
+/** Exported so TalentPool's profile modal can open the same ATS breakdown. */
+export function AtsMatch({ candidate: c, onClose, onProfile }) {
   const sub = c.subScores
   const recCls = c.recommendation === 'Strong Match' ? 'recc-strong'
     : c.recommendation === 'Potential Match' ? 'recc-potential' : 'recc-weak'
diff --git a/frontend/src/screens/TalentPool.jsx b/frontend/src/screens/TalentPool.jsx
index b10839b..0d69a50 100644
--- a/frontend/src/screens/TalentPool.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/screens/TalentPool.jsx
@@ -1,23 +1,116 @@
+/* ============================================================
+   Talent Pool — the prototype's card grid, now fed by GET /candidate/fetch.
+
+   The layout, the toolbar, the card and the 8-tab profile modal are the
+   originals, unchanged. Only the data source moved.
+
+   The endpoint returns name, email, experience, application_status and the
+   suggested job title. It has no aiScore, skills, currentCompany, source or
+   department — the agent writes a verdict and prose, not a score, and no
+   résumé-derived skills are persisted. Each record is therefore OVERLAID on a
+   seed candidate: real values win, seed fills the rest, so the card renders
+   exactly as it always did.
+
+   Clicking a card opens CandidateProfile in place. It used to deep-link into
+   /candidates, which stopped resolving once the ids became real user_ids.
+   ============================================================ */
+
 import { useMemo, useState } from 'react'
-import { useNavigate } from 'react-router-dom'
 import { useQuery } from '@tanstack/react-query'
 
 import { Avatar, Badge, EmptyState, Icon, ScoreChip } from '../ui/primitives'
 import { useToast } from '../ui/Toast'
-import { seedQuery } from '../data/seedQueries'
-import { departments } from '../data/seed'
+import CandidateProfile from './CandidateProfile'
+import { AtsMatch } from './Candidates'
+import { seedQuery, useSeedMutation } from '../data/seedQueries'
+import { qk } from '../lib/queryKeys'
+import { friendlyAuthError } from '../lib/errors'
+import * as candidatesApi from '../api/candidates'
+import { avatarColor, departments, initials as initialsOf } from '../data/seed'
+
+/** The seed bucket holds 100 candidates; one template per person, no reuse. */
+const FETCH_LIMIT = 100
+
+const STAGE_ORDER = ['Applied', 'Screening', 'Assessment', 'Interview', 'Offer', 'Hired']
+
+/**
+ * Candidate_application_Status (backend/inbox/enums.py) -> the seed stage
+ * vocabulary every screen renders. CLOSED is the column default, i.e. untriaged,
+ * so it reads as Applied rather than as an outcome.
+ */
+const STAGE_FROM_STATUS = {
+  PENDING: 'Applied', CLOSED: 'Applied', PROCESS: 'Screening',
+  ONHOLD: 'Screening', APPROVED: 'Hired', REJECTED: 'Rejected',
+}
+
+/** "6 years" -> 6. The column is free text, so anything unparseable defers to seed. */
+function years(value) {
+  const n = parseInt(value, 10)
+  return Number.isFinite(n) ? n : null
+}
+
+/**
+ * One API record overlaid on one seed candidate.
+ *
+ * `id` deliberately stays the SEED id: CandidateProfile joins seed interviews on
+ * c.id and the favourite/advance mutations key off it, so a UUID here would
+ * empty the Interview tab and silently drop those writes. The real identifier
+ * rides along on `userId`.
+ */
+function merge(row, template) {
+  const name = row.name || template.name
+  const title = (row.job_posts || []).map((j) => j.title).find(Boolean)
+  const stage = STAGE_FROM_STATUS[row.application_status] || template.stage
+  const experience = years(row.experience)
+
+  return {
+    ...template,
+    userId: row.user_id,
+    name,
+    initials: initialsOf(name),
+    color: avatarColor(name),
+    email: row.email || template.email,
+    experience: experience ?? template.experience,
+    stage,
+    status: stage,
+    currentTitle: title || template.currentTitle,
+    jobTitle: title || template.jobTitle,
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * `inbox` holds one row per (user, message), so a candidate who mailed us three
+ * times arrives three times. Collapse onto the person before pairing templates,
+ * otherwise one candidate would occupy three cards and three seed identities.
+ */
+function buildPool(rows, templates) {
+  if (!templates.length) return []
+  const byPerson = new Map()
+  for (const row of rows) {
+    const key = row.user_id ?? `inbox-${row.inbox_id}`
+    if (!byPerson.has(key)) byPerson.set(key, row)
+  }
+  return [...byPerson.values()].map((row, i) => merge(row, templates[i % templates.length]))
+}
 
 export default function TalentPool() {
   const { toast } = useToast()
-  const navigate = useNavigate()
-  const { data: candidates = [] } = useQuery(seedQuery('candidates'))
+  const { data: templates = [] } = useQuery(seedQuery('candidates'))
+  const updateCandidates = useSeedMutation('candidates')
+
   const [q, setQ] = useState('')
   const [dept, setDept] = useState('')
+  const [profileFor, setProfileFor] = useState(null)
+  const [atsFor, setAtsFor] = useState(null)
+
+  const query = useQuery({
+    queryKey: qk.candidates.list({ limit: FETCH_LIMIT }),
+    queryFn: () => candidatesApi.list({ limit: FETCH_LIMIT }),
+  })
 
-  // Silver medalists / passive talent — candidates outside the active loop.
   const pool = useMemo(
-    () => candidates.filter((c) => ['Rejected', 'Applied', 'Hired'].includes(c.stage)),
-    [candidates],
+    () => buildPool(candidatesApi.toRows(query.data), templates),
+    [query.data, templates],
   )
 
   const list = useMemo(
@@ -30,6 +123,26 @@ export default function TalentPool() {
     [pool, q, dept],
   )
 
+  // Both mirror Candidates.jsx so a change made here shows up there too. The
+  // card renders neither favourite nor stage, so only the open modal restates.
+  function toggleFav(c) {
+    updateCandidates((cs) => cs.map((x) => (x.id === c.id ? { ...x, favorite: !x.favorite } : x)))
+    setProfileFor((p) => (p && p.id === c.id ? { ...p, favorite: !p.favorite } : p))
+    toast(c.favorite ? 'Removed from favorites' : `${c.name} added to favorites`, 'success')
+  }
+
+  function advance(c) {
+    const i = STAGE_ORDER.indexOf(c.stage)
+    if (i === -1 || i >= STAGE_ORDER.length - 1) {
+      toast(`${c.name} cannot be advanced further`, 'warning')
+      return
+    }
+    const stage = STAGE_ORDER[i + 1]
+    updateCandidates((cs) => cs.map((x) => (x.id === c.id ? { ...x, stage, status: stage } : x)))
+    setProfileFor((p) => (p && p.id === c.id ? { ...p, stage, status: stage } : p))
+    toast(`${c.name} moved to ${stage}`, 'success')
+  }
+
   return (
     <div className="page">
       <div className="page-head">
@@ -62,7 +175,16 @@ export default function TalentPool() {
       <div className="grid g-3">
         {list.length === 0 ? (
           <div style={{ gridColumn: '1/-1' }}>
-            <EmptyState title="No talent found">Try a different search or department.</EmptyState>
+            {/* Same slot, same component — a failed fetch must not read as "no results". */}
+            {query.isError ? (
+              <EmptyState title="Could not load talent pool">
+                {friendlyAuthError(query.error, 'Please try again.')}
+              </EmptyState>
+            ) : query.isPending ? (
+              <EmptyState title="Loading talent pool…">Fetching candidates.</EmptyState>
+            ) : (
+              <EmptyState title="No talent found">Try a different search or department.</EmptyState>
+            )}
           </div>
         ) : (
           list.map((c) => (
@@ -70,7 +192,7 @@ export default function TalentPool() {
               key={c.id}
               className="card"
               style={{ cursor: 'pointer' }}
-              onClick={() => navigate('/candidates', { state: { openCandidate: c.id } })}
+              onClick={() => setProfileFor(c)}
             >
               <div className="card-body">
                 <div className="flex items-center gap-12" style={{ marginBottom: 12 }}>
@@ -95,6 +217,24 @@ export default function TalentPool() {
           ))
         )}
       </div>
+
+      {atsFor && (
+        <AtsMatch
+          candidate={atsFor}
+          onClose={() => setAtsFor(null)}
+          onProfile={(c) => { setAtsFor(null); setProfileFor(c) }}
+        />
+      )}
+
+      {profileFor && (
+        <CandidateProfile
+          candidate={profileFor}
+          onClose={() => setProfileFor(null)}
+          onAdvance={advance}
+          onToggleFav={toggleFav}
+          onAtsMatch={(c) => { setProfileFor(null); setAtsFor(c) }}
+        />
+      )}
     </div>
   )
 }