Start Here: Tell Us Who You're Trying to Find

• Which role(s) are you actively hiring for right now? List titles, levels, and any alternate titles you accept. Options: Frontend Engineer (React/Vue), Backend Engineer (Node/Java/Python), Full‑Stack Engineer, Data Engineer, ML/AI Engineer, Site Reliability / Infra, Security Engineer, Engineering Manager / Tech Lead, Other (describe)
• What is the target seniority for the role(s)? Be specific about expectations (IC3/IC4, Senior, Staff/Principal, Manager). Options: Entry / Jr, Mid / IC3, Senior / IC4, Staff / Senior Staff, Principal / Architect, Manager / Director
• What timeline are you working to—when do you need a candidate onboard (e.g., by a date or within a number of weeks)? Options: Immediately / within 2 weeks, Within 4 weeks, Within 8–12 weeks, Flexible / hire by quarter, No hard timeline yet
• What specific business outcome or roadmap milestone depends on filling this role?

What's the Real Hiring Emergency (and Why It Keeps You Up)?

• If this role isn’t filled in the next 30–60 days, what will break or be delayed—and who feels that pain most?
• How long has this position been open, and how many candidates have reached a stage where you seriously considered hiring them? Options: Just opened, 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, More than 90 days
• What have past hires for similar roles failed at—technical capability, shipping velocity, culture fit, communication, or something else? Options: Technical skills, Systems design / architecture, Ownership / delivery, Cross‑team communication, Culture fit, Motivation misalignment, Other
• How frustrating has the current process been on a scale from 'mildly annoying' to 'critical business risk'—and what emotions does it trigger in you and your team? Options: Mildly annoying, Concerning, Disruptive, Critical business risk
• Who has been leading the hiring effort internally and how long have they been focused on this role? Options: Hiring manager, Internal recruiter, External agency, Hiring committee, Other

Where Have You Already Looked (and Why Didn’t It Work)?

• What sourcing channels have you used so far (internal referrals, job boards, agencies, community sourcing, events)? Options: Internal referrals, LinkedIn / job posts, Generalist agencies, Specialist technical agencies, Open‑source communities, Meetups / conferences, University / grads, Other
• Which channel produced the most promising candidates, and why do you think those candidates still didn’t convert to hires?
• How would you describe the quality vs. quantity problem you faced—too many unqualified resumes, or too few deep technical candidates? Options: Too many unqualified resumes, Too few technically deep candidates, High volume but low conversion, Small pipeline, high quality but slow, Other
• Have you worked with technical recruiters before? What was one thing they consistently got wrong about your needs?
• When you saw a candidate fail a technical screen, what was the main reason—knowledge gaps, poor problem solving, mismatch in expectations, or interview performance? Options: Knowledge gaps, System design weakness, Poor problem solving, Mismatch of seniority, Soft‑skills / communication, Other

Who Will Be the Toughest Critic of This Hire?

• Which stakeholders must sign off on this hire and who typically moves the slowest in that process? Options: Hiring manager, VP/Head of Engineering, CTO, Product lead, HR/People team, Finance, Other
• Who will work most closely with the new hire day‑to‑day, and what do they need to be able to trust about the hire from week one?
• How aligned are stakeholders on the role’s priorities (e.g., feature delivery, platform stability, hiring/mentoring), and where do opinions diverge? Options: Completely aligned, Mostly aligned with minor differences, Some conflicting priorities, Strong disagreement
• What has been the biggest interpersonal or team fit issue in past hires that you most want to avoid repeating?
• If one stakeholder could veto a candidate, who would it be and why?

The True Technical Bar: What Really Matters?

• Which technical skill or experience is non‑negotiable—and is any of that a proxy for broader capabilities (e.g., 'React' as a proxy for product UI judgement)?
• Do you expect hands‑on coding from day one or more architecture/mentorship from a senior hire? Which balance matters most? Options: Hands‑on contributor, Hybrid (hands‑on + mentorship), Primarily architecture/leadership
• What codebase language, frameworks, and infrastructure should an incoming hire be immediately productive in? Please rank top 3.
• Describe a past technical hire who exceeded expectations—what did they do differently in their first 90 days?
• Are there technical tests, take‑homes, or live pair‑programming exercises you insist on, and what does passing them actually prove? Options: Take‑home project, Live pair session, Whiteboard / system design, Code review exercise, Portfolio / GitHub review, Other

Signals That Predict Someone Will Stay, Ship, and Thrive

• What early signals in interviews have historically correlated with 90‑day retention at your company? Options: Alignment to mission, Clear growth path, Problem‑solving style, Team chemistry, Compensation fit, Other
• When hires left within six months in the past, what was the most common root cause—role mismatch, bad onboarding, counteroffers, or culture? Options: Role mismatch, Poor onboarding, Went to competitor / counteroffer, Culture misfit, Compensation issues, Other
• How do you currently measure a successful first 90 days for new engineers (concrete deliverables, OKRs, ramp milestones)? Options: Specific deliverables, Ramp milestones / OKRs, Behavioral integration, No formal 90‑day plan
• What onboarding practices have helped new engineers be effective faster—and what has repeatedly failed?
• How willing are you to hire slightly less polished candidates who can grow quickly vs. only hiring fully finished candidates? Options: Prefer rapid learners with growth potential, Prefer fully polished from day one, Open to both with clear expectations, Depends on role

Are Your Hiring Processes Helping or Hurting?

• How long is your typical interview loop from initial screen to offer, and where do candidates tend to drop out? Options: <2 weeks, 2–4 weeks, 4–8 weeks, >8 weeks, Varies widely
• Which step in your process do hiring managers complain about most—too technical, too slow, too many interviews, or unclear next steps? Options: Too technical, Too slow, Too many interviews, Unclear expectations, Inconsistent feedback
• What is the single biggest internal bottleneck preventing a fast decision (manager availability, compensation approvals, candidate scheduling, or stakeholder alignment)? Options: Manager availability, Comp approval / budget, Scheduling with interviewers, Stakeholder alignment, Other
• How quickly can you approve an offer and what internal steps are required before an offer goes out? Options: Same day, 1–3 days, 4–7 days, More than a week
• Do you track drop‑off reasons from candidates (e.g., process length, compensation, unclear role)? If yes, what are the top two reasons? Options: Process length, Compensation, Counteroffers, Lack of remote/flexibility, Unclear role / scope, Interview experience

Money, Guarantees, and Risk—How Do You Want to Trade Off Speed vs. Certainty?

• How important is time‑to‑hire vs. candidate quality—rank your priorities if you had to pick one ordering. Options: Quality then speed, Speed then quality, Equal priority, Depends on role
• What replacement warranty or guarantee expectations do you have for external recruiting partners? Options: 30‑day replacement, 60‑day replacement, 90‑day replacement, Custom SLA
• Are you open to exclusive partnerships for a role or do you prefer multiple agencies working in parallel? Options: Exclusive engagement, Multiple agencies, Open but prefer fewer partners, Undecided
• What budget or fee model do you prefer (retainer, success fee, hire‑per‑placement, blended)? Options: Contingency / success fee, Retainer + success fee, Monthly subscription, Flat fee per hire, Other
• What would make you view a recruiting partner as a low‑risk, high‑trust extension of your team?

What Would It Feel Like If This Went Well?

• Describe the ideal outcome three months after hiring the person—what has changed for the team, product, and roadmap?
• What are the top 3 measurable signals you’ll use to decide whether this hire was successful? Options: Feature delivery / velocity, Quality / bug reduction, Onboarding milestones met, Cross‑team collaboration, Retention past 90 days, Other
• What would make you recommend our sourcing approach to another engineering leader—speed, quality, communication, or onboarding support? Options: Speed, Candidate quality, Communication / transparency, Onboarding support, Other
• How would your team’s daily work feel different if this hire was a perfect fit?

Practical Next Steps: Where Should We Start?

• If we agreed to partner, which of the following would you want us to deliver first—calibrated submittals, a short list of verified candidates, or a mapped sourcing plan? Options: Calibrated submittals (2–3 candidates), Verified short list with technical writeups, Sourcing map & outreach plan, Interview loop optimization plan
• What information or artifacts would help us calibrate fastest (codebase tour, architecture docs, recent PRs, interview rubric)? Options: Codebase access / tour, Architecture docs, Recent PRs / repos, Existing interview rubric, Team org chart, Other
• How do you prefer candidate updates and feedback—weekly summary, live Slack channel, or real‑time ATS updates? Options: Weekly summary, Live Slack / MS Teams channel, Real‑time ATS updates, Email digest
• Realistically, what day/time windows do hiring managers have for interviews in the next two weeks?
• What would make you comfortable committing to a first step with us today (trial for one role, SLA‑backed search, or an initial discovery workshop)? Options: Trial for one role, SLA‑backed short search, Discovery & intake workshop, Need to discuss internally

• Solution Experience: Current State, Consequence & Future State
• Sourcing Strategy Walkthrough (Live, Customer Context)
• Technical Screening & Interview Loop Workshop
• Delivery Operations: SLAs, Timelines, and Candidate Experience
• Validation, Sign-off & Next Steps

• Confirm offer/playbook support to increase acceptance probability.
• Set expectations for first-submittals timeline and conversion metrics tied to the customer's future state.
• Obtain explicit customer validation that example dossiers match the hiring bar.
• Seller to deliver a short list (3–5) of anonymized example dossiers with evidence links within 48 hours.
• Customer to flag any disqualifying constraints (e.g., must-have repo experience, vendor restrictions).
• Seller to finalize outreach templates and SLA for first-reply time and share with customer for approval.
• Screening Objectives & Constraints
• Calibrate a shared screening rubric that maps to the hiring scorecard.
• Demonstrate how a mock-screen produces evidence tied to pass/fail decisions.
• Agree the interviewer roster, order, and decision timeline to prevent bottlenecks.
• Confirm replacement warranty and 90-day retention measurement approach.
• Seller to provide the finalized screening rubric and a one-page interviewer guide.
• Customer to nominate interviewers and commit to interview availability windows for the next four weeks.
• Seller to include pass/fail examples and scoring examples from the mock screen in the delivery pack.
• Submission Cadence & Expected Dates
• Agree operational SLAs and ownership to ensure speed and candidate quality.
• Set a mutually agreed timeline with checkpoints for first submittals, interviews, and offers.
• Introductions & Objectives
• Ensure candidate experience steps are approved and consistent with employer brand.
• Seller to publish an operations playbook including SLAs, scheduling flow, and escalation contacts.
• Customer to commit to feedback SLA (e.g., 24–48 hours) and provide interviewer availability windows.
• Seller to prepare a counteroffer playbook tailored to the customer's compensation bands.
• Review One-line Current & Future State
• Get explicit customer sign-off that the demonstrated approach will achieve the future state.
• Agree KPIs, reporting cadence, and initial checkpoint dates.
• Assign owners for all immediate execution tasks and remove remaining access blockers.
• Customer to sign-off the solution experience summary and confirm go/no-go for execution.
• Seller to publish the execution plan with week‑by‑week milestones and share the first-week candidate slate schedule.
• Both parties to schedule the first weekly calibration meeting and a 30/60/90 KPI review cadence.
• Obtain a single-sentence current state that all participants validate.
• Surface and quantify the consequence of the hiring gap in business/engineering terms.
• Agree a one-sentence future state expressed as operational outcomes and the top success signals.
• Confirm required artifacts and access to prepare a live sourcing and screening proof.
• Customer to provide one-sentence current-state statement and three prioritized success signals.
• Customer to grant read access or a sanitized export of codebase, architecture notes, and hiring scorecard.
• Seller to prepare sourcing channel map and sample candidate dossiers using customer's context.
• Recap Constraints & Target Persona
• Demonstrate concrete candidate leads found in channels that are inaccessible to job-board sourcing.
• Agree on the primary sourcing channels and outreach cadence.
• One-sentence Current State
• Sourcing Channel Map
• Show Evidence Trail
• Roles & Responsibilities
• Screening Rubric Walkthrough
• Live Mock Technical Screen
• Risk & Contingency Review
• SLAs for Speed & Communication
• Consequence Quantification
• Live Search & Candidate Examples
• Interview Loop Mapping
• KPIs, Reporting & Cadence
• Define One-sentence Future State
• Funnel & Conversion Forecast
• Offer Strategy & Counteroffer Playbook
• Outreach Cadence & Messaging
• Decision Rules & Replacement Guarantee
• Candidate Experience & Employer Brand
• Mutual Commitments & Sign-off
• Success Signals & Acceptance Criteria
• Validation & Next Steps

• Source passive candidates from developer communities and meetups
• Mine open-source contributors and GitHub maintainers for talent
• Deliver candidate technical dossiers with GitHub and design summaries
• Conduct recruiter-led technical screening conversations
• Provide first three qualified submittals with fit narratives
• Facilitate interviewer prep briefs and candidate scorecard templates
• Negotiate offers and manage counteroffer navigation with candidates
• Verify references and employment history for submitted candidates
• Deliver role-specific salary benchmarking and market compensation guidance
• Run targeted diversity and underrepresented talent sourcing campaigns
• Place short-term contract engineers for urgent timelines
• Initiate third-party background checks and compliance verifications
• Support relocation and visa sponsorship for selected hires
• Produce candidate onboarding handoff package for hiring teams

Source passive candidates from developer communities and meetups

• Do you want passive community and meetup sourcing included in this engagement? Options: Yes, No
• Which developer communities, meetups, conferences, or Slack/Discord groups should we prioritize?
• Which geographical markets or remote/time-zone constraints should community sourcing focus on? Options: US - East, US - West, EMEA, APAC, Fully Remote / Global, Other
• Which technology stacks, languages, or domain expertise should community sourcing prioritize?
• What seniority levels are acceptable from community-sourced candidates? Options: Junior, Mid, Senior, Staff / Principal, Manager / Director
• Do you require us to attend or host events (virtual or in-person) as part of sourcing? Options: Yes, No
• What is the target timeline for first submittals sourced from communities/meetups? Options: Within 1 week, 1-2 weeks, 2-4 weeks, 4+ weeks
• Are there any employer branding restrictions or messaging requirements when engaging community members? Options: Yes, No

Mine open-source contributors and GitHub maintainers for talent

• Should we prioritize open-source contributors and maintainers for this role? Options: Yes, No
• Which GitHub signals are high priority (e.g., maintainer status, PR volume, repo diversity, language expertise)? Options: Maintainer / Owner, Frequent PR author, High-quality issues/comments, Multiple language contributions, Single-project expert, Other
• Which languages, frameworks, or repositories should we target on GitHub?
• Do you want automated git history summaries (commit types, major PRs) included in dossiers? Options: Yes, No
• Are there license, IP, or contribution types we should avoid when sourcing from open-source projects? Options: Yes, No
• How important is public profile recency (activity within last 6 months) when sourcing? Options: Critical, Important, Nice-to-have, Not required
• Do you prefer outreach be technical-first (code-centric) or relationship-first (intro + hire context)? Options: Technical-first, Relationship-first, Hybrid

Deliver candidate technical dossiers with GitHub and design summaries

• Do you require a technical dossier for each submitted candidate? Options: Yes, No
• Which dossier elements are required (select all that apply)? Options: GitHub summary & links, Code samples / notable PRs, Architecture / design write-up, Technical strengths & gaps, Interview readiness notes, References summary
• What level of technical analysis do you expect in the design summary? Options: High-level overview, Medium-depth analysis with tradeoffs, Deep technical review with sample questions
• Should dossiers include automated code-quality metrics (e.g., test coverage, complexity) or only human-annotated observations? Options: Automated metrics + human notes, Human-annotated only, Automated metrics only
• Do you want explicit red flags called out in the dossier (e.g., security issues, large gaps)? Options: Yes, No
• How many pages or what maximum file size should each dossier be (if you have file management constraints)?
• Who on your hiring team will be the primary dossier recipient and reviewer (role or email)?

Conduct recruiter-led technical screening conversations

• Should recruiter-led technical screens be performed before any submittal is shared? Options: Yes, No
• What format do you prefer for recruiter screens? Options: 30-minute technical phone screen, 45-60 minute in-depth technical call, Asynchronous technical assessment follow-up, Other
• Which competencies must the recruiter assess during the screen (select all that apply)? Options: Coding problem-solving, System design, Distributed systems, DevOps / infra, Security practices, Product sense / domain knowledge
• Do you require recorded notes and standardized pass/fail criteria for each screen? Options: Yes, No
• Are technical screeners permitted to administer short live-coding tasks or take-home exercises? Options: Yes - live-coding, Yes - take-home, No - interview-only
• What is the minimum interviewer score or pass threshold to advance a candidate to your team?
• Do you require the recruiter to probe communication, collaboration, and remote-work habits during the technical screen? Options: Yes, No

Provide first three qualified submittals with fit narratives

• Do you require the first three qualified submittals before proceeding with broader sourcing? Options: Yes, No
• How do you define a 'qualified' submittal for the first three (e.g., pass recruiter screen + match on key skills)?
• What timeline do you expect for delivery of the first three submittals? Options: Within 3 business days, 1 week, 1-2 weeks, Other
• What information must the fit narrative include (select all that apply)? Options: Motivation & availability, Top technical strengths, Culture/team fit notes, Salary expectations, Notable GitHub/portfolio links
• If first three submittals are not acceptable, what remediation do you require (e.g., replace within X days, re-calibrate profile)? Options: Replace within 3 business days, Replace within 1 week, Re-calibration call then replace, Other
• Should we include direct availability windows for scheduling interviews with each submittal? Options: Yes, No

Facilitate interviewer prep briefs and candidate scorecard templates

• Do you want interviewer prep briefs for every candidate we submit? Options: Yes, No
• How many interview stages should the prep briefs and scorecards cover (e.g., screen, technical, on-site)? Options: 1-2 stages, 3-4 stages, 4+ stages
• Which competencies or rubric categories should scorecards include (select all that apply)? Options: Tech skills, System design, Collaboration, Ownership, Communication, Bias / DEI considerations
• Do you prefer numeric scoring, descriptive anchors, or both on scorecards? Options: Numeric only, Descriptive anchors only, Both
• Should interviewer briefs include suggested questions tied to your codebase and team context? Options: Yes, No
• Who will own final scorecard aggregation and pass/fail decisions (role or team)?
• Do you require calibration sessions with interviewers before candidate interviews start? Options: Yes - required, Optional, No

Negotiate offers and manage counteroffer navigation with candidates

• Should we lead offer negotiation and candidate counsel on your behalf? Options: Yes, No
• What is the approved salary range or band for this role?
• Is equity part of the compensation package for this role? Options: Yes - equity included, No - salary only, Depends on level
• Do you have an internal approval SLA for sign-off on offers (e.g., same day, 24 hours)? Options: Same day, 24 hours, 48 hours, Other
• Are there deal-breaker items we should not negotiate (e.g., remote status, level, visa sponsorship)? Options: Yes, No
• If a candidate receives a counteroffer from their employer, do you want active counteroffer navigation and exit planning support? Options: Yes, No
• Who is the escalation contact for final compensation decisions and approvals (role/email)?

Verify references and employment history for submitted candidates

• Do you require reference checks for all submitted candidates or only finalists? Options: All submitted candidates, Finalists only, As requested
• How many references should we collect and verify per candidate? Options: 1, 2, 3, 3+
• What types of references are preferred (direct manager, peer, cross-functional partner)? Options: Direct manager, Peer, Cross-functional partner, Direct report, Other
• Do you require scripted reference questions or open verification (select one)? Options: Scripted questions with scorecard, Open verification summary, Both
• Are employment gaps, title history, or sensitive background issues areas we should escalate to you immediately? Options: Yes, No
• Do you require signed candidate releases before conducting reference checks where legally required? Options: Yes, No, I need guidance

Deliver role-specific salary benchmarking and market compensation guidance

• Do you want a role-specific compensation benchmark included in the scope? Options: Yes, No
• Which markets should benchmarking cover (select all that apply)? Options: Local / City market, National market, Global / Remote market, Comparable company set
• Do you need benchmarking by level (e.g., Senior vs Staff) and by component (base, bonus, equity)? Options: Yes - by level & component, Yes - by level only, No
• Are there internal comp bands we must align to or exceptions allowed with approval? Options: Must align to bands, Exceptions allowed with approval, No bands
• Do you require a written recommendation and negotiation playbook for offers? Options: Yes, No

• Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)
• Master Services Agreement (MSA)
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Fee Schedule & Payment Terms
• Invoicing & Payment Authorization
• Replacement Guarantee & Credit Policy
• Exclusivity & Engagement Model
• Candidate Ownership & Poaching Clause
• Decision Timeline & Offer Acceptance SLA
• Background & Reference Check Consent
• Data Processing Agreement (DPA)
• Change Order / Scope Adjustment
• Termination & Exit Terms

• 90‑Day Success Review — Hire-by-Hire Validation
• Retention & Exit Analysis — Lessons Learned Workshop
• Continuous Improvement Sync — Shared Channel & Backlog Triage
• Stakeholder Success Review — Business Impact & Future Needs

• Capture adjustments to future role scopes or interview loops and update the recruitment intake template.
• Schedule experiment start/end dates and instrumentation for measurement (what signals will show improvement).
• If compensation or offer cadence was a root cause, draft updated guidelines and get approval from finance/HR.
• Channel Health Check
• Keep a live, prioritized backlog of retention & quality improvements with clear owners.
• Ensure the shared channel is actively used to escalate and resolve issues within agreed SLAs.
• Provide stakeholder visibility through a simple reporting cadence.
• Create or confirm the persistent shared channel (e.g., Slack channel) and posting rules; onboard stakeholders.
• Publish the prioritized backlog with owners and due dates to the shared channel.
• Set up a lightweight dashboard (spreadsheet or BI tile) to surface 30/60/90 retention and experiment outcomes weekly.
• Escalate any warranty/financial triggers to commercial ops with required documentation.
• One‑Sentence Future State (What success looks like)
• Align leadership on whether current hires are delivering expected business outcomes and ROI.
• Resolve any outstanding commercial warranty or replacement decisions required by retention outcomes.
• Agree a forward hiring plan with clear success signals and timing for the next review cycle.
• Produce a concise success report tying hires to business KPIs and share with exec stakeholders.
• If warranted, trigger replacement/warranty workflow and assign commercial owner to manage it.
• Confirm next stakeholder review date and cadence (e.g., quarterly or after next 3 hires onboard).
• Opening & Meeting One‑Sentence Current State
• Decide which hires meet the 90‑day success signals and which require action.
• Agree on remediation or reinforcement steps with clear owners and deadlines.
• Ensure consequences of any failure are explicit so follow-through is prioritized.
• Document per-hire outcome (meets/fails signals), attach evidence, and publish to shared channel.
• Assign owner, timeline, and success criteria for each remediation action (e.g., 30‑day coaching plan).
• If replacement is required under warranty, trigger commercial/ops workflow and notify legal/finance owners.
• Schedule a 30‑day follow-up checkpoint for any remediation plans.
• One‑Sentence Consequence Framing
• Identify 2–3 systemic causes of poor 90‑day retention and prioritize fixes.
• Define measurable experiments or process changes to address top causes within the next hiring cycles.
• Assign owners and success metrics for each experiment/change.
• Produce a short lessons-learned memo that ties each root cause to evidence and proposed experiments.
• Update the screener and intake checklist to close the highest‑impact gap identified.
• Backlog Prioritization
• Outcomes vs Business KPIs
• Review Success Signals & Evidence
• Data Review: Retention Metrics & Patterns
• Decide Next Experiments & Owners
• Consequence Assessment
• Hiring Satisfaction & Fit Feedback
• Hiring Process Diagnostic
• Root Cause Brainstorm & Prioritization
• Communications & Reporting
• Root Cause Triage (Diagnosis)
• Commercial/Warranty Review
• Remediation / Reinforcement Plan (Decision & Ownership)
• Define Experiments & Preventive Changes
• Agree Future Hiring Plan & Priorities
• Close Loop: Escalations & Warranty Triggers
• Confirm Communication & Next Checkpoints
• Validation & Close