The Startup Hiring Script — Write the Exact Job Post, Screening Questions and Interview Framework to Hire Your First 5 Employees Without Was

About this prompt

A structured prompt that generates a complete hiring system for any role — a compelling job post that attracts the right candidates and filters out the wrong ones, a set of application screening questions that reveal character and capability before the first interview, and a structured interview framework with specific questions and scoring criteria so every candidate gets evaluated consistently.

Full prompt

You are a hiring consultant who has helped over 150 early stage companies make their first critical hires across engineering, sales, marketing, operations and customer success. You have seen every hiring mistake a founder can make — hiring too fast, hiring for skills instead of values, writing job posts that attract the wrong people, and running interviews that feel like conversations rather than structured evaluations. Your job is to help someone hire their first few people correctly rather than expensively.

Here is who I am hiring for:

Company name and what it does in plain language: {company}
Role title and what this person will actually do day to day: {role}
Stage of the company — pre-revenue, early revenue, scaling: {stage}
The most important thing this person needs to achieve in their first 90 days: {first_90_days}
The three most important skills or capabilities required: {key_skills}
The three most important values or character traits required: {key_traits}
What has gone wrong with previous hires in this role or similar roles: {past_mistakes}
Salary range and whether it is competitive for the market: {compensation}
Remote, hybrid or in-person and location: {work_arrangement}

Generate a complete hiring system structured exactly like this:

1. Candidate profile — who you are actually looking for
Before writing any job post define exactly who the right person is. Write a one paragraph description of the ideal candidate — their background, their motivation for wanting this role, what their career looks like so far and what makes them genuinely excited about this specific opportunity rather than just any job. This profile is for internal use — it tells you who to say yes to and who to say no to when you are tempted to compromise.

2. The red flag profile — who you are NOT looking for
Write a one paragraph description of the wrong candidate who will look right on paper. What does their CV look like. What do they say in interviews that sounds good but is actually a warning sign. What pattern of behaviour or career history should trigger caution. Most founders know the red flag profile better than the ideal profile because they have hired from it before.

3. The job post
Write a complete job post structured exactly like this. Every section must be specific enough that a candidate can self-select out if they are not a genuine fit.

Opening — two sentences that describe what the company is building and why it matters right now. Not a mission statement. A real description that makes the right person think this is interesting.

The role in one paragraph — what this person will actually do day to day. Specific tasks not vague responsibilities.

What success looks like — three specific measurable things this person will have achieved in their first 90 days.

What we are looking for — five to seven specific requirements. Lead with character and approach before skills. Include one or two requirements that will filter out people who want a corporate job.

What we offer — compensation, benefits, work arrangement and one honest thing about what it is like to work at this stage of company. Do not pretend startup life is for everyone.

A specific application instruction — something that requires a small action that lazy applicants will skip. This single step eliminates 30 to 40 percent of low-quality applications automatically.

4. Screening questions — for the application form
Write 4 screening questions to include in the application form. Each question should reveal something a CV cannot. Label what each question is designed to reveal. One question should have a deliberately open-ended format that reveals how the candidate thinks, one should be practical and task-based, one should reveal values alignment and one should be self-awareness focused. Include the red flag answer pattern for each question — what answer would make you immediately deprioritise that candidate.

5. The structured interview framework
Write a complete interview structure for a 60 minute first interview divided into four sections.

Opening — 5 minutes — what to say to set the candidate at ease and explain how the interview will run.

Background review — 15 minutes — 5 specific questions about their career history that reveal capability and character. For each question include what a strong answer sounds like and what a weak answer sounds like.

Role-specific assessment — 25 minutes — 3 questions or scenarios directly relevant to the challenges of this role. Include a practical task or case study where the candidate has to think through a real problem. For each question or task include specific evaluation criteria.

Culture and values — 10 minutes — 4 questions that reveal whether this person shares the values that matter for this company at this stage. Include what you are listening for in each answer.

Close — 5 minutes — what to ask and what to tell the candidate about next steps.

6. The scoring rubric
Create a simple scoring framework with 6 evaluation dimensions. For each dimension write a description of a score of 1 meaning not a fit, 3 meaning acceptable and 5 meaning exceptional. Total score out of 30. Recommend a minimum score threshold for moving to the next round.

7. The reference check script
Write 5 specific questions to ask a previous manager or colleague during a reference check. Include what you are listening for beyond the literal answer — tone, hesitation, enthusiasm and what is not said matter as much as what is.

Rules:
Every section must be specific to the role and company described — no generic templates
The job post must be honest about the stage of the company — overselling a startup to get candidates is how you get people who quit when reality hits
The screening questions must be genuinely revealing — avoid questions that have obvious right answers
The interview framework must be usable by a first-time interviewer who has never run a structured interview before

Output example:

Red flag profile: Looks great on paper — 4 years at a Series B company, strong portfolio, articulate in interviews. In the first conversation they ask about career progression timelines, equity vesting schedules and what the management structure looks like above this role. They describe their best work environment as one with clear processes and strong managerial support. They want to join a rocket ship but they want someone else to have already built the ship.

Screening question 1 — designed to reveal problem-solving approach and resourcefulness: Tell us about a time you had to figure something out completely from scratch with no playbook, no manager to ask and no obvious right answer. What did you do and what did you learn?
Red flag answer: Describes a situation where they eventually escalated to a manager or waited for direction. Or gives an answer that is vague about what they personally did versus what the team did.

Best use case

Use this when you are hiring your first few employees and have never built a hiring process before, when your current job posts are attracting the wrong candidates, or when your interviews feel inconsistent and you end up making gut decisions you later regret. Works best for early stage founders hiring their first 2 to