Back to proof of work
Step-by-Step Guide with 50+ Templates for Hiring

How Wispr Flow Will Attract & Retain World-Class Talent

The playbook for scaling Wispr Flow to 50 people in 2026.

61-minute walkthrough of the complete recruiting system

Why Most Tech Hiring is Broken

Companies obsess over their customer acquisition funnel, their onboarding funnel, their marketing funnel. But they completely forget that talent acquisition is a funnel too.

So everyone posts on the same job boards, writes the same boring JDs, runs the same stale interviews, and wonders why they can't find great people.

This system breaks down the TA funnel from first principles, applying what actually works in product, sales, and customer acquisition to hiring.

The Resume Problem

Resumes don't work.

Proof of work projects that allow candidates to show their skills as they relate to the role and company will be the highest signal in the AI era where anyone can use AI to write a CL, resume.

The Interview Flip

Interview to sell, not assess.

The project proves skillset. The interview builds hype, sells the candidate on Wispr Flow, and lets candidates vibe check the org.

The Pond Strategy

Find the unfindable talent.

Every tech company uses LinkedIn, <insert ATS that also sources with AI>, and competes over a finite pool of human capital.

The 6 Pillars to the Talent Acquisition Funnel

1

Correctly Defining the Role

Define outcomes, not job titles. Attract people ready to achieve specific results.

"Don't hire for a job title. Hire for the 3 outcomes that matter most in the first 12 months."

  • Define success in just 2 variables. If you can't articulate them, you don't know who you're looking for
  • Collaborate with hiring manager on personality, past experience, and non-negotiables
  • Learn from past vendors/contractors to understand actual role requirements
  • Create sourcing strategy only after defining the 2 variables
  • Everything else (JD, outreach, discovery project) flows from these 2 variables
2

Making Your Job Description Your Best Sales Page

Tech companies build beautiful product pages and customer acquisition funnels, but forget that talent acquisition needs the same love and care.

"The shift: from "here's what we need" to "here's who you'll become.""

  • A JD is not a requirements list. It's a sales page for the best candidates in the world
  • Use 10-section structure: hook, identity, credibility, day-to-day, success picture, close
  • Paint the 18-month outcome explicitly. A-players want to see the scoreboard
  • Write requirements as identity statements, not checklists
  • Personal sign-off from leadership matters. Human connection beats corporate polish
3

Using Talent Dense Hiring Channels

Hiring is chess meets private investigation. Can you find the pockets of the internet no one else knows about?

"The best ML engineers aren't on LinkedIn. They're in GitHub repos, Discord servers, and academic labs."

  • Find high-density ponds where no other recruiters are fishing
  • Map ideal candidate's full online presence: Twitter, Substack, Discord, courses
  • Use multi-platform stacking (email → DM → LinkedIn) for 80%+ response rates
  • Reach out to "impossible" people. Biggest surprises come from unexpected replies
  • Build relationships with hyper-connected referral sources for warm intros
4

Interviewing to Sell, Not to Assess

The best candidates are free agents. Every conversation bridges you closer or reveals you don't fit.

"The real question isn't "can they do the job?" It's "do we want to build together?""

  • Skip yourself when high signal exists. Let CEO speak directly to candidate
  • Be an "experience orchestrator" not interrogator. Send prep docs 24hrs before
  • Ask "What would make this incredibly compelling for you?" to unlock motivation
  • Recruiting is transference of belief. If you don't believe it, they won't either
  • Leave candidates happier than when they started. This builds your network
5

Assessing Fit Through Discovery Projects

4 hours of real work tells you more than 4 hours of interviews.

"A 4-hour project tells you more than 4 hours of interviews. Show candidates what the actual work looks like."

  • Discovery projects sell the candidate while assessing fit. Gets past the 14-day honeymoon
  • Keep total time 2-4 hours max. Respect their time or they'll ghost
  • Personalize projects for every candidate. Reciprocity drives completion
  • Review call is conversation not interrogation. Start with what they did well
  • Project shows skills clearly. Team decides on potential, product obsession, and willingness to ship
6

The Last Company They'll Ever Work With

High-touch first 30 days = they refer their best friends and never look back.

"Every hire will improve 100x during their time here. Onboard them like they're already a 10x performer."

  • Create scope of work before hire. Success criteria must be defined upfront
  • Implement 14-28 day trial on real projects. Both sides assess fit
  • Identify the "main lever" - the ONE thing they must nail in month one
  • Run reference checks as relationship-building. Referrers might be next hires
  • Use "No 7s" rule. Force real signal: 6 or 8, then dig into why

Beyond the framework

What if I was hired today? What would I need to do step-by-step so I can add value on day one?

The next page is my full recruiting system using an ML Engineer role as the example. It includes everything a recruiter or founder in tech can copy and use to hire world class talent.

Define "great" before you searchJDs that convert like sales pagesGet 80% response on cold outreachTurn skeptics into believersSee real work, not resumesNew hires ship in week 1
See How I'd Hire Wispr's Next ML Engineer

But this works for every role across the stack in any tech company.

"Clearly articulate what you expect, of yourself and of others. It's easy to assume other people know what you want. When I'm frustrated, it's almost always because I haven't communicated what I want or expect. In those cases, of course something else will be happening."

- Sahaj Garg