Role Kickoff Checklist
Your action roadmap when a new role lands - links to every template
Role Kickoff Checklist
When a new role lands on your desk, start here.
The Flow
Step 0 (Bonus): Estimate recruiter time
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Step 1: Intake call with Hiring Manager (30 min)
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Step 2: Prepare 7 assets
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Step 3: Build Discovery Project + Email Automations
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Step 4: Post job, set up inbound workflow
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Step 5: Execute sourcing strategy (outbound)
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DAILY: Review inbound, track outbound, review Discovery Projects
Step 0 (Bonus): Estimate Recruiter Time
A quick tool to estimate how much recruiter time you'll spend on a role. Not essential, but helpful for planning capacity.
Step 1: Intake Call (30 min)
Fill out the Job Scorecard with the Hiring Manager. This is a 30 minute call where you walk through:
| Section | What You Define |
|---|---|
| Role Overview | Position, reports to, new or backfill |
| Vision for Role | 2-3 sentences on why a top performer would be excited |
| Single Sentence Filter | The 2 Variables in one sentence ("This person could [VERB] + [OUTCOME] while [CONSTRAINT]") |
| Candidate Profile | Personality type, past experience, experience level, comp range |
| Dream Role Overview | What would make this their dream job? |
| Required Skills (Max 3) | Each skill maps to job responsibilities |
The completed scorecard becomes your JD, outreach messaging, interview questions, and discovery project. One source of truth.
Automation Opportunity: Build an internal recruiting chatbot linked to this playbook + Exa AI for sourcing. The chatbot can pre-fill the scorecard based on past roles, industry research, and company context, cutting role kickoff time by 10x.
Step 2: Prepare the 7 Assets
After the intake call, prepare these before anything else:
| Asset | Template | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Job Scorecard | Job Scorecard Template | Output of the intake call - defines who you're looking for |
| JD for <role> | JD Sales Page Template | External-facing sales page for candidates |
| Internal pitch | Recruiter Pitch Template | How to sell the role on calls |
| VSL for <role> | Role VSL Template | Video version of the JD |
| LinkedIn post | Derived from VSL | Social post to attract candidates |
| Email blast | Derived from LinkedIn post | Outreach to your network |
| Sourcing strategy | Pond Philosophy | Which ponds to hit and in what order |
Step 3: Build the Discovery Project + Email Automations
Discovery Project
Email Automations to Set Up in ATS
| When It Sends | Purpose | |
|---|---|---|
| Application received | Immediately after submission | Confirmation + what to expect |
| Day 1: Company story | 24 hours later | Why we exist, the problem we're solving |
| Day 2: Team spotlight | 48 hours later | Who they'd work with, culture proof |
| Day 3: Product deep dive | 72 hours later | What we're building, recent wins |
| Day 4: Customer stories | 96 hours later | Impact we're having |
| Day 5: Behind the scenes | 120 hours later | Day in the life, office culture |
| Interview invite | When moved to interview stage | Clear next steps, prep materials |
| Discovery project invite | After passing interview | Project brief + timeline |
This 5-7 day nurturing sequence runs automatically regardless of whether they get the job. Candidates stay warm, even if the process takes weeks. See full details
Step 4: Post and Automate (Inbound)
- Post the job on your ATS
- Post the job on your careers site
- Set up email automations for this role
Daily: Review all inbound every 24 hours. Move qualified people to the next stage.
Step 5: Execute Sourcing (Outbound)
| Task | Resource |
|---|---|
| Define the ponds | Pond Philosophy |
| Advanced sourcing | Beyond LinkedIn |
| Track sourced leads | Shortlist in your ATS or tracking doc |
| Send personalized outreach | Familiar but Surprising Framework |