Hiring guides & playbooks
Practical hiring guides, role playbooks and compliance checklists for founders, hiring managers and recruiters, from job descriptions and sourcing to interviews, offers and pay transparency.
How to Run a Great Hiring Process
Step 1
Hiring Strategy
Decide who you need, how you will pay them and how you will pitch the role before you open it.
How to pitch your company and role to candidates
How to pitch your startup to candidates: the four-part story, what to say at each hiring step, how to answer 'why should I join', and a pitch worksheet.
Reviewed November 2026 · 9 min readGuideCompensation strategy guide for startups
How to write a compensation philosophy, benchmark pay, build levels and bands, balance cash and equity, and explain pay to candidates.
Reviewed November 2026 · 9 min readStep 2
Attract Candidates
Write job descriptions and build an employer brand that bring in the right applicants.
How to write a job description that attracts qualified candidates
What to include in a job description, which biased language to replace, plus a fill-in template and a review checklist you can use today.
Reviewed November 2026 · 8 min readGuideHow to build an employer brand online
Audit your online presence, including your careers page, LinkedIn, company reviews and job posts. Here's what to fix to stand out to candidates.
Reviewed November 2026 · 8 min readGuideHow to protect your employer brand when you're hiring
When candidates apply for your roles, they should come away with a positive impression of your company. Use these best practices to keep it that way.
Reviewed November 2026 · 12 min readGuideBuild a personal brand for hiring
Candidates look you up before they reply. Here's how to set up your profiles so they trust you and want to work with you.
Reviewed November 2026 · 11 min readGuideEmployer branding for inclusive hiring
Show candidates your hiring is fair and open to everyone. Here's what to publish, what not to claim and where the law stands today.
Reviewed November 2026 · 7 min readStep 3
Source Candidates
Go find people who are not applying, and widen where you look.
Where to post jobs and find candidates
Choose the right job boards and sources for each role, then track where candidates come from and which sources actually produce hires.
Reviewed November 2026 · 9 min readGuideHow to source candidates
Find people who are not applying, write outreach they answer, and track what works. Includes copyable templates and how to run it in Dover.
Reviewed November 2026 · 10 min readStep 4
Screen & Interview Candidates
Run phone screens and interview loops that are consistent, fair and fast.
How to run a recruiter screen
Run a recruiter screen by phone or video: schedule fast, check the candidate is real, ask the same questions and score with a rubric.
Reviewed November 2026 · 14 min readGuideInterview process best practices
Design a fast, fair, structured interview process: stages, scorecards, debriefs, technical interviews and AI, plus how to run it in Dover.
Reviewed November 2026 · 13 min readGuideHow to interview inclusively
Give every candidate a fair interview: structured questions, accommodations, lawful questions and the AI and video rules that apply today.
Reviewed November 2026 · 11 min readStep 5
Close Candidates
Make the offer, sell the role and get to a yes.
How to make a job offer
Make a job offer step by step: align on terms, call first, put it in writing, handle negotiation and a no, and welcome your new hire.
Reviewed November 2026 · 8 min readTemplateSample benefits page template
A fill-in benefits summary to send with a job offer, with current plan limits, state leave rules and what to check with your providers.
Reviewed November 2026 · 8 min readHiring Resources
Use these alongside the five steps.
Hiring Playbooks
Role-by-role playbooks for hiring, with what a hire costs on Dover's Marketplace.
How to hire an engineer
Hire your first engineer step by step: which engineer you need, what to look for, what it costs, where to find them, interviews, references and the offer.
Reviewed November 2026 · 22 min readPlaybookHow to hire a product manager
Hire your first product manager step by step: when to hire, what to look for, what it costs, where to find them, take-homes, interviews and pay.
Reviewed November 2026 · 17 min readPlaybookHow to hire a product designer
Hire your first product designer step by step: when to hire, which type, portfolio review, a fair design exercise, interviews, references and pay.
Reviewed November 2026 · 16 min readPlaybookHow to hire a salesperson
Hire your first salesperson step by step: AE or SDR, what to look for, what it costs, where to find them, interviews, references and pay.
Reviewed November 2026 · 14 min readPlaybookHow to hire a customer success manager
Hire your first customer success manager step by step: when to hire, what to look for, what it costs, where to find them, a case study, references and pay.
Reviewed November 2026 · 14 min readPlaybookHow to hire a marketer
Hire your first marketer step by step: which role to hire first, what it costs, where to find them, a take-home, interview questions, references and pay.
Reviewed November 2026 · 15 min readCompliance Guides
The laws that change how you post jobs and screen candidates.
Pay transparency laws by state
Which states and cities require pay ranges in job postings, with effective dates, who is covered, penalties and a compliant posting template.
Reviewed November 2026 · 15 min readGuideNYC Local Law 144: AI hiring law guide
What NYC's AI hiring law requires: bias audits, public summaries, candidate notices and penalties, plus how newer state laws and federal action compare.
Reviewed November 2026 · 9 min read