Kairos hiring kit
What good looks like has changed. Pick the kind of role you're hiring and get the job ad changes, the interview questions and a scorecard to use in the room. It takes about five minutes.
The people doing best in startups right now have changed how they work in the last year, and they can tell you exactly how. AI has made a strong generalist far more capable, so the things most job ads still screen for, like years in a particular tool, a specific degree or a big-company logo, tell you less than they used to.
At early stage, hire generalists who believe in what you're building. Move to specialists when the outcome you need changes and you need real depth in one area to keep growing. Headcount alone is a poor trigger.
The most expensive mistake we see is hiring from large corporates on large salaries for early roles. People bring the playbook they know, and the startup loses the speed that was its advantage.
If you're hiring into a function you don't know well yourself, brief on the outcomes you need in the first year and use the interviews to see how strong candidates would get there. The best of them will help you shape the role.
Step 1: choose the role
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Copy-ready opening
We're a small team building [product] for [customer]. In your first year you'll own [outcome]. We care more about how you think and how you've adapted than how long you've spent in a particular tool. If the way you work has changed in the last year and you can show us how, let's talk.
"Walk me through how your day-to-day work has actually changed in the last 12 months because of AI. What do you do now that you didn't before, and what have you stopped doing?"
Shows whether they've genuinely adapted or just know the vocabulary.
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"Tell me about a time you were completely blocked and there was no one senior to help. What did you do, and how did it resolve?"
Shows self-direction and whether they'll make a call under uncertainty.
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"What's something you believed about your craft 18 months ago that you've changed your mind about? What changed it?"
Shows a pattern of evolving. People who can't name anything usually haven't.
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"If you had ten times more access to AI tools than you have now, what would you do differently in this role? Be specific."
Shows whether they've thought about what AI makes possible for the team and the business.
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Copy-ready opening
We're hiring engineers who ship. You'll own features from problem definition through to production, with AI built into how you work. We care more about the systems you've shipped and what you learned running them than the languages on your CV. If you frame problems well, work across the stack and use AI every day, let's talk.
Use the four questions under Any role, plus this one.
"You've just shipped a feature built mostly with AI. It works, but you're not fully confident you understand every part of it. What do you do?"
Shows ownership and how they balance speed with accountability. There's no single right answer.
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Copy-ready opening
We're looking for GTM people who build the system they work in. You'll read your own data, design your own playbooks and use AI tools as a natural part of how you operate. If you've got strong opinions about how revenue teams should work, and evidence your views have evolved, let's talk.
Use the four questions under Any role, plus this one.
"Tell me about a gap you spotted in your company's revenue process that wasn't technically your responsibility. What did you do about it?"
Shows whether they understand the whole funnel and take ownership beyond their own lane.
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Copy-ready opening
We're hiring designers with taste, judgment and pace. You'll work alongside engineers who ship fast, giving directional feedback in real time. You use AI to explore directions quickly, you make the call on what gets built, and you own what ships. If you've spent the last year evolving how you work, we want to hear how.
Use the four questions under Any role, plus this one.
"An engineer has used AI to build a feature overnight that would have taken two weeks before. It works, but the UX is rough. How do you approach it?"
Shows whether the designer helps work ship or holds it up.
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Step 4: score in the room
Tap a score from 1 to 5 for each dimension during or straight after the interview. Once someone clears the basics of the role, these are what separate a solid hire from an outstanding one.
Candidate: ______________________ Role: ______________________ Date: __________
AI fluency
Has genuinely changed how they work because of AI, with specific examples.
Autonomy
Unblocks themselves and makes calls under uncertainty.
Adaptability
What they do today is meaningfully different from 18 months ago, by design.
Role craft
The core skill for the role, shown with evidence.
Whole-business thinking
Understands the wider system and takes ownership beyond their own lane.
Total 0 / 25
Book a 20-minute hiring reset call and we'll pressure-test the brief, the job ad and how you'll assess candidates. Kairos is a Melbourne-based recruitment agency for Australian startups and scaleups.
Book a hiring reset callMegan Luttrell, Founder, Kairos · LinkedIn
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