The Rockstar Hiring Guide

To ensure you get the best return on your investment with us, we've built this guide to walk you through our process, key tips, and answers to common questions.

Hiring illustration

Our Simple Two-Step Approach

1 Find Every Viable Candidate

We review every profile in the market so you never miss a viable candidate.

36K
avg. profiles reviewed per campaign
Campaign overview showing profiles reviewed, pipeline, and saturation

2 Get the Ones You Want to Respond

We make it easy for you to get the right candidates to respond.

3–5x
response rate with HM involvement
Higher Lower Response Rate Skin in the Game → Recruiter invites to a screening call Recruiter offers a direct intro Hiring manager reaches out for a Zoom Hiring manager reaches out for coffee Outreach via a mutual connection Low Medium High High Very High
A Human-Led Process

Your recruiter is your strategic partner

AI handles the volume — sourcing, filtering, and processing thousands of profiles. But your recruiting team reviews AI’s work and drives each campaign’s strategy.

Your dedicated Rockstar team
Day 0

Calibrate & Complete Setup

Send us your job description and we'll have a structured onboarding form ready within 12 hours. Takes ~10 minutes to complete.

Calibration onboarding screenshot
1 Calibrate
  • Rate Pre-Selected Profiles — mark yes, no, or maybe on each candidate
  • Add Feedback & Commentary — short notes on what you liked or didn’t
2 Qualify
  • Screening Process — decide if we screen candidates before you meet them
  • Location & Comp — set target locations and compensation range
3 Engage
  • Outreach Pitch — craft the company and role story candidates will see
  • Sourcing Channels — choose from email, InMail, SOBO, or inbound
Week 1 & 2

Get Data + Determine Where We Stand

In the first two weeks, we're collecting data to ensure we have the right go-to-talent motion.

Small Pipeline Big Pipeline
High Interest Low Interest
Consider Broadening

Stress-test our calibration to ensure we can open up the pipeline and drive more quality volume.

Consider Tightening

Look for patterns amongst the strongest candidates and seek to narrow the pipeline to accelerate.

Rethink Approach

Review options to upgrade outreach and/or stress-test calibration to improve results.

Upgrade Outreach

The talent is there but we need to adjust the pitch or update how we engage candidates.

Week 3+

Learn + Iterate to Accelerate

On average, feedback loops tighten the pipeline by ~60% by week 3 — less time on mismatched candidates, faster time to fill.

FEEDBACK SOURCES Candidate Feedback Submitted after interviews Profile Feedback Via Pipeline or Fine-Tuning General Feedback Via Email or Slack Daily Recalibration Criteria updated with latest feedback signals Reprocess Pipeline Pipeline re-scored, refined, and tightened automatically Each cycle increases how many quality candidates you meet per week
What You Should Expect

Here's what a typical weekly funnel looks like

Email Volume
per week		 InMail Volume
per week		 Screening Calls
per week		 Avg Submissions
per week		 Avg Acceptance
rate
Direct IntroCandidates are offered a direct intro to the hiring team 1,100 30 — 5 61%
ScreeningRockstar completes the initial screening 700 30 12 7 23%
Best Practices

Our top three ways to maximize your ROI with Rockstar

Search in Tranches

Start picky so active pipelines stay under 500. You may be surprised — and it puts us in a better position to widen the aperture intelligently.

Spot-Check the Pipeline

The faster the pipeline reflects your needs, the less time is wasted. Spot-check Scheduled and General Pipeline to help us quickly adjust calibration.

Speed to Lead

Review candidates at least once a week. The best candidates move fast — wait too long to respond and they'll be off the market before you get a chance.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get started?
Send us a job description and within 12 hours you'll receive a link to review profiles for calibration and complete setup. Outreach starts within 24 hours of calibration being complete.
How do you find candidates?
We review all public profiles across a range of networks. We're looking at the same pool of candidates a recruiter you would hire is. You should expect us to be exhaustive.
What's the difference between Direct Intro and Screening?
Direct Intro delivers candidates straight to your team — we see up to 2x higher response rates, so we recommend it for companies with existing TA teams, more competitive roles, or where pipelines are small. Screening is best for higher-volume professional hiring (earlier career roles, etc.) where Rockstar handles the initial filter before candidates reach you.
What's the screening process like?
Each candidate completes a 15-minute call with a human recruiter from Rockstar. You can fully customize the questions and have full access to call scripts and audio to decide who to advance vs release.
Do you integrate with ATS systems?
Yes — we integrate with 30+ of the most popular systems to review applications and conduct screening calls. We can also review your existing database to pull out candidates who might be a fit. ATS integration is fully included.
Is Rockstar just a software tool or will I work with a recruiter?
Rockstar is a human-led solution — you'll work with a real recruiter. Our process is then backed by AI in key spots to maximize leverage and efficiency.
How much does Rockstar cost?
A flat fee per unique role per month — $800 or $1,250 based on the candidate's comp level. 80% of roles close within 6 weeks with an average of 4.5 weeks, putting the avg cost to fill at ~$1,400 and ~$900 respectively. Hiring multiples of the same role? No extra fee. No additional fees of any kind. Clients rarely pay north of 3% of first-year salary.
Is there a minimum commitment or contract?
No. Rockstar is pay-as-you-go. You can pause or cancel at any time. All pricing is pro-rated after the first two weeks.
What happens if I'm not happy with the results?
If you're not satisfied, we don't charge you. Our model is built around delivering results — not locking you into a contract. We'd rather earn your trust every month than rely on fine print.
What types of roles does Rockstar work best for?
Rockstar works across a wide range of functions — engineering, sales, operations, finance, marketing, and more. We're especially effective for roles where passive candidates are the primary talent pool and traditional job postings alone won't cut it.
What geographies or markets do you cover?
We recruit candidates globally. The vast majority of roles we support are recruiting candidates in the US, Canada, LatAm, the Philippines, and the EU.
What size companies do you typically work with?
Rockstar is built for small and growing companies that need world-class recruiting but don't have the budget for a large internal team or the brand recognition to attract top talent organically. Most of our clients are startups and mid-market companies scaling their teams.