You posted the role on LinkedIn. Maybe a job board. You got 180 applications in 48 hours. You have a product to ship, investors to update, and a team to manage, and somehow you’re supposed to find a senior engineer in here.
This is the founder hiring crunch. Here’s how to get out of it.
Step 1: Hard filter before you read anything
Before you open a single CV, set your three non-negotiable criteria and reject anything that doesn’t meet them. Don’t read. Don’t give the benefit of the doubt. If the hard requirements aren’t there, it’s a no.
This alone cuts 40 to 60 percent of most application pools. You’re now looking at 70 to 100 CVs instead of 180.
Step 2: Score the survivors on the criteria that matter
For the candidates who cleared your hard filter, score them on four to five weighted criteria. Years of relevant experience, domain fit, evidence of impact, seniority match. Give each criterion a weight and a score. Calculate the composite.
You’re now looking at a ranked list, not a pile.
Step 3: Read only the top 20 percent
Proper reading, your full attention, goes to the top 20 percent of your ranked list. That’s 15 to 20 candidates. For each one you’re asking: does this person’s story make sense for this role? What are the risks? What questions do I need to ask?
Step 4: Move fast on your shortlist
The best candidates are interviewing with three other companies. Once you have your shortlist, move within 24 hours. Every day of delay loses you a percentage of your best options.
If steps one and two feel like too much to do manually on top of everything else, Sieve does them automatically. Upload the pool, get a ranked shortlist. Back to building. Try it at sievecv.com.