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Describe your perfect hire (intake guide)

How to fill the two high-impact intake prompts that power Truffle’s matching, question suggestions, and candidate scoring

Updated over 2 months ago

What you’ll learn

How to complete the two high‑impact intake prompts so Truffle understands success for the role and the human traits that matter on your team.

Where you’ll do this

When creating or editing a job, open the Intake step (labeled Describe your perfect hire in the product). You’ll see two fields plus an optional voice input.


Why intake matters

Your answers feed multiple parts of Truffle:

  • Improves candidate matching and fit scoring

  • Informs the AI that drafts qualification + screening questions

  • Surfaces culture and work‑style signals in candidate summaries

  • Helps evaluators align on what “good” looks like before reviews begin

  • Powers better analytics by anchoring funnel data to your stated outcomes

Bottom line: better intake = better shortlist.


Prompt 1: What success looks like in the first 6–12 months

Field label in app: What should success look like for your new hire in their first 6–12 months? Share the results, milestones, or impact you’d love to see.

Aim for

  • 50+ words (more context = better match)

  • Clear measurable outcomes or observable milestones

  • Bullets or numbered list so we can parse each target

What to include

  • Volume or quality targets (eg <4h SLA, CSAT ≥95%)

  • Project ownership or deliverables (roll out new desktops, migrate CRM)

  • Change metrics (reduce backlog, increase close rate)

  • Cross‑functional contributions (partner with Facilities, Finance)

What to avoid

  • Vague language ("rockstar", "ninja")

  • Pure responsibilities list with no outcomes

  • Internal acronyms nobody outside your team knows (unless explained)


Prompt 2: Traits or x‑factors that make someone thrive (or flop)

Field label in app: What traits or x‑factors make someone thrive (or flop) on your team? Think habits, mindsets, or soft skills that matter – even if they’re hard to put on a résumé.

Aim for

  • 4–8 short bullets: Trait name – short clarifier

  • Include both thrive signals and red flags when helpful

  • Reference real team norms (pace, environment, autonomy) vs generic virtues

Brainstorm prompts

Ask yourself:

  • What habits separate high performers from average ones

  • What behaviors drive you nuts in the role

  • What environmental realities exist (noise, shift work, travel)

  • What communication style works best with your manager or stakeholders


Use voice input (optional)

Prefer to talk it out? Click Switch to voice, speak your answer, and Truffle will transcribe it. You can tidy the text before saving. Voice is great when you want to brain‑dump details and edit later.


Character counter & formatting tips

  • Watch the live counter under each field (max shown in product)

  • Line breaks = bullets; short lines parse best

  • Use plain language; we normalize common abbreviations (SLA, KPI) but spell out niche tools


Example Support Technician role

Success (excerpt)

  • Resolve deskside tickets within SLA, reduce backlog, become go‑to onsite + remote support

  • Lead hardware lifecycle: manage rollout of new desktops/laptops; refresh aging equipment; maintain asset accuracy

  • Contribute to workplace projects across sites

Traits (excerpt)

  • Hospitality mindset – service role; internal clients matter

  • Comfort in industrial settings – some troubleshooting on brewery floor

  • Ownership mentality – fixes or escalates, never "not my job"

  • Tech athlete – knows core tools; picks up new platforms quickly (Zoom, Teams, iGEL, MDM)


Common mistakes

  • Too short (<20 words) so AI can’t distinguish the role from dozens like it

  • Culture wallpaper ("team player", "hard worker") that yields bland matches

  • Copy/paste of the public job ad with no success metrics

  • Only thrive signals; include a flop example to sharpen filtering


Quick QA before you continue

Ask: If I hired someone who hit everything above, would I be thrilled? If no, add or edit until yes.


Need help

Click the chat bubble in the corner and we’ll workshop your intake live with you.

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