The short answer
Start with one question: can someone perform this role from day one without this requirement? If the answer is no, it's a hard requirement. What you can train or develop in-house belongs on a different list.
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Must-have or nice-to-have: it starts with the role
Hiring managers think in candidates they know. That's why job postings end up with requirements that are really preferences: experience with a specific system, a particular industry, a certain degree. Those preferences cost you reach without improving quality.
The conversation doesn't start with the job posting. It starts with the role itself. What needs to work on day one? Which qualification, certification, or skill can't be transferred through onboarding? Only when that's clear can you determine what's truly necessary.
Three questions that keep the conversation sharp
Question one: what does this person do in their first week when there's no onboarding time available? That reveals which skills need to be immediately deployable. Question two: which certificate, degree, or registration is legally required or required by the client? That's a hard requirement, full stop. Question three: what could you train or develop in-house within six months? Everything you answer yes to there doesn't belong on the hard requirements list.
Fictional example: a logistics company is looking for a driver and lists ten requirements. After these three questions, three remain: a CE driving license, a valid code 95, and basic knowledge of digital consignment notes. The other seven are onboarding points.
How Red Rocket processes those requirements
Once the hard requirements are set, we translate them into qualification questions in our AI. Candidates answer those questions via WhatsApp, at a time that works for them. The AI checks the answers against the requirements you and the hiring manager established. If a candidate doesn't qualify, they automatically don't receive an invitation.
In the Cockpit you see the full picture: the answers, a score, and optionally a CV or follow-up questions. You decide who to personally follow up with and hire.
From explanation to your practice
Source and editorial note
This article offers practical considerations. Examples are fictional, not client results or forecasts. The source below provides broader context, not evidence for a particular Red Rocket outcome.
Frequently asked questions
What if the hiring manager won't let go of certain requirements?
Go back to the role, not the person. Ask what concretely goes wrong if a candidate doesn't have that requirement. If there's no real risk, it's not a hard requirement.
Does Red Rocket verify that candidates meet the hard requirements?
The AI checks based on what candidates submit themselves. Required certificates or degrees are verified by you as the employer before hiring someone.
