FAQs

What is Prologue?

Prologue is an AI recruiter designed to run automated headhunting campaigns, acting as a drop-in replacement for traditional recruitment agencies.

What are the main features of Prologue that differentiate it from other AI recruiting tools?

Prologue stands out as a drop-in replacement for traditional recruitment agencies. Our key differentiators include:

• End-to-End Candidate Handling: We manage the entire outreach process to candidates and only present profiles that have been pre-approved by our system, ensuring high relevance and quality.
• Specialized AI Engine: Our AI is specifically designed for startups, scale-ups, and tech companies, using a rich dataset and advanced algorithms to identify the most suitable candidates.
• No-Win, No-Fee Pricing: We charge a success fee only when a candidate we introduce is hired, aligning our goals with your hiring success.

Who can benefit from using Prologue?

Startups, scale-ups, and tech companies can benefit from Prologue’s services. Prologue is optimised for recruiting roles commonly found at tech companies, including software engineers, data scientists, product managers, and account executives (plus many more).

In which regions or countries is Prologue available?

Prologue can handle recruitment campaigns anywhere in the world, for remote, onsite, or hybrid roles.

What is the process?

Prologue’s recruitment process involves 4 stages:

1. Calibration
2. Headhunting
3. Screening
4. Scheduling

See below for specific information about each stage

How long does it typically take?

We aim for the headhunting process to be completed within a maximum of 7 days. By the end of this period, you should have several high-quality interviews scheduled with candidates. More details on the specific duration of each stage are below.

What is calibration?

Calibration is the initial phase where we gather and refine your requirements to learn more about your preferences. For the first round, we will either have sent you a link to profiles we think could be a good fit, or you sign up on our website and submit your job description and we will email you a link.

We can learn a lot from the job description, but there may be things missing or priorities that are not clear. During calibration, you can either simply approve or disqualify candidates, or provide written feedback that we will incorporate to refine our search and better align with your requirements.

At the end of calibration, you can decide if you would like to start another cycle or move on to headhunting.

How long between rounds of calibration?

Around 12 hours. Finding relevant candidates requires a substantial amount of compute and time.

How many rounds of calibration do you typically do?

The number of calibration rounds depends on how well our initial candidate matches align with your requirements. If you approve a significant proportion of candidates from the first round, we may not need additional rounds. If further refinement is needed, we may go through a couple more rounds to better meet your needs. It is up to you to decide when to continue to headhunting.

How detailed does the job description need to be for calibration?

While a detailed job description helps us understand your needs better, the only information we explicitly need is a job title, location, and some basic details on the role (this varies from role to role). If important aspects are missing or unclear, we will seek clarification during the calibration process to ensure we accurately capture your requirements.

What happens if I don’t respond to the profiles in the calibration phase?

We need to complete calibration before moving on to headhunting. The process will not continue until you complete calibration.

Why is feedback required during calibration?

The purpose of calibration is to make sure we fully understand your requirements and preferences. The only way to achieve this is through your feedback. Feedback can be concise or detailed, but the more information you provide, the better we can align with your needs.

What is headhunting?

Headhunting begins once the calibration phase is complete. In this phase, our AI engine searches for candidates who match your refined criteria. We leverage our enriched dataset to identify the most relevant profiles based on our calibrated understanding of your requirements.

We then send personalized outreach to these potential candidates, highlighting the opportunity and gauging their interest. This targeted approach ensures that we only engage with candidates who are a good fit for your role.

As candidates express interest, we evaluate their profiles further to ensure they meet your specified criteria before presenting them to you. This process focuses on identifying and engaging with the best potential candidates to fill your open positions.

Have candidates signed up to Prologue?

No, candidates do not sign up with Prologue prior to being contacted. We do not have a candidate-facing signup process. Instead, we reach out to potential candidates directly through cold outreach, inviting them to apply.

Who does outreach come from?

Outreach comes from us - we mention your company but we make it clear that you are not sending the message.

Can I see who you outreached to?

Not currently. You will only be able to see candidates who expressed interest during the screening phase.

Can I review the outreach messages before they are sent to candidates?

Currently, you cannot review the outreach messages before they are sent. Prologue handles candidate communication through various platforms and sends follow-up messages as needed. Our approach is designed to streamline the recruitment process, similar to a traditional agency recruiter, by managing the details of candidate outreach on your behalf.

What do candidates see when you reach out to them?

When we reach out to candidates, we create personalized landing pages for each one. These pages explain why we believe they’re a great fit for the role, using insights from your job description to highlight the specific aspects of the position that align with their experience and skills.

What if you reach out to someone who shouldn’t have been contacted?

Occasionally, there might be instances where we reach out to candidates who are not an ideal fit, work at a company you prefer not to recruit from, or have been previously rejected that we are not aware of. To minimize this, ensure you clearly communicate your constraints during the calibration phase. While we strive to adhere to your preferences, headhunting involves reaching out to many candidates, and occasional errors are possible. If this is a significant concern for you, consider if this approach aligns with your needs.`,

How long does headhunting take?

We typically take around 48 hours to reach out to candidates. We gradually increase the volume of outreach to ensure we compile a high-quality shortlist for you to review during the screening phase.

What is screening?

Candidates who have passed our initial evaluation and expressed interest are presented to you for review. You will receive detailed profiles of these candidates, allowing you to assess their fit for your role.

During this phase, you have the option to:

• Approve candidates who meet your criteria and proceed with the next steps.
• Disqualify candidates who do not meet your requirements.

Candidates will not see your feedback. If you disqualify candidates, we will inform them on your behalf. Additionally, we will continue to learn from your screening decisions to improve our search and better align with your preferences.

What information will I see in the candidate profiles during screening?

You will see detailed profiles that include key information such as skills, experience, and other relevant qualifications. This information is designed to help you assess whether the candidate meets your requirements and fits the role. We will also provide links to online profiles (e.g. Github, Dribble) for you to find out more.

What happens if I need to make changes to the criteria after screening has started?

You can provide updates to your criteria during the screening process.

How do you handle candidates who are disqualified?

Candidates who are disqualified will be informed by us on your behalf. We ensure that communication is handled professionally, maintaining a positive experience for all candidates.

Can I request additional candidates if I don’t find suitable ones during screening?

We aim to present you with 3-6 candidates at a time. If you haven’t reached this range or need more options, we will run another round of headhunting to find additional candidates. You can then review and screen the new results to identify the best fit for your role.

How will my feedback impact future candidate searches?

We analyze your decisions and preferences to improve our candidate matching and outreach efforts, ensuring that future candidates align more closely with your needs.

How does Prologue handle scheduling interviews?

We offer two options for managing the scheduling process:

• Prologue Scheduling: Prologue can handle the scheduling for you. We will send candidates a scheduling link that allows them to book an interview slot based on your availability. For this option, you need to connect your Google or Microsoft calendar to Prologue, enabling us to access your availability and streamline the scheduling process.
• Manual Scheduling: If you prefer to manage the scheduling yourself, we will provide you with the candidates' contact information. You can then reach out to them directly to arrange interview times that work for both parties.

Why would I use Prologue to schedule interviews?

Using Prologue to schedule your interviews can save time by allowing candidates to book slots based on your availability. However, if your company has policies that restrict third-party access to your calendar, you may prefer to handle scheduling yourself (for example by emailing the candidate your own scheduling link) to maintain control and adhere to those policies.

How do I connect my calendar to Prologue for scheduling?

You’ll be prompted to connect your calendar during screening. If you would like to use Prologue Scheduling follow the prompts to grant Prologue access to your calendar. All scopes are required.

What are the default availability windows for scheduling, and can I customize them?

Prologue provides default availability windows from 9 AM to 5 PM for scheduling interviews. You can customize these time slots in the settings to better fit your schedule and ensure availability aligns with your preferences.

What happens if I need to reschedule an interview?

We don’t handle re-scheduling yet - email the candidate directly to do this.

Can I see the scheduled interview times in my own calendar?

Yes, once a candidate books an interview slot through the Prologue scheduling link, the appointment will appear in your connected Google or Microsoft calendar. This ensures that you have a complete view of all your scheduled interviews in one place.

What if a candidate cannot find a suitable time slot in my availability?

If you opt for Prologue Scheduling we can follow up with the candidate to find a time that works.

How does Prologue ensure the quality and relevance of candidates?

Prologue uses a specialized AI engine tailored for startups, scale-ups, and tech companies. We maintain a comprehensive dataset of publicly available candidate information, enriched with startup-relevant details such as tech stacks and funding rounds of companies which we query from to find relevant people.

We employ large language models (LLMs) to screen candidates, ensuring they align with your specific needs. We then iterate on our search using ML techniques to find the best sourcing strategy for the role. Our process involves screening thousands of candidates to identify and reach out to only the most relevant profiles. This rigorous approach helps us present you with high-quality candidates who closely match your requirements.

What types of information does Prologue’s AI engine use to evaluate candidates?

The evaluation process varies based on the role and your specific requirements. Rather than relying on rigid “box ticking” or algorithmic keyword matching, our AI engine assesses candidates holistically. It reviews the overall profile in a manner similar to how a human recruiter would, aiming to gauge whether the candidate is a good fit for the position.

How does Prologue’s AI engine handle bias in candidate evaluation?

Prologue is committed to minimizing bias in the candidate evaluation process. Our AI engine is designed with built-in safeguards to ensure fair and objective assessments. We use diverse datasets and fine-tuned algorithms that focus only on relevant skills, experience, and fit rather than personal attributes.

Would Prologue work for a niche or industry-specific role?

In general, Prologue is effective for any role typically found at startups or scale-ups. Whether it’s a technical position like a software/ML engineer, a commercial role such as an AE, or an executive-level position, our AI engine is designed to handle diverse hiring needs. To determine if Prologue is the right fit for your specific role, we recommend uploading your job description and trying it out

What is Prologue's pricing model?

Prologue charges a 2% success fee based on the starting salary of the candidate you hire through our service. This fee is only applicable if you successfully hire a candidate we have introduced to you. There are no upfront costs or hidden fees—it’s a no-win, no-fee model. Please note that equity compensation does not count towards the success fee.

Why did you choose a success fee model?

We chose a success fee model to align our incentives with your hiring goals. By charging a fee only when you successfully hire a candidate, we ensure that we are fully invested in finding the best fit for your role. This model not only emphasizes our commitment to delivering high-quality candidates but also keeps barriers to entry low, allowing you to use our service without any upfront costs or financial risk.

Are there any additional costs beyond the 2% success fee?

No, there are no additional costs beyond the 2% success fee. You only pay this fee if you hire a candidate we introduce.

When is the success fee billed?

The success fee is billed upon successful placement of the candidate, based on their starting salary.

What if I don’t hire any candidates?

If you do not hire any candidates we introduce, there is no charge.

What if we are introduced to the same candidate by someone else?

If a candidate is introduced to you by multiple sources, the success fee is based on who made the first introduction. In such cases, Prologue’s introduction takes precedence if it occurred before the other source.

Do you offer a SaaS or other pricing options?

Currently, we operate on a success fee model, and we do not generally offer a SaaS or other pricing structures. Email support@prologue.app if you would like to use Prologue on some other basis.

Are there any discounts for multiple hires or long-term contracts?

Currently, we do not offer discounts for multiple hires or long-term contracts. However, if you have specific needs, please contact us to discuss potential options.

Where can I find more details about the contract and terms?

For more details about the contract and terms, please refer to our exact contract.

Can Prologue integrate with existing HR systems or Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)?

Currently no.

What kind of data security measures does Prologue implement to protect user and candidate information?

Prologue adheres to GDPR and other relevant data protection regulations to ensure the security and confidentiality of user and candidate information. If data security is a concern for you, get in touch and we can discuss your needs.

Do you have support?

Yes, there is live chat in the product and you can email us at support@prologue.app.