How to use Notion for hiring at your startup

Notion is a favorite tool among Indian startups - and it can double up as a free, flexible hiring system. Whether you’re hiring interns or senior engineers, Notion helps you stay organised without needing an ATS in the early days.

Here’s how to use Notion to run your hiring smoothly.

1. Build a simple public-facing careers page

Create a clean Notion page with:

• A short intro about your company and why you’re hiring
• List of open roles with short descriptions
• Links to job detail pages or Google/Typeform application forms
• Optional: photos, perks, policies, or a note from the founder

Publish the page using “Share to web” and enable indexing if you want it searchable.

Bonus tip: Use Super.so or Potion to turn it into a slick website if you care about design.

2. Create a database to manage your pipeline

Make a Notion table or board with fields like:

• Candidate Name
• Role applied for
• Stage (e.g. Applied, Shortlisted, Interviewed, Offer)
• Resume link
• Notes/comments
• Source (e.g. LinkedIn, Referral, etc.)
• Status (On Hold, Rejected, Hired)

This becomes your mini ATS. You can filter by role, add comments after interviews, and tag team members.

3. Add job description pages with clarity

For each open role, create a Notion page that includes:

• What the person will work on
• Tech/tools used (or domain focus)
• Expectations in the first 3 months
• Must-have vs nice-to-have skills
• Your hiring process and timelines
• Application link (Google Form, Typeform, or email)

Good candidates read this stuff - don’t keep it vague.

4. Collaborate with your team inside Notion

You can @mention teammates for input or notes on candidates.
Use comments during shortlisting, or assign stages by dragging cards in a Kanban board.

No more messy email threads or lost resumes.

5. When Notion works best (and when it doesn’t)

Use Notion when:

• You’re hiring for less then 5 roles
• Your team already uses Notion for docs/tasks
• You want something clean and low-maintenance

It’s not ideal when you get 100+ applicants per role - tracking, filtering, and automations become harder. That’s when tools like Nirnay.io help automate screening and rank candidates intelligently.

Hiring needs structure - even at a scrappy stage. Notion gives you just enough control without friction. And when you're ready to scale hiring across multiple roles, Nirnay.io helps Indian startups with auto-screening, JD writing, and fast filtering.