Definition
Candidate matching automatically pairs profiles and jobs. The tool compares the role's skills, experience and other criteria with the candidates', then ranks the profiles. It works both ways: finding candidates for a job, or jobs for a candidate.
Approaches range from simple keyword matching to semantic search, which recognizes that "BI analyst" and "Power BI developer" are close.
What to require
A ranking without reasons is a black box. The output should be an explained match score: which skills are covered, which are missing. Matching is there to sort faster; the decision stays with the recruiter. To see why most applications do not fit the role, read our analysis of application screening.
Concrete example
For an accounting technician job, the tool ranks 200 profiles from the database. At the top are candidates with the required software and experience; for each one, it lists the skills covered and missing. The recruiter reads those reasons and decides who to call. A profile ranked lower is not rejected: it simply waits until someone looks at why.