Who can do this: Anyone with Candidate Search AI · Product: Candidate Search AI · Where: All candidates → AI Search → Filters sidebar → Skills & Competencies → Skills
Every skill in the Candidate Search AI Filters sidebar is required, optional or excluded. Choose per skill with two checkboxes on the skill card.
How do I set a skill to required, optional or excluded?
In the Filters sidebar, find the skill card under Skills.
To make the skill required, select the first checkbox (shield icon). When the skill is required, hovering the shield shows Remove required.
To exclude the skill, select the second checkbox (crossed-circle icon, tooltip Exclude skill).
To keep the skill optional, leave both checkboxes off.
Click Apply Changes at the bottom of the sidebar.
A required and an optional skill
Java has the shield checkbox selected, and Spring has both checkboxes off.
In the example, Java is required and Spring is optional.
What does a required skill do?
A required skill is a hard filter. Only candidates whose profile has that skill pass, including other ways of writing it.
"React" required still matches "React.js", "ReactJS" and "React developer".
"Front end development" required does not match a candidate who lists React and Angular but never wrote "front end development".
Use required for precise things: Java, SAP FI, Python, CPA, a specific language. Keep required skills to your top 1–3 real must-haves.
What does an optional skill do?
An optional skill helps ranking. Candidate Search AI weighs it with the rest of your search, but nobody is removed for lacking it. Optional skills also let Candidate Search AI infer: several front-end technologies on a profile point to a front-end developer, even without that phrase.
Use optional for broad categories, nice-to-haves, and anything resumes describe in many different ways.
What does an excluded skill do?
An excluded skill is a hard filter in reverse: candidates with the skill are removed, including other ways of writing it. Use exclude sparingly. "Exclude PHP" also removes strong full-stack people who once used PHP.
The Exclude skill checkbox
Hover the crossed-circle checkbox to see Exclude skill. Selecting it removes candidates with this skill.
How do I set the experience level for a skill?
On the skill card, click Select experience.
Select Low (0-3 years), Mid (4-6 years) or High (7+ years).
Click Apply Changes.
"Java, High" prefers people with 7+ years in Java specifically, not 7+ years of work in total.
The experience level on a skill card
Click Select experience to pick Low, Mid or High for that skill.
Do I need to type every spelling of a skill?
No, you don't need to type every spelling or abbreviation of a skill. Candidates write the same skill in different ways: short forms, full names, different spellings. Candidately brings skills on profiles into a standard form, so a skill you search for can match a resume that writes it differently.
This happens in the background. You don't see a list of variations on screen.
Type the skill the way you normally would.
Required and excluded work on the skill, not only on the exact word you typed.
A result can show up even if the resume doesn't contain your exact word. Open the profile or read the AI Summary to see how the candidate fits.
Quick summary
Required on: strict, for specific skills
Both off: optional, for broad concepts
Exclude on: strict removal, use rarely
Too few results? First check how many skills are required.
Troubleshooting
A candidate shows up who looks off
Cause: the skill is optional, or matched a different way of writing it.
Fix: make your must-have skills required, or exclude a skill you don't want.
Verify: click Apply Changes and check that the candidate is gone.
A skill doesn't match a resume I expected
Cause: the resume describes the skill in different words.
Fix: make the skill optional, or describe the skill in the Ideal Candidate Brief, then click Apply Changes.
Verify: the candidate appears in the results.
Still stuck? Send us a message in the chat with the search link (Copy Search URL) and the skill you searched for.
Pro tip: Keep required skills to your top 1–3 must-haves. Too few results? Check how many skills are required first.
We are always here for you if you need us.
Our whole team is around almost 24/7 to support you. Click the chat icon at the bottom right to start chatting with us. Our team is happy to help.