Who can do this: Everyone in your company · Product: Candidate Search AI · Where: All candidates → AI Search → filters sidebar
When Candidate Search AI returns a long list, or the top results are the wrong kind of person, change the filters or the brief.
How do I narrow a long result list?
Make 1–2 skills required. Pick the technology that decides the role, and select its required checkbox (shield icon).
Narrow experience. Set Work experience in years to, for example, 5 to 12 instead of 0 to 30+.
Add context to the brief. In the Ideal Candidate Brief, add details like "worked with B2B SaaS customers", "regulated environment" or "led a team of 5+".
Add a Bullhorn filter. For example, Status is Active, or Status is not DNU.
Set a location. Even a wide radius removes the candidates who are far away.
Click Apply Changes.
A long list isn't a problem by itself. The ranking is what matters. Look at the top 20 before cutting.
Verify: the count at the top right goes down and the top results still fit the role.
The top candidates are the wrong kind of person. What do I change?
Wrong top candidates are a meaning problem, not a filter problem.
Read the brief. Check the Ideal Candidate Brief describes the role you meant. Rewrite it in one or two clear sentences, titles and their variations first.
Check what's required. A required skill that's common to many roles (SQL, Excel, "communication") pulls in the wrong profiles. Untick it.
Swap category for technology. "Cloud" becomes "AWS". "Backend" becomes "Java, Spring".
Name the level. For example, "senior individual contributor, not a manager" or "Head of, not manager".
Exclude the neighbor role. If you keep getting project managers for a developer search, exclude "project management", or write "hands-on developer, not PM" in the brief.
Split mixed searches. Run one role per search.
Verify: the top 10 results match the kind of person you're looking for.
Why is a specific candidate ranked too low?
Check the red crosses under the candidate's AI Summary. Each red cross is a requirement the resume doesn't confirm. If that requirement isn't important, remove it from the search and the candidate moves up. If the resume is out of date, update it (in Bullhorn, for Bullhorn candidates).
Verify: run the search again and the candidate ranks higher.
Still stuck?
Send us a message in the chat with the search link from Copy Search URL and two or three names that should be at the top. We'll look at the ranking with you.
Pro tip: Change one thing at a time and click Apply Changes after each change, so you can see which change moved the ranking.
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.