Finding candidates: which search for which need

Nicoka offers five ways to find candidates in your talent pool: filters, keyword search, the AI search assistant, Ada, and job matching. None of them returns a perfect list. Each one targets potential candidates that you still have to qualify, and all of them depend on what the candidate records contain: the better your candidates are qualified, when they are entered and then job after job, the better the results.

Which search for which need

• Filters: precise, but they only see records whose fields are filled in.
• Keywords: broad, searches the whole content of records and resumes.
• AI search assistant: keywords and filters, written for you from a plain-language description.
• Ada: the same search, as a conversation that you refine over several exchanges.
• Job matching: a match score between a job and each candidate.

1. Filters: precise criteria

In All Candidates, the Filters button filters the list on record fields: function, business sector, location, availability, status… The filters offered and their labels depend on your workspace settings. From a job, Add candidates > Search candidates offers the same criteria as pills, and you can save the search: see Searching candidates from a job: criteria and saved searches. To target a geographical area: see Search for candidates by geographical location.

Good to know: a filter only finds candidates whose field is filled in. A candidate imported without a function or a sector never shows up in a filter on these fields, even if their resume is a perfect fit. For these records, use the keyword search, or qualify them (see below).

2. Keyword search: broad, across all content

The Enter your keywords here box searches the record, the resume and other documents, experiences, skills, educations and notes. It therefore also finds poorly qualified candidates, as long as they have a resume. The Everywhere button, to the left of the box, restricts the search to some areas.

This search is broad by nature: structure your expression to target it. A space means AND, a comma means OR, quotes require an exact phrase, an exclamation mark excludes a word and an asterisk covers variants. For example, "sales director", "sales manager" !internship finds sales directors and sales managers, except profiles that mention an internship. All operators, with examples: see Search for candidates by keywords.

3. The AI search assistant: describe the profile in plain language

The sparkles icon, to the left of the candidate list tabs, opens the AI Assistant tab. Describe the profile you are looking for, for example "Experienced management controller, industry sector, around Lyon". The assistant turns it into a boolean query and filters (experience, radius around a city, availability…) that you can change, remove or complete, then shows the matching candidates. It relies on the same engine as the keyword search: a precise criterion (sector, location) narrows the result. If the icon does not appear, the assistant is not enabled on your workspace: contact your administrator.

4. Ada: search as a conversation

Ada, the assistant built into Nicoka, searches your talent pool from a brief: job, skills, location, experience. You then refine by replying to her, without starting the search over. From a job, she can also search and rank profiles from your talent pool for that job. It takes longer than a direct search, but you get a first commented list. Her results are sorted by text relevance, not by fit with the whole brief: treat them as a starting point to check. See ADA, your assistant in Nicoka.

5. Job matching: a score per candidate

From a job, Add candidates > Show candidates that match this Job compares the job with your candidates and gives each one a match score. The score relies on 10 adjustable criteria: relevance of the job ad against the profile and resume, job title against the candidate's function, distance, salary, remote work, contract type, experience, availability, skills and languages. The business sector is not one of them. The more complete the job (description, required profile, criteria), the more reliable the score: see Match your candidates and your jobs.

Record quality makes result quality

All these searches read what the records contain. A few habits improve results over time:

• Fill in a candidate's function and business sector when you enter them, or as soon as they are considered for a job.
• Qualify a batch of records at once: run a keyword search, tick the candidates, then use Bulk Updates on the field you need, in Add the following mode to keep the values already there.
• Have the desired sector filled in automatically on sourcing: your administrator can tick Add the job industry to the candidate's desired industries on sourcing in the ATS settings: Settings > Modules, Settings on the ATS card, then Customizing points, in the jobs section. Each candidate added to a job then receives the job's business sector, on top of the ones they already have.