--- title: How to run candidate searches slug: how-to-run-candidate-searches icon: 🔍 createdAt: 2024-12-13T22:23:11.931Z --- This guide covers: ::::VerticalSplit{layout="middle"} :::VerticalSplitItem - [Tips for getting better search results](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#tips-for-getting-better-search-results) - [Sourcing engine filters](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#sourcing-engine-filters) - [How Pin’s search filter logic works](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#how-pins-search-filter-logic-works) - [Excluding job titles](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#excluding-job-titles) ::: :::VerticalSplitItem - [Creating preset lists](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#creating-preset-lists) - [Cloning candidate searches](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#cloning-candidate-searches) - [Copy and pasting a candidate's resume into search](https://docs.pin.com/how-to-run-candidate-searches#copy-and-pasting-a-candidates-resume-into-search) ::: :::: *** # Tips for getting better search results Here are some tips we recommend to generate better search results. - **Clearly define the role and requirements by including details like:** - Job titles - Required technical and soft skills - Relevant industry or domain experience - Necessary certifications, licenses, or formal training - **Specify experience and tools by outlining:** - Minimum years of experience - Key tools, platforms, or methodologies candidates should be familiar with - **Use “Required” fields thoughtfully** Only mark criteria as “Required” when it's necessary, since overusing them can limit your candidate pool. Being flexible allows Pin to surface more relevant matches. - **Actively** **accept or decline candidates** After \~10 decisions, Pin can suggest smart refinements to your search. *** # Sourcing engine filters ### Sourcing Preferences: - **AI Evaluation** – Ask questions to help evaluate candidates - **ATS Candidates** – Filter candidates already in your ATS. If your ATS integration doesn’t support this, you’ll see a note when adding the filter. - **Ideal Profile** – Add LinkedIn profile URLs of candidates that are an ideal match/fit for the job and that you want to find similar profiles to - **LinkedIn Connections **– Source candidates from your LinkedIn network who are connected to you or your team members. - **Employee Overlap **– Filter for candidates who have previously worked with your current team. You can also adjust how far back you want to search for past connections. - **Minimum Fit Score **– Only show candidates at or above a Fit Score you choose. If fewer than 10 remain, Pin suggests ways to broaden your criteria. Can also be set up through AI Chat. ### Candidate Experience: - **Job Titles** – Filter by current or past job titles - **Seniority **– Filter by seniority level (Entry, Regular, Senior, Manager, Director, VP, Owner, or CXO) - **Years of Experience** – Set the minimum and/or maximum years of experience you’d like candidates to have - **Location **– Add current and/or past locations, and set a search radius of up to 50 miles around each location :::hint{type="info"} - ***Note:** Candidate searches are currently supported only for candidates based in the* - ***North America (Canada, United States, Mexico, and select countries in the Caribbean, etc.), *** - ***Central America (Costa Rica, Belize,*** ***El Salvador, etc.)*** - ***South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, etc.), *** - ***Europe (United Kingdom, France, Germany, etc.), *** - **Australia and New Zealand, ** - **United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, etc.), ** - **Israel, and** - **India*.*** ::: - **Skills & Tools** – Specify the technical skills, soft skills, and relevant industry experience you’re looking for - **Tenure** – Filter by the time candidates have spent in their current role or by their average tenure across all roles ### Work Positions: - **Departments** – Highlight the departments that are relevant to the roles you’re hiring for - **Company Name** – List the companies you want to target candidates from, or choose from preset lists like AM Law 100, Big 4 Accounting Firms, or Y Combinator companies - **Industry **– Narrow your search by adding industries such as tech, healthcare, or finance, to find candidates with the right domain experience - **Startup Experience** – Choose from presets to find founders, advisors, YC alumni, and others with reputable startup experience - **Funding Round** – Select presets such as current funding round, funding round during the candidate’s tenure, or at joined/left, and pick the stages (from pre-seed to acquired) that you’d like to target - **Headcount** – Filter by presets such as current headcount, headcount during tenure, or headcount joined/left, along with the number of employees for each - **Investors **– Target candidates with past, current, or any employers with notable investors ### Candidate Details: - **Timezone **– Select candidates by their timezone - **Languages **– Specify the spoken languages you’re looking for in candidates - **Demographics **– Filter by gender, ethnicity, or veteran status to surface underrepresented talent - **Visa Requirements **– Search for candidates based on whether they require visa sponsorship - **Employment Status **– Target candidates based on their current employment status - **Social Accounts **– Find candidates with social profiles on LinkedIn, GitHub, X, Facebook, Dribble, and Behance ### Specialty Filters: - **Job Hunting Indicators **– Identify candidates likely open to new roles based on career and company signals - **Excellence Indicators** – Surface candidates with standout achievements - **Security Clearance** – Find candidates who meet clearance requirements for sensitive roles ### Education: - **School Attended** – Search for candidates who attended specific schools - **Graduation Year **– Pinpoint candidates who graduated within a specified timeframe - **Years of Education** – Identify candidates with a set number of years in school - **Level of Education** – Filter candidates by degree level - **Major** – Target candidates who studied a particular major - **Minimum GPA** – Screen for candidates who meet your GPA threshold - **Certificates** – Discover candidates with relevant certifications You can also set whether the criteria should be **required**: - **Required **– If you mark a criteria as “Required,” candidates who don’t match it will not show up in your results. Use this setting carefully so you don’t miss out on potential candidates. *** # How Pin’s search filter logic works When you build a search in Pin, it’s important to know how multiple filters and values combine to find candidates. Here’s a quick guide to help you understand which filters use **AND logic** vs **OR logic**. ### Filters that use AND logic These filters require candidates to **match** **all values you specify in that filter **to surface precise matches. - **Skills:** Candidates must have ***all*** the skills you add (e.g., React **AND** Node.js). - **Majors + Degrees:** Each pair combines using AND (e.g., Computer Science **AND** Bachelor’s). Multiple pairs are grouped with OR: (CS + Bachelor’s) **OR** (Economics + Master’s). - **Headcount Joined/Left:** Finds candidates who joined a company at one headcount size and left at another, using **AND **logic. - **Funding Round Joined/Left:** Finds candidates based on the company’s funding stage at the time they joined and when they exited, using **AND **logic. :::hint{type="info"} **Note:** At the top level, different filter categories (like combining skills + location) are also linked by **AND**, so candidates must satisfy **each filter category you add**. ::: ### Filters that use OR logic For these filters, candidates only need to** match** **any one of the values you specify in that filter**, which helps broaden your search. ::::VerticalSplit{layout="middle"} :::VerticalSplitItem - **Job Titles** - **Years of Experience** - **Location** - **Tenure** - **Departments** - **Company Name** - **Industry** - **Startup Experience** - **Funding Round ** - **Headcount** - **Investors** - **Timezone** - **Languages** ::: :::VerticalSplitItem - **Demographics** - **Employment Status** - **Social Accounts** - **Job Hunting Indicators** - **Excellence Indicators** - **Security Clearance** - **School Attended** - **Graduation Year** - **Years of Education** - **Level of Education** - **Minimum GPA** - **Certificates** ::: :::: *** # Excluding job titles If there's a job title you'd like to exclude from your search, add the title and **select the "Inverse (Not)" option**. Be sure to enter precise job titles (e.g., “Account Manager”) rather than general ones (e.g., “Manager”), as vague titles may return unrelated results. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/JtqPsvk-s0xQ7dgMBVpor/yXIQ4bWlbNDSnZNx5Kl9q_image.png) *** # Creating preset lists You can create preset lists for companies, investors, and schools. Check out our quick tutorial below on how to do this: :::Iframe{iframeHeight="0" code="
"} ::: *** # Cloning candidate searches To clone your search, click on the drop-down menu and **select "Duplicate Search"**. You can clone your candidate search to create a new one with the same criteria pre-filled. From there, you can add or remove specific criteria to refine your results. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/JtqPsvk-s0xQ7dgMBVpor/qwDv2glwwsDkhjTggjUf2_image.png) *** # Copy and pasting a candidate's resume into search If there's a candidate whose resume aligns closely with the requirements and experience you're looking for, you can copy and paste their resume into the search so the sourcing engine populates better skills/tools and expands the data. # Frequently Asked Questions **How can I exclude locations?** You can add the location you want to exclude by adding it to your criteria and then using the inverse option to exclude it ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/JtqPsvk-s0xQ7dgMBVpor/zSR2XBuVaPDtN5QFillEO_screenshot-2026-10-15-at-23859-pm.png)