Using AI Auto Match - Match Candidate Step

The Match Candidate step allows recruiters to automatically match candidates from their ATS to job openings. This step can be added within job-based automations to streamline the hiring process by leveraging Bullhorn’s AI-powered matching capabilities.

Add the Match Candidates Step

Add the Match Candidate Step to an Automation To get started, you’ll need to create a job-based automation. Once the job is added, follow these steps:

  • Select Add New Step > Match Candidates.

  • A settings drawer will appear, where you can configure how candidates are matched to the job that passes through this automation.

Configure Match Settings

The Match Settings section allows you to determine how candidates are matched based on key criteria:

Match the Top Candidates

You can specify how many of the top candidates to match to each job. The default is 10, and the maximum is 50 candidates per job. If you enter a number over 50 in this section it will disable the Save button.

Only Match Candidates with a Score Over __%

Define a match score threshold to ensure only highly qualified candidates are considered. The default is 90%, but you can set any value between 1% and 100%. Anything over 100% or less than 1% is not allowed, and will disable the Save button. Candidate AI Auto Match scores are defined as:

  • < 85%: Excellent
  • > 70%: Good
  • > 60%: Decent
  • < 60%: Poor
These score definitions are hard-coded and cannot be configured on a per-client or per-automation basis. Typically an Excellent match means that the Candidate's position title, combined with the job title and other synced data points, are more successfully matched.

Only Match Candidates Within __ Miles or Kilometers of the Job

Use this setting to choose the desired range of a Job's location as defined on the Job record, which will then be compared with the Candidates' location data. This selection will be applied to all jobs that pass through this step.

You can set your distance in miles or kilometers. Distance will be measured based on the ZIP / Postal Code by default. If this field is empty, the distance will pull from the City and State values instead.

.Note: AI Auto Match will try to match candidates only with jobs that are within the maximum distance radius. If no jobs within the maximum distance are available, then not matches will be returned.

Only Match Candidates that are Part of the Following List

This optional setting allows you to refine your candidate pool by using custom lists, ensuring only candidates who meet your business-specific criteria are matched. You can either select an existing Candidate-based list, or create a new list for this purpose.

This requirement helps you ensure that Bullhorn Automation will only match candidates that you decide would be a great fit based on your business preferences.


Example: Add a list criteria for Candidates that have a Status of Active, and a Placement Status that is not Approved, Submitted, or Terminated. Or Candidates with a Position Termination Reason, or with a Date Available after a certain date, etc. Bullhorn Automation will only look at this list of Candidates to determine an AI Auto Match.

Configure Automation Settings

This section of automation settings is separate to the main automation settings and can only be found in the Match Candidates step in a Job-based automation. These settings determine what happens with your Candidate matches if a Job record re-enters this automation.

Let’s break down each section further:

If a Job Re-enters This Automation, What Should Happen?

There are two options for this section:

  • Only match additional candidates if there are fewer than __ Candidates:
    If a Job re-enters an automation (as defined in the main automation settings), it will continue to look for new matches if there are currently fewer than the selected number of matches on the Job record.
  • Match the next best __ Candidates:
    If a Job re-enters an automation (as defined in the main automation settings), it would find the next best set of candidate matches with the amount found in this section.

These candidates will be added to a Bullhorn Automation list (Optional)


Use this setting if you want to add the matched Candidates to their own specific Candidate-based list within Bullhorn Automation.

You can choose from an existing list or create a new one. You can then use this list against other automations, export the list, or search for records on the list via the Advanced Search. This setting is useful if you want to take automated actions for these matched candidates inside of Bullhorn Automation.

Note: This setting is different to the required list in Match Settings. The list you enter in Match Settings is the pool of Candidates that will go through the automation, this is the list that matched Candidates will be added to.

Also Create a Submission in Bullhorn?

This setting allows clients to automatically create a Submission against the Job record in Bullhorn.

By default, a candidate ‘matching’ to a job in Bullhorn Automation creates an AI Auto Match Submission that lives inside of Bullhorn Automation only. This feature was added because your company may not want to automatically add submissions in your ATS. This option gives you the flexibility to add the Bullhorn Automation matched candidates as a submission to the job record in your ATS.

What Submission Status Should They be Created With?

If Also create a Submission in Bullhorn? is checked, the status you select here will be applied to the Submission added in Bullhorn. The list of statuses is pulled from Bullhorn.

Note: If you want to use a new submission status that isn't already in your list, add the new status in Bullhorn then contact Bullhorn Automation Support for help pulling this status intoBullhorn Automation.

Test AI Auto Match Settings

This feature allows you to select an existing Job and return matching Candidates based on the settings you've configured. Do this by selecting the Test Auto Match Settings .

Search for a job title to find an open job to use for testing.

When you enter a Job, Bullhorn Automation runs the criteria search based on the current match settings, but doesn't create a match record.

A maximum of ten matches will be returned here, even if there are more matches than that. These candidates would be matched in the live automation if the selected job met the list enrollment criteria.

The following information is returned for each matched Candidate:

  • Name: Click the name to view the Candidate record in Bullhorn Automation.
  • Position: The Candidate's occupation title.
  • Location: The Candidate's city and state.
  • Match Rating

Pre-Configured Notification Step

After the Match Candidate step is saved with all the criteria the Notification step is added. This step allows you to include the most recent successfully matched candidates in your email notifications from a Job automation.


The notification sent from this step contains details on the Jobs that have entered the automation and the Candidates that have been matched to those Jobs. Immediate Notification is the only available option for this feature.

The merge tag %MOSTRECENTAUTOMATCHES% populates the notification with the results from the Match Candidates step. If you want to view the most recentAI Auto Match for a specific role only, send a test email using the Send Test button while in this notification step.

Note: The %MOSTRECENTAUTOMATCHES% merge tag will only work in the pre-configured notification step following a Match Candidates step, and cannot be used in other notification templates.