CANDIDATE MATCHING
CANDIDATE MATCHING
Circle | Product Lead & Designer
My contributions: End-to-end UX — research, flow design, UI, prototyping, usability testing
Introduction
Recruiters in industries like food service and retail face an overwhelming flood of applicants. Screening is manual, repetitive, and biased toward whoever applies first.
Circle set out to solve this by designing AI Candidate Matching—an intelligent recruiter dashboard that surfaces best-fit candidates instantly, while giving hiring managers control to prioritize what matters most.
PROBLEM
PROBLEM
Recruiters in the F&B and hospitality industry are overwhelmed by the hiring process.
On average, they spend 4–6 hours every day manually scanning through hundreds of applications, often skimming resumes under time pressure.
High employee turnover adds even more pressure, forcing rushed decisions that frequently result in poor fit and re-hiring cycles.
Recruiters struggle to balance competing requirements — weighing skills, certifications, shift availability, and reliability all at once.
Current tools offer little clarity, leaving recruiters uncertain about why certain candidates surface, which lowers trust in the process.
Recruiters in the F&B and hospitality industry are overwhelmed by the hiring process.
On average, they spend 4–6 hours every day manually scanning through hundreds of applications, often skimming resumes under time pressure.
High employee turnover adds even more pressure, forcing rushed decisions that frequently result in poor fit and re-hiring cycles.
Recruiters struggle to balance competing requirements — weighing skills, certifications, shift availability, and reliability all at once.
Current tools offer little clarity, leaving recruiters uncertain about why certain candidates surface, which lowers trust in the process.
PROBLEM
Recruiters in the F&B and hospitality industry are overwhelmed by the hiring process.
On average, they spend 4–6 hours every day manually scanning through hundreds of applications, often skimming resumes under time pressure.
High employee turnover adds even more pressure, forcing rushed decisions that frequently result in poor fit and re-hiring cycles.
Recruiters struggle to balance competing requirements — weighing skills, certifications, shift availability, and reliability all at once.
Current tools offer little clarity, leaving recruiters uncertain about why certain candidates surface, which lowers trust in the process.
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
Circle’s AI Candidate Matching reimagines the recruiter workflow.
The system auto-screens every applicant in real time, ranking them in a clear “Best Fit” list so recruiters focus only on top matches.
A powerful Custom Search mode lets recruiters type natural-language queries such as “3+ years in food service, weekends free” and instantly see candidates that meet those criteria.
Recruiters can adjust priorities — for example, weighting experience over availability, or vice versa — giving them control and flexibility.
The result is a faster, smarter hiring process that reduces time-to-hire, minimizes turnover risk, and empowers recruiters to make confident, data-backed decisions.
Circle’s AI Candidate Matching reimagines the recruiter workflow.
The system auto-screens every applicant in real time, ranking them in a clear “Best Fit” list so recruiters focus only on top matches.
A powerful Custom Search mode lets recruiters type natural-language queries such as “3+ years in food service, weekends free” and instantly see candidates that meet those criteria.
Recruiters can adjust priorities — for example, weighting experience over availability, or vice versa — giving them control and flexibility.
The result is a faster, smarter hiring process that reduces time-to-hire, minimizes turnover risk, and empowers recruiters to make confident, data-backed decisions.
SOLUTION
Circle’s AI Candidate Matching reimagines the recruiter workflow.
The system auto-screens every applicant in real time, ranking them in a clear “Best Fit” list so recruiters focus only on top matches.
A powerful Custom Search mode lets recruiters type natural-language queries such as “3+ years in food service, weekends free” and instantly see candidates that meet those criteria.
Recruiters can adjust priorities — for example, weighting experience over availability, or vice versa — giving them control and flexibility.
The result is a faster, smarter hiring process that reduces time-to-hire, minimizes turnover risk, and empowers recruiters to make confident, data-backed decisions.
Feature Overview
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
Competitor analysis showed that platforms like Indeed, Workday, and McHire force manual review with linear lists, while ZipRecruiter’s recommendations lack transparency and LinkedIn Recruiter is too complex for fast-paced industries. Research revealed recruiters spend 4–6 hours daily screening, face high turnover from rushed decisions, and need faster, more transparent shortlists.
Competitor analysis showed that platforms like Indeed, Workday, and McHire force manual review with linear lists, while ZipRecruiter’s recommendations lack transparency and LinkedIn Recruiter is too complex for fast-paced industries. Research revealed recruiters spend 4–6 hours daily screening, face high turnover from rushed decisions, and need faster, more transparent shortlists.
IDEATION
IDEATION
Two flows were designed: Conversational mode uses AI to instantly search candidates, while Custom Search mode lets recruiters type requirements and adjust sliders to prioritize skills, availability, and certifications. This balances speed with recruiter judgment.
Two flows were designed: Conversational mode uses AI to instantly search candidates, while Custom Search mode lets recruiters type requirements and adjust sliders to prioritize skills, availability, and certifications. This balances speed with recruiter judgment.
DESIGN
DESIGN
A dual-search separates Recommendations (AI-ranked) and Custom Search (recruiter-driven). Candidate cards display match skill breakdowns, and transparency tags. Input boxes and sliders allow real-time prioritization, making large applicant pools easy to navigate with confidence.
A dual-search separates Recommendations (AI-ranked) and Custom Search (recruiter-driven). Candidate cards display match skill breakdowns, and transparency tags. Input boxes and sliders allow real-time prioritization, making large applicant pools easy to navigate with confidence.
END RESULT
END RESULT
Screening time is cut by 50%, letting recruiters shortlist in hours instead of days. Full transparency into recommendations improves hire quality, reduces rushed decisions, and ensures no qualified candidate is overlooked.
Screening time is cut by 50%, letting recruiters shortlist in hours instead of days. Full transparency into recommendations improves hire quality, reduces rushed decisions, and ensures no qualified candidate is overlooked.
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
75%
admitted they often review candidates in order of application, resulting in qualified applicants being overlooked.
80%
of recruiters stated that understanding why a candidate is recommended is critical to trust AI suggestions.
60%
of recruiters prioritize experience
User Persona
Maria
35, Restaurant Manager
Maria
35, Restaurant Manager
Frustrations
Overwhelmed by applicant volume, under pressure to hire fast.
Goal
Reliable shortlists, ability to prioritize availability over experience.
Tech Comfort
Comfortable with web-based dashboards and office software
Need to Hire quick!
Need to Hire quick!
RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
75%
admitted they often review candidates in order of application, resulting in qualified applicants being overlooked.
80%
of recruiters stated that understanding why a candidate is recommended is critical to trust AI suggestions.
60%
of recruiters prioritize experience
User Persona
Maria
35, Restaurant Manager
Frustrations
Overwhelmed by applicant volume, under pressure to hire fast.
Goal
Reliable shortlists, ability to prioritize availability over experience.
Tech Comfort
Comfortable with web-based dashboards and office software
Need to Hire quick!
IDEATION
IDEATION
IDEATION
Approach
AI “Best Fit” Mode
Auto-ranks candidates using weighted criteria: experience, skills, availability, location
Trust cue: “Why Matched” tags explain recommendation
Custom Search / Query Mode
Type plain language requirements (“Bilingual, weekend shifts, 2+ yrs experience”)
Adjust priority sliders to weight skills, availability, location, etc.
Hybrid Approach
Start with AI Best Fit → refine with custom priorities
Benefit: Speed + control in one flow
DESIGN
DESIGN
DESIGN
AI Candidate Insights
AI Candidate Insights
Recruiters can interact with an AI chat for each candidate to understand their suitability for the role. The AI provides explanations on why a candidate is a strong fit, highlighting skills, experience, availability, and other relevant criteria. This feature offers transparency, builds recruiter confidence, and reduces guesswork in shortlisting decisions.
Recruiters can interact with an AI chat for each candidate to understand their suitability for the role. The AI provides explanations on why a candidate is a strong fit, highlighting skills, experience, availability, and other relevant criteria. This feature offers transparency, builds recruiter confidence, and reduces guesswork in shortlisting decisions.
Conversational Search
Conversational Search
Search within the platform works like a conversation, allowing recruiters to type queries naturally and refine results step by step. This approach simplifies complex searches, narrows down candidates efficiently, and makes finding the right fit faster and more intuitive.
Search within the platform works like a conversation, allowing recruiters to type queries naturally and refine results step by step. This approach simplifies complex searches, narrows down candidates efficiently, and makes finding the right fit faster and more intuitive.
Customizable Ranking
Customizable Ranking
Recruiters can adjust the ranking criteria based on what they value most—such as experience, availability, certifications, or other skills. This lets them prioritize candidates according to the specific needs of the role, ensuring the shortlist aligns with business priorities while maintaining transparency and control.
Recruiters can adjust the ranking criteria based on what they value most—such as experience, availability, certifications, or other skills. This lets them prioritize candidates according to the specific needs of the role, ensuring the shortlist aligns with business priorities while maintaining transparency and control.
REFLECTION
REFLECTION
This project showed me that designing for recruiters is less about more data and more about less noise. By combining AI with intuitive controls, we gave recruiters speed, confidence, and clarity—leading to faster and smarter hires.Research showed candidates often lose visibility post-application, creating stress and confusion.
What I learned:
Transparency builds trust: Recruiters cared about “why” more than “how fast.”
AI must augment, not replace: Giving recruiters manual control was key.
Balance simplicity & power: Needed to work for both casual and power recruiters.
Designing for trust was as critical as designing for usability.
This project showed me that designing for recruiters is less about more data and more about less noise. By combining AI with intuitive controls, we gave recruiters speed, confidence, and clarity—leading to faster and smarter hires.Research showed candidates often lose visibility post-application, creating stress and confusion.
What I learned:
Transparency builds trust: Recruiters cared about “why” more than “how fast.”
AI must augment, not replace: Giving recruiters manual control was key.
Balance simplicity & power: Needed to work for both casual and power recruiters.
Designing for trust was as critical as designing for usability.
REFLECTION
This project showed me that designing for recruiters is less about more data and more about less noise. By combining AI with intuitive controls, we gave recruiters speed, confidence, and clarity—leading to faster and smarter hires.Research showed candidates often lose visibility post-application, creating stress and confusion.
What I learned:
Transparency builds trust: Recruiters cared about “why” more than “how fast.”
AI must augment, not replace: Giving recruiters manual control was key.
Balance simplicity & power: Needed to work for both casual and power recruiters.
Designing for trust was as critical as designing for usability.