SearchMonster Best Practices

Tip #2: Set up a Skills Match

When you first begin searching for a new position that you’ve never recruited for, it will be helpful to find a model candidate to help develop your search criteria. Start with a nationwide search first to find a candidate with an ideal skill set that you can leverage for your own search. To do this, only enter the Job Title and one Keyword and then click the search button.

• Once you find a standout candidate, scroll down to the Skills/Other Skills section of the Monster Profile. Expand the list to reveal every skill on the CV, translated into Monster concepts. Identify the skills that are important to the position.
• To include them in your search criteria, click the plus icon next to Skills/Keywords, then “Add Another”. Enter 5-10 skills and mark them as required if necessary.
• Once all of your criteria is entered, click Update to refresh your results on the page.

Tip #3: Use a Broad Job Title

Keep titles broad and do not include skills or career levels here. Use Skills/Keywords to narrow the focus and results. For example, if you are looking for a Software Project Manager, search for “Project Manager” as the job title and insert “Software” as a skill.

Although Monster will search all job titles in the CV, it will give priority to the job titles most recently held.

Tip #4: One Entry per Field

Make sure to only enter one entry per field. If you have multiple entries you’d like to include, click on the
Add another… link to reveal a new field.

You should also avoid numbers and non-text characters like symbols and exclamation points. (!,”,*,$)

Tip #5: Search for It All with Skills (and Keywords)

You should always enter skills and start with the most important requirements for the job. In addition to skills, feel free to enter an industry, languages (both spoken and programming) and even certifications. Add up to 20, but we recommend 3-5 to start.

A Required entry will only bring back CVs that include the entry. If it is not marked as required, CVs that do have it will be ranked higher in your list of results, and CVs that don’t have it will be included in your results as long as they meet the other search criteria.

Tip #6: Exclude Keyword

The Exclude keyword filter could be helpful if your search criteria is consistently bringing back a term that is close to, but not related to what you’re searching for, or something you don’t feel is related to your skill set.

It’s also a great way to exclude candidates who have previously worked for your company.

Tip #7: Location

Add up to 5 and enter everything from postal codes, city/town names or regions.

Utilize the radius dropdown to help broaden or narrow your search, but consider the location and density of population when adjusting the radius.

To search nationwide, leave the location field blank.

Tip #8: Search for All CVs First

In the CV Updated field, the search engine will default to search for all CVs as it is best practice to start with all the candidates before narrowing this filter. Here are a few reasons searching all CVs is the best place to start:

• Your ideal candidate could be currently employed, not actively looking, but open to considering an appealing offer.
• With a low unemployment rate, potential candidates may be in a more “passive” state. Even though their CVs aren’t updated, they could be open to the right opportunity.

Tip #9: Narrow Your Results

We strongly recommend narrowing down your search with additional criteria until your results are in the 200-300 range. Then, you’ll know the candidates that you choose to contact will meet your specific qualifications.

Tip #10: Set up Search Notifications

To receive an email notification when new candidates who match your search are found, turn on the Enable Notifications switch at the bottom of your search criteria.

You can set the frequency for these notifications on the Saved Search Settings page from the left menu.

Bonus Tip: Access Your Saved Searches

All of the searches you perform will be available to you in the Saved Searches section of your SearchMonster Dashboard.

• Under your search bar, you will see Saved Searches. This is a record of all of the searches you’ve completed, conveniently saved for easy access in the future.
• Click on the name to return to your search page, review candidates, and adjust criteria or settings.
• If you have enabled notifications on a search you can see a bell in the top right corner.
• If an email campaign is activated within your search, this is where you will be able to view the performance metrics at-a-glance. Click on the icon to see the number of emails sent as well as the number and percentage of Opens and Clicks. Click on the icon again to get back to the overview.
• If you would like to clone a search, click on the icon on the left and provide a title for the search (only search criteria will be copied; other data i.e. campaign or favourites will have to be setup separately). You can also archive your searches if you don’t need them at the moment. Archived searches can be found in the Archived Searches tab, where you can also unarchive a search. If you would like to permanently delete a search, click on the trash bin icon. Searches with a campaign cannot be deleted.