Find Candidates

Wintro automates the candidate discovery process by analyzing your vacancies and matching them with potential candidates from your colleagues’ professional networks. The platform uses AI to evaluate candidates based on your specific requirements and scoring criteria, ensuring you receive high-quality referrals that align with your hiring needs.

This page will walk you through the candidate search process, from setting up filters to opening your vacancy for referrals. You’ll learn how to:

Configure search filters for initial candidate screening
Define and fine-tune match criteria
Preview and test your setup
Open your vacancy for referrals

Syncing and Adding Vacancies

Wintro automatically syncs with your ATS every 4 hours to import new vacancies. If you’re not using an ATS, you can manually add positions through the Add Vacancy (+) button in the Vacancies tab. Each new vacancy, whether synced or manually added, will appear in your Vacancies tab ready for setup. If you haven’t connected your ATS, please refer to the Connect your Systems section of our documentation.

Creating a New Vacancy

To start the candidate search process, you first need to create a vacancy:

Navigate to the Vacancies tab in your dashboard
Click the Plus (+) button to add a new vacancy
Fill in the basic vacancy details:
- Title: The role name for the position
- Location: Where the position is based
- Employment Type: Full-time, part-time, or contract
- Policy Type: Remote, hybrid, or in-office
- Content: The full job description
- Bounty: Referral bonus amount, if applicable

These details form the foundation for Wintro’s AI matching and will be used to pre-generate similar job titles and match criteria. You can modify these fields at any time before opening the vacancy for referrals.

Candidate Search Setup Process

Once your vacancy is created, either click the search icon on that vacancy’s row in the table, or simply navigate to the Candidates tab and select your vacancy. You’ll be taken to the Search page where you can configure how Wintro finds and evaluates candidates. The process involves two main steps:

Filter Step: Configure search filters to determine which candidates to include
Match Step: Define scoring criteria to evaluate candidate quality

Click on your vacancy from the Candidates tab to access the Search page. The first step is configuring filters that determine which candidates from your employees’ networks will be considered.

Search Filters Setup

The Foundation: Similar Job Titles or Majors

The cornerstone of Wintro’s candidate discovery is the Similar Job Titles or Majors field. This uses semantic similarity search to identify candidates with relevant backgrounds. For example:

For a “Product Manager” role, add terms like “Product Manager”, “Product Owner”, “MBA”, “Business Analyst”
For an “Engineering” role, include “Software Engineer”, “Computer Science”, “Full Stack Developer”
Mix both job titles and educational backgrounds for best results

These terms help Wintro understand the type of candidates you’re looking for and form the initial pool from which filters are applied.

Filter Philosophy: Cast a Wide Net

When setting filters, remember this key principle: Filters should exclude bad matches, not search for perfect ones. The Match step will handle quality scoring, so:

Keep filters broad to avoid missing hidden gems
Only exclude clear mismatches (e.g., wrong location, competitor companies)
Less-than-perfect candidates will be filtered out during the AI matching phase
It’s better to review more candidates than risk missing the ideal match

Filter Categories:

Location & Radius:
- Add target locations where candidates should be based
- Adjust search radius (5-100km) to expand or narrow geographical scope
- Leave empty to include candidates from all locations
Work Filters (expand to configure):
- Companies to Include: Target specific organizations (optional)
- Companies to Exclude: Remove competitors or specific companies
- Minimum Work Experience: Years of professional experience (0-30)
- Exclude Recruiter Networks: Filter out recruiting professionals
Education Filters (expand to configure):
- Schools to Include: Target specific educational institutions (optional)
- Schools to Exclude: Remove certain schools if needed
- Graduation Recency: How recently candidates graduated (0-30 years)
Additional Filters:
- Exclude Ex-employees: Remove former employees if your policy requires

Testing Your Filters: Click Test Filters to preview candidates. Look for:

Good diversity: You should see various backgrounds and experience levels
Reasonable volume: At least 20-30 candidates to work with
No obvious mismatches: But don’t worry about imperfect fits

If you see too few candidates, remove or broaden filters. If you see completely irrelevant results, add minimal exclusions.

Step 2: Define Match Criteria

After configuring your filters, click Continue to Match Step to define how Wintro’s AI will evaluate and score candidates.

Understanding the Match Criteria System

The match criteria determine how candidates are evaluated based on your specific requirements:

Automatic Weighting: Wintro automatically assigns weights based on criterion order
Order = Importance: Your first criterion gets the highest weight, second gets less, third even less
Simply drag to reorder: Move criteria up for more importance, down for less
AI Evaluation: Each candidate is scored against all criteria to calculate overall match percentage

Configuring Your Criteria

Match Criteria Configuration

Click the Edit Criteria button to customize your match criteria:

Review Auto-Generated Criteria: Wintro creates initial criteria from your vacancy
Add Custom Criteria: Include specific requirements for your role
Order by Importance: Drag criteria to reorder - most important at the top
Remove Irrelevant Criteria: Delete any that don’t apply

Recommended First Criterion: Current Role Validation

For best results, place a current role criterion first to ensure strong matches:

“Currently active as Product Manager or similar role”
“Currently working in Software Engineering position”
“Currently in Sales or Business Development role”

This helps ensure candidates score above the 50% threshold needed for employee suggestions and validates your Similar Job Titles filter.

Effective Match Criteria Examples

All criteria must be evaluable from LinkedIn profiles. Here are proven examples by category:

For Product Manager Role:

Currently active as Product Manager or Product Owner
3+ years of experience in product management or business analysis
Experience in B2B SaaS or enterprise software
Technical background or Computer Science degree
Experience with agile methodologies and product analytics tools

For Senior Software Engineer Role:

Currently working as Software Engineer or Tech Lead
5+ years of experience in backend development
Proficiency in Python, Java, or Node.js
Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

For Sales Executive Role:

Currently in B2B Sales or Account Executive position
3+ years of quota-carrying sales experience
Experience selling to enterprise clients (Fortune 500)
Track record in SaaS or technology sales
Bilingual in English and French

For Marketing Manager Role:

Currently active in Marketing Manager or similar role
4+ years of digital marketing experience
Experience with performance marketing and paid media
Background in B2C e-commerce or retail
Proficiency in Google Analytics and marketing automation tools

For Data Analyst Role:

Currently working as Data Analyst or Business Analyst
2+ years of experience in data analysis
Proficiency in SQL and Python or R
Experience with visualization tools (Tableau, PowerBI)
Bachelor’s degree in Statistics, Mathematics, or Economics

Criteria Types to Use:

Current Role: “Currently active as [role]” - recommended as first criterion
Years of Experience: “X+ years of experience in [specific area]”
Industry Experience: “Experience in [specific industry/domain]”
Technical Skills: “Proficiency in [specific tools/technologies]”
Education: “Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in [field]”
Language Skills: “Bilingual in [languages]” or “Fluent in [language]”
Company Type: “Experience at startups/scale-ups/enterprises”
Leadership: “Experience managing teams of X+ people”
Career Progression Fit: “Logical career progression from current role to this position”
- Filters out overqualified candidates (e.g., founders, C-level executives for mid-level roles)
- Ensures the role represents a sensible next step in their career
- Example: “Not currently in senior executive or founder position” for a manager role

Testing Your Match Criteria

Click Test Match Criteria to see how candidates score:

Review the top-scoring candidates
Check if the order makes sense for your needs
Reorder criteria if certain aspects need more weight
Test again after changes

The key is ensuring your top candidates genuinely match your ideal profile and score above 50% for employee visibility.

Opening Your Vacancy for Referrals

Once you’re satisfied with both your filters and match criteria, you’re ready to open your vacancy for employee referrals.

Final Review

Before opening, ensure you have:

Tested your filters and reviewed the candidate pool
Configured and tested your match criteria
Verified that high-scoring candidates meet your expectations

Opening the Vacancy

Ready to Open Vacancy

Click the green Open Vacancy button in the top right corner of the Search page. This action:

Initiates Candidate Search: Wintro searches across all connected employees’ networks
Applies Your Configurations: Uses your filters to identify candidates and your criteria to score them
Distributes Matches: Sends the best-matching candidates to relevant employees
Enables Referrals: Employees can start reviewing and referring candidates immediately

Important Notes

Configuration Lock: Once opened, your filter and match settings are locked to ensure consistent evaluation
Processing Time: The initial search may take a few minutes depending on your network size
Cooldown Period: After closing a vacancy, there’s a 2-minute cooldown before you can reopen it
Live Updates: New employees joining your company will automatically have their networks searched

Managing Open Vacancies

While your vacancy is open:

Track referred candidates in the Live tab
Monitor which employees are making referrals
View detailed match scores and reasoning for each candidate
Close the vacancy at any time from the Vacancies tab

Best Practices

Filter Setup: Think Exclusion, Not Inclusion

Use filters to remove obviously wrong candidates, not to find perfect ones
Start with just Similar Job Titles/Majors and location - often that’s enough
Only add more filters if your test results show clear problems
Remember: the AI matching step will handle quality scoring

Similar Job Titles Strategy

Include 3-5 relevant terms mixing job titles and educational backgrounds
Think broadly about related roles and transferable skills
Include both current titles and progression titles (e.g., “Senior Developer” and “Tech Lead”)
Add academic majors for entry-level or specialized positions

Match Criteria: Order Matters

Always put “Currently active as [role]” first to validate similarity search
Order remaining criteria by importance - Wintro auto-weights based on position
Focus on 3-5 key criteria that truly matter for success
Ensure all criteria can be evaluated from LinkedIn profiles

Testing and Iteration

Always test filters before proceeding to match criteria
Click “Test Match Criteria” to see how candidates score
If top matches don’t look right, reorder criteria rather than adding more
Ensure top candidates score above 50% for employee visibility