Executive Summary

Setting precise sourcing criteria—such as required skills, preferred locations, and seniority levels—is essential for attracting the right candidates and streamlining your hiring process in PyjamaHR. This guide explains how to configure these criteria effectively, highlights best practices, and addresses common challenges based on real customer experiences.

Detailed Overview

What Are Sourcing Criteria in PyjamaHR?
Sourcing criteria are the filters and requirements you set when creating a job posting to define your ideal candidate profile. The most common criteria include:

Skills Required: The technical or soft skills needed for the job.
Location: The city, state, or country where the candidate should be based (or willing to relocate).
Seniority/Experience: The level of experience or years in a particular role.

Why Use Sourcing Criteria?
- Attract more relevant applicants by making your requirements clear.
- Save time by filtering out unqualified candidates early.
- Enable automated screening and filtering in PyjamaHR, reducing manual review.

Integration with Other PyjamaHR Features:
- Screening Questions: Use to further qualify candidates on skills, location, or experience.
- Candidate Filters: Filter applicants post-application by location, skills, or experience.
- Disqualify Candidate If (Knockout Questions): Automatically reject candidates who don’t meet must-have criteria.

Step-by-Step Guide: Setting Sourcing Criteria in PyjamaHR

Prerequisites

You must have permission to create or edit job postings.
Ensure you know the exact skills, locations, and seniority levels required.

1. Creating or Editing a Job Posting

Go to the ‘Jobs’ section in your PyjamaHR dashboard.
Click ‘Create Job’ or select an existing job to edit.

2. Setting Skills Criteria

Locate the ‘Skills Required’ field (often labeled as "Choose Skills required for the job").
Select from the dropdown: Start typing the skill name. PyjamaHR will suggest existing skills.
- If your skill isn’t listed:
- Currently, users cannot add custom skills directly.
- Workaround: Contact support with your required skill list; the team can add them from the backend (see [Customer Conversation 11062, 3054]).
- Tip: List all relevant skills up front to minimize delays.
Best Practice: Include both technical and soft skills for a well-rounded profile.

3. Setting Location Criteria

Find the ‘Job Location’ field.
Type the city, state, or country: PyjamaHR will show matching options.
- If ‘No results found’ appears:
  - Double-check spelling and capitalization (see [Conversation 1974]).
  - Try entering the first letter in uppercase.
  - If still unavailable, contact support to request the location be added (see [Conversations 11066, 8488, 9010, 9012]).
- Remote Jobs: You can only specify the country, not a specific city/state (see [Conversation 8540]).
- In-Office/Hybrid Jobs: More granular location selection is available.
Note: You cannot restrict applications to only candidates from a specific location; however, you can filter or disqualify post-application (see [Conversations 11027, 2172, 2349]).

4. Setting Seniority/Experience Criteria

Add a screening question in the ‘Screening Questions’ section:
- Use a Yes/No or multiple-choice question (e.g., “Do you have at least 5 years of experience in X?”).
- Mark it as mandatory.
- Use the ‘Disqualify Candidate if’ operator to automatically reject unqualified applicants (see [Conversation 2349]).
Best Practice: Be specific about years of experience and relevant roles.

5. Publish the Job

Review all criteria.
Click ‘Publish’ to make the job live.

Advanced Usage & Best Practices

Power User Tips

Mandatory Fields: Always make ‘Current Location’ a mandatory field in your application form to enable effective filtering later (see [Conversations 2377, 3051]).
Knockout Questions: Use Yes/No screening questions with the ‘Disqualify Candidate if’ option to auto-reject candidates who don’t meet must-haves (location, skills, experience).
Bulk Actions: After filtering, use bulk actions to communicate with or move candidates through your pipeline.
Integrations: For US, UK, and Canada, leverage direct integrations with Monster and ZipRecruiter for location-targeted sourcing (see [Conversation 2334]).

Optimization Strategies

Regularly Review Skill Tags: If your required skills change frequently, maintain a list and update support for backend additions.
Use Clear Job Titles and Descriptions: This helps attract the right candidates and improves searchability.
Screening Questions for Nationality: If you have nationality constraints, add a screening question (see [Conversation 2916]).

Do’s and Don’ts

Do: Use mandatory fields and screening questions to improve applicant quality.
Don’t: Expect PyjamaHR to block applications from outside your specified location—use filters and knockout questions instead.
Do: Contact support if you need new skills or locations added.
Don’t: Leave skills or location fields blank; this leads to irrelevant applications.

Troubleshooting & Common Issues

Common Issues & Solutions

Issue	Solution
Location not found in dropdown	Check spelling/capitalization. If still missing, contact support to add the location.
Cannot add custom skills	Currently, only support can add new skills. Send your list to support for backend addition.
Receiving applicants from unwanted locations	Use mandatory ‘Current Location’ field and screening questions to filter/disqualify.
Mandatory fields not appearing for candidates	Double-check application form settings; ensure fields are marked as mandatory.
Filter not working	Ensure the relevant field (e.g., Current Location) was made mandatory in the application form.
Bulk email filters for nationality not available	Use a screening question for nationality and filter based on responses.
Remote job location granularity	Only country can be specified for remote jobs, not city/state.

What If Scenarios

What if I want to restrict applications to only US candidates?
You can’t block others from applying, but you can add a Yes/No screening question (“Are you currently based in the US?”) and auto-disqualify those who answer ‘No’.
What if a candidate skips a mandatory field?
If set up correctly, PyjamaHR should not allow submission without mandatory fields. If this occurs, contact support.
What if my required skill is not in the dropdown?
Contact support with your skill list for backend addition.
What if I want to remove a location (e.g., India) from the dropdown?
This is not possible; PyjamaHR supports global hiring and cannot remove locations from the list.

Comprehensive FAQ

1. Can I add custom skills to the ‘Skills Required’ field?
Not directly. Contact support with your skill list for backend addition.

2. How do I add a location that’s not in the dropdown?
Contact support to request the addition of new cities, states, or countries.

3. Can I restrict applications to only candidates from a specific location?
No, but you can filter and disqualify candidates post-application using screening questions and filters.

4. How do I filter candidates by location after they apply?
Use the ‘Current Location’ filter in the candidate list. Ensure this field was made mandatory in the application form.

5. What’s the best way to filter by seniority or experience?
Add a mandatory screening question about years of experience and use the ‘Disqualify Candidate if’ option.

6. Why are candidates missing location or experience info?
The relevant fields were likely not set as mandatory. Always mark them as required.

7. Can I specify a city/state for remote jobs?
No, only the country can be specified for remote jobs.

8. Why can’t I see my desired location in the dropdown?
It may not be in the database. Contact support to add it.

9. How do I ensure only relevant candidates apply?
Use clear job descriptions, mandatory fields, and knockout screening questions.

10. Can I filter candidates by nationality?
Not directly. Add a screening question for nationality and filter based on responses.

11. What if my filters aren’t working?
Check that the relevant fields were marked as mandatory in the application form.

12. How do I handle bulk actions for filtered candidates?
After filtering, use bulk actions to email or move candidates to the next pipeline stage.

Screening Questions: Enhance your application form with knockout questions.
Candidate Filters: Use filters for skills, location, and experience post-application.
Bulk Actions: Efficiently manage filtered candidates.
Integrations: Use Monster and ZipRecruiter for targeted sourcing in the US, UK, and Canada.
Team Member Roles: Assign hiring managers and control access (see [Conversation 11027]).

Still have questions?
If you encounter issues not covered here, contact PyjamaHR support with specific details (screenshots or screen recordings help resolve issues faster).

This article is based on real customer conversations and is designed to address the most common challenges and advanced needs when setting sourcing criteria in PyjamaHR.

How to Set Sourcing Criteria in PyjamaHR: Skills, Location, and Seniority