How CriteriaMatch Helps Recruiters Filter Candidates by Location, Work Permits, and More
Table of Contents
The Problem: Wasting Time on Candidates You Can’t Hire
Imagine this scenario: You post a job opening and receive 200 applications. You spend hours reviewing resumes, conducting initial interviews, and getting excited about promising candidates. Then you discover that your top candidate doesn’t have a work permit for your country—and your company doesn’t have the budget to sponsor them.
You’ve just wasted:
- 10-15 hours of recruiter time
- Candidate’s time and hopes (they’re left hanging)
- Opportunity cost of not focusing on qualified candidates
- Emotional energy on a hire that was never possible
This happens more often than you think. According to Jobscan, ATS systems filter out resumes that don’t match “knockout” job requirements—but most ATS platforms don’t automatically check for critical hiring blockers like work permits, location eligibility, or specific certifications.
The solution? CriteriaMatch—an AI-powered feature that automatically verifies if candidates meet your custom requirements before you invest time in reviewing them.
What is CriteriaMatch?
CriteriaMatch is an intelligent candidate filtering system that uses AI to automatically check if candidates meet your specific hiring criteria. Instead of manually reviewing every resume to verify work permits, language proficiency, technical skills, or experience levels, CriteriaMatch does it instantly.
How it works:
- You define your criteria (work permits, location, skills, languages, experience, certifications)
- AI analyzes each resume automatically
- You get instant results with confidence scores and explanations
- You filter your candidate pool to show only those who meet all requirements
This isn’t just keyword matching—CriteriaMatch uses advanced AI to understand context, extract relevant information from resumes, and provide detailed explanations of why a candidate meets or doesn’t meet each criterion.
Real-World Use Case: The Location Problem
Here’s a scenario that happens to recruiters every day:
The Challenge: A growing tech company in San Francisco needs to hire a senior developer. They receive 150 applications from around the world. The company doesn’t have the budget to sponsor work visas, so they can only hire candidates who already have work authorization in the United States.
Without CriteriaMatch:
- Recruiter spends 20+ hours reviewing all 150 applications
- Identifies 30 promising candidates
- Conducts initial phone screens with 15 candidates
- Discovers that 8 of the top candidates don’t have work permits
- Result: Wasted 15+ hours and disappointed 8 qualified candidates
With CriteriaMatch:
- Recruiter sets up one criterion: “Has work authorization for United States”
- AI automatically checks all 150 applications in minutes
- System filters to show only 45 candidates with work authorization
- Recruiter focuses time on hirable candidates
- Result: Saved 15+ hours, better candidate experience, faster time-to-hire
This is exactly what happened to one of our highly valued clients. They implemented CriteriaMatch and were able to eliminate location and work permit mismatches immediately, saving their team hours every week while ensuring candidates weren’t left hanging.
Common CriteriaMatch Use Cases
CriteriaMatch helps you verify the most important candidate qualifications automatically:
1. Work Permits & Visas
Check if candidates have eligible work permits for specific countries or regions. Critical for companies that can’t sponsor visas.
Example criteria: “Has work authorization for United States” or “Eligible to work in European Union”
2. Location Requirements
Verify candidates are in the right location for remote work restrictions, time zone requirements, or on-site positions.
Example criteria: “Located in United States” or “Available for on-site work in New York”
3. Language Proficiency
Verify language skills at specific levels (e.g., English B1, Spanish C2, German A2).
Example criteria: “Speaks English at B1 level or better” or “Fluent in Spanish (C1 or C2)”
4. Technical Skills
Confirm candidates know specific programming languages, tools, or technologies.
Example criteria: “Knows Java programming language” or “Has experience with React framework”
5. Leadership Experience
Identify candidates with management, team leadership, or mentoring experience.
Example criteria: “Has leadership or team management experience” or “Has trained or mentored other team members”
6. Years of Experience
Verify minimum years of experience in specific roles or industries.
Example criteria: “Has 5+ years of software development experience” or “Has 3+ years in project management”
7. Certifications & Credentials
Check for professional certifications, licenses, or credentials required for the role.
Example criteria: “Has PMP certification” or “Has valid driver’s license”
How CriteriaMatch Works: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Define Your Criteria
Set up custom criteria for each position. You can create multiple criteria and combine them to create comprehensive qualification checks.
Example setup:
- Criterion 1: “Has work authorization for United States”
- Criterion 2: “Speaks English at B1 level or better”
- Criterion 3: “Has 3+ years of Python development experience”
- Criterion 4: “Has AWS certification”
Step 2: AI Analyzes Resumes
CriteriaMatch’s AI automatically scans each candidate’s resume and extracts relevant information to check against your defined criteria. The system understands context and can identify information even when it’s phrased differently.
What the AI checks:
- Resume content (skills, experience, education)
- Language sections
- Work history and dates
- Certifications and credentials
- Location information
- Work authorization status
Step 3: Get Instant Results
For each candidate and each criterion, you receive:
- Pass/Fail result - Does the candidate meet the requirement?
- Confidence score - High, Medium, or Low confidence in the result
- Detailed explanation - Exactly where in the resume the AI found evidence (or lack thereof)
Example result:
Criterion: "Speaks English at B1 level or better"
Result: ✓ Meets
Confidence: High
Explanation: "English C1 level stated in languages section."Step 4: Filter Your Candidate Pool
Once criteria are checked, use powerful filtering to instantly show only candidates who meet all your defined criteria. When you have 100+ candidates, this saves hours of manual review.
Filter options:
- Show only candidates who meet ALL criteria
- Show candidates who meet specific criteria
- Sort by confidence scores
- Review detailed explanations for each match
Why CriteriaMatch Matters: The Statistics
According to Select Software Reviews, 64% of survey respondents use AI or automation to filter out unqualified candidates. This isn’t just a trend—it’s becoming essential for efficient recruitment.
The impact:
- Time savings: 5-8 hours per hire saved on manual screening (Cadient Talent)
- Better candidate experience: Candidates aren’t left hanging when they don’t meet requirements
- Faster time-to-hire: Focus on qualified candidates from day one
- Reduced costs: Less time wasted on unqualified candidates means lower cost-per-hire
The Benefits of Automated Criteria Checking
1. Save Hours of Manual Review
Instead of reading through 200 resumes to check for work permits, language skills, or certifications, CriteriaMatch does it automatically in minutes.
Time saved: 5-8 hours per hire × 15 hires per year = 75-120 hours annually
2. Improve Candidate Experience
When candidates don’t meet critical requirements (like work permits), it’s better to identify this early rather than after multiple interview rounds. CriteriaMatch helps you provide faster, more transparent feedback.
3. Focus on Hirable Candidates
Filter your candidate pool to show only those who meet all your criteria. No more reviewing candidates you can’t hire.
4. Reduce Hiring Mistakes
By automatically checking critical requirements, you reduce the risk of missing important qualifications or discovering blockers late in the process.
5. Standardize Screening
Ensure every candidate is evaluated against the same criteria consistently, reducing bias and improving fairness.
6. Bulk Candidate Analysis
Analyze multiple candidates at once against the same criteria set. Perfect for high-volume recruitment where you need to quickly identify qualified candidates from large applicant pools.
Real Client Success Story
One of our highly valued clients implemented CriteriaMatch to solve their location and work permit filtering challenge. Here’s what they experienced:
Before CriteriaMatch:
- Spending 15-20 hours per week manually checking work permits and location
- Discovering work permit issues after initial interviews
- Disappointing qualified candidates who couldn’t be hired
- Slower time-to-hire due to reviewing unqualified candidates
After CriteriaMatch:
- Automated work permit and location checking
- Instant filtering to show only hirable candidates
- Faster time-to-hire (focused on qualified candidates from day one)
- Better candidate experience (faster feedback for those who don’t meet criteria)
Their feedback: “CriteriaMatch transformed our hiring process. We went from spending hours checking work permits to having it done automatically. Our team is more efficient, and candidates get faster responses. We’re super happy with the results.”
How to Get Started with CriteriaMatch
1. Identify Your Critical Criteria
Think about what requirements are “knockout” criteria—things that would make a candidate impossible to hire:
- Work permits or visas
- Location requirements
- Required certifications
- Minimum experience levels
- Language proficiency
- Technical skills
2. Set Up Criteria in Canvider
In your Canvider ATS, navigate to CriteriaMatch and define your criteria. You can create multiple criteria for each job posting.
3. Let AI Do the Checking
Once criteria are set, CriteriaMatch automatically checks every new application against your criteria. No manual work required.
4. Review Results and Filter
Check the results for each candidate, review confidence scores and explanations, then filter your candidate pool to focus on qualified candidates.
5. Refine as Needed
As you use CriteriaMatch, you may discover that some criteria need adjustment. The system learns and improves, and you can refine your criteria based on results.
Best Practices for Using CriteriaMatch
1. Start with Critical Requirements
Focus on criteria that are true “knockout” requirements—things that would make a candidate impossible to hire. Don’t over-filter with nice-to-have criteria.
2. Use Clear, Specific Criteria
The more specific your criteria, the better the AI can match them. Instead of “good at programming,” use “has 3+ years of Python development experience.”
3. Review Confidence Scores
Pay attention to confidence scores. High confidence means the AI is very sure about the result. Medium or low confidence may need manual review.
4. Read Explanations
The detailed explanations show exactly where the AI found evidence (or lack thereof). This helps you understand results and refine criteria.
5. Combine Multiple Criteria
Use multiple criteria together to create comprehensive qualification checks. For example, combine work permit + location + experience + skills.
6. Don’t Over-Filter
While filtering is powerful, be careful not to over-filter and miss great candidates. Use CriteriaMatch to eliminate clear blockers, not to find perfect matches.
The Bottom Line
CriteriaMatch solves a real problem: wasting time on candidates you can’t hire.
Whether it’s work permits, location requirements, language proficiency, or technical skills, CriteriaMatch automatically verifies if candidates meet your criteria—saving hours of manual review and ensuring you focus on candidates you can actually hire.
Key benefits:
- ✅ Save 5-8 hours per hire on manual screening
- ✅ Automatically check work permits, location, skills, and more
- ✅ Filter candidate pools instantly
- ✅ Improve candidate experience with faster feedback
- ✅ Reduce hiring mistakes and blockers
- ✅ Standardize screening across all candidates
The best part? One of our highly valued clients implemented CriteriaMatch and was “super happy” with the results. They transformed their hiring process from spending hours checking work permits to having it done automatically.
Ready to Automate Your Candidate Filtering?
Stop wasting time on candidates you can’t hire. Start using CriteriaMatch today and focus on qualified candidates from day one.
Try CriteriaMatch in Canvider →
No credit card required. Set up in under 10 minutes. Start filtering smarter today.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of criteria can CriteriaMatch check?
CriteriaMatch can check for:
- Work permits and visas
- Location requirements
- Language proficiency levels
- Technical skills and programming languages
- Years of experience
- Leadership experience
- Certifications and credentials
- And more custom criteria
How accurate is CriteriaMatch?
CriteriaMatch provides confidence scores (High, Medium, Low) for each result. High confidence results are typically very accurate, while medium or low confidence may benefit from manual review. The system improves over time as it learns from your feedback.
Can I use multiple criteria at once?
Yes! You can define multiple criteria and combine them to create comprehensive qualification checks. Filter to show only candidates who meet all criteria, or review results for each criterion individually.
Does CriteriaMatch work with existing resumes?
Yes, CriteriaMatch can analyze existing resumes in your candidate pool. Simply set up your criteria, and the system will check all candidates against them.
How long does it take to check candidates?
CriteriaMatch checks candidates automatically and instantly. Once you’ve defined your criteria, new applications are checked automatically as they come in.
References
- Jobscan - 8 Things You Need to Know About Applicant Tracking Systems
- Select Software Reviews - Applicant Tracking System Statistics
- Cadient Talent - ROI of Applicant Tracking Systems
- HireHive - What is an ATS?
- Canvider - CriteriaMatch Feature Page
Last updated: January 2026