1. Each application is analysed against the job description and defined criteria (such as skills, experience, and qualifications).
2. All candidates receive a SmartMatch score, showing how well they fit the role.
3. Recruiters can sort applications by Best Match to see a ranked list of applicants, with the most qualified candidates at the top.
4. Recruiters can review a detailed breakdown in each candidate profile that explains how each score was calculated, offering transparency and confidence in shortlisting.

By surfacing candidates who best meet the job description and key criteria, this feature reduces manual application screening and speeds up decision-making. Recruitment teams can spend less time filtering applications and more time engaging with top talent.

SmartMatch scores are displayed differently depending on which view you're using:

List View: In List View, SmartMatch scores appear as a numbered badge next to each candidate's name on the left-hand side panel. The score is displayed prominently in a coloured circle (e.g., a candidate with a score of 100 would show in a larger badge). This view allows you to quickly scan and compare scores across all candidates and sort by Best Match to rank them accordingly.

Board View: In Board View, candidates are organized in columns by recruitment stage (New, In Review, Phone Screen, Assessment, Interview, etc.). The SmartMatch score still appears on each candidate's card, displayed as a numbered badge. This view gives you a visual overview of where candidates are in your recruitment pipeline while maintaining visibility of their SmartMatch scores.

Firstly, you will need to create a new job in Employment Hero. The Best Match AI sorting method will only apply to roles created after 4th September, 2025. Follow the instructions in this article to create a new job. Then you can follow the numbered steps below.

1. Log in to Employment Hero.
2. On the left-hand side menu, click on Recruitment.
3. Click on Recruitment.
4. Click on the Jobs tab.
5. Click on the job whose candidates you want to shortlist.
6. On the left-hand side menu with the candidate names, click on Sort By. 
   
7. Click on Best Match AI. 
   
8. This will display your candidates in List View, ranked by Employment Hero. The highest-scoring candidates will appear at the top of the list with their SmartMatch score displayed next to their name.

Board View is ideal if you want to see candidates organized by recruitment stage while still having access to their SmartMatch scores. Follow these steps to view your candidates in Board View:

1. Log in to Employment Hero.
2. On the left-hand side menu, click on Recruitment.
3. Click on Recruitment.
4. Click on the Jobs tab.
5. Click on the job whose candidates you want to view.
6. At the top right of the page, look for the view toggle options. Click on the Board View icon to switch from List View to Board View.
7. Your candidates will now be displayed in columns organized by recruitment stage (New, In Review, Phone Screen, Assessment, Interview, etc.). Each candidate card will display their SmartMatch score as a numbered badge, allowing you to quickly identify top matches within each stage of your pipeline.

By clicking on Profile, this will show how Employment Hero calculates the candidate scoring method. SmartMatch rates the skills, the experience and the qualifications of the candidate and how they match against your job description. The scores are between 1-100, and the higher scores demonstrate a better match. Lower-scoring candidates may still be suitable when hiring for junior positions where on-the-job training is provided.

Click on View more to see how Employment Hero has factored in the candidate's skills, experience and qualifications. 

You can also manually update the score card also if you want to factor in any new information, or values that have not been factored in from the candidate's resume or cover letter. 

SmartMatch extracts matching criteria from job descriptions. The more complete and tailored a job description is for a specific role and employer, the higher the quality of matches and SmartMatch scores will be.

Additionally, all candidate profiles now include a detailed breakdown of how each score is calculated, allowing users to quickly understand the matched experience, skills, and qualifications of each applicant.