In Simple Words
It is like a customized order form at a restaurant. Instead of just asking for a "sandwich," the customer specifies 1 to 5 non-negotiable dietary rules with the chef, guaranteeing that kitchen staff only send out plates that meet those exact criteria.
Small and medium firms in France
- No proactive agency outreach
- Reference special-criteria vacancy count
- Proactive agency outreach
- 122% more vacancies with special criteria
Trial outcome: number of permanent vacancies per firm with agreed prerequisites. Full outreach package; special criteria were not randomized separately.
See source →Research question
Standard job postings often fail to convey soft-skill or firm-specific requirements, leading to mismatched candidate applications and high screening costs for recruiters.
Participants
N = 7,438 small and medium-sized firms (5 to 250 employees) in France.
Study Design
OLS regression with agency-clustered standard errors measuring specific recruitment sub-services assigned to posted vacancies.
Results
Treated firms experienced a 122% increase in vacancies assigned the prerequisites pre-selection service (0.028 increase over a 0.034 control mean, p < 0.01), where counselors co-defined 1 to 5 unobservable screening criteria with employers.
Takeaway
Establish 1 to 5 non-negotiable prerequisite criteria directly with hiring managers before shortlisting candidates to align candidate screening with unstated firm needs.