Understanding Candidate Profiles on Plenty of Hires
Updated: Aug 28
A quick guide for employers on the Plenty of Hires Candidate Profile.
Hiring works best when expectations are clear, and not every candidate is job hunting the same way. That's why Plenty of Hires offers two different candidate profile types, designed to reflect how people actually look for work today. Some candidates are actively searching and ready to move fast. And many, one of the largest and most overlooked talent pools, are passive candidates who want to explore new opportunities discreetly and on their own terms.
In smaller communities, especially where people talk, and word travels fast, many qualified workers have never felt safe openly job hunting. Instead of risking their current role, they've stayed off the market altogether. Incognito Profiles change that. These candidates are available and open to better opportunities, but they remain in control of who they engage with. Not every request will be approved, and that's okay. What matters is that these candidates are finally visible, approachable, and within reach, and sometimes, that opportunity is with you.
This guide walks you through our Job Fit Assessment and the two candidate profile types, so you know exactly what information you're looking at and how to use it to connect with the right candidates more effectively.
What the Job Fit Assessment Shows You
Every candidate on Plenty of Hires completes this before they ever appear in your dashboard. It's not a personality quiz and it's not a resume replacement. It's a practical, job-focused assessment that replaces the resume and shows you how someone actually works, what they're looking for, and where they're most likely to succeed.
The assessment covers:
Core skills and experience level
Job preferences: schedule, location, pay range, and job type
Work environment and culture preferences: team vs. solo, structured vs. flexible, pace
Soft skills and motivators: what drives them and how they operate
Licenses, certifications, and industry background
Availability and travel preferences
Supervision style preferences
The kind of role they're actually looking for, not just what they're qualified for
Instead of guessing based on a resume, you get a clear picture of whether someone fits the role and the environment before you ever pick up the phone.
The Match Score
When you open your dashboard, each candidate has a Total Match Score. This is a combined score calculated across eight categories based on how well their assessment answers align with what you said you're looking for in a hire.
The eight categories are:
Skills Match: Can they actually do the job?
Environment Fit: Do they thrive in the kind of environment you run?
Culture and Values: Will they fit in with your team?
Job Type: Are they looking for the right kind of work?
Availability Fit: Can they actually work when you need them?
Supervision and Travel Fit: How do they prefer to be managed and how far are they willing to go?
Certificate Fit: Do they have the licenses and certifications the role requires?
Behavioral Fit: How do they show up and operate day to day?
Start with your highest match scores first.
Standard Profiles
Standard profiles are for candidates who are actively looking and comfortable being visible on the market. These are the people ready to move and open to hearing from you directly.
When you click on a candidate card, here's what you'll see:
Quick Overview (top of the profile):
Job type match percentage and experience level
Schedule preference and asking pay range
Skills, location, and willingness to relocate
Certifications, travel preference, and driver's license
Whether they can pass a background check or drug screen
Total Match Score: Your overall percentage showing how well this candidate aligns with what you're hiring for across all eight categories.
Scrolling further:
Full work history
Custom bio written by the candidate
Expanded soft and hard skills
Project photos if they've added them
At the bottom: Eight individual category scores showing exactly where the fit is strong and where there's a gap. Click "See Full Candidate Assessment Report" to see the actual answers behind every score.
Incognito Profiles
Incognito profiles are for passive candidates: people who are already employed but open to better opportunities. In small markets where everyone knows everyone, a lot of qualified workers have never felt safe openly job hunting. Incognito profiles change that.
They include everything from a Standard profile, with one key difference: the candidate's name, contact information, and employer history are hidden until they approve your connection request.
Here's how it works:
You click Connect on a candidate you're interested in.
The candidate receives your request by email.
If they approve it, their full identity, contact information, and work history become visible to you.
In the meantime, you can still view their skills, bio, certifications, match score, and the rest of their profile.
Not every request will be approved, and that's okay. These candidates are in control of who they engage with. What matters is that you have access to a pool of experienced, employed workers you would never find on a job board.
Passive candidates are some of the most valuable workers in the market. They're not desperate, they're selective, and when they choose to make a move it's because it was worth it.
Two Things That Dramatically Increase Your Connection Rate
The 24-Hour Rule: Contact a candidate within 24 hours of matching. The faster you reach out, the more likely you are to get a response. Waiting too long signals disinterest, and good candidates don't wait around.
The Double Dial: Call twice in a row. Back-to-back calls signal urgency and dramatically increase the chances of someone picking up. If they don't answer, leave a short voicemail on the second call.
Both of these are simple and they make a real difference.
A Few Final Tips
Start with your highest match scores first. The system ranked them for a reason.
Don't overthink profiles. If the match score is strong and the skills are there, hit Connect, and give them a call. Everyone is worth at least a phone call or email.
When two candidates score similarly, the extra detail in their profile, bio, project photos, and work history, usually reveals the better fit.
Provide feedback to the candidates engagment score after you connect. It helps the system tell employers which candidates are responsive.
As always, hiring decisions should be based on job-relevant qualifications. Plenty of Hires surfaces fit information to help you make better decisions, not to make decisions for you.
Questions about navigating your dashboard or reading a candidate profile?
Reach out any time at plentyofhires.com/contact-us.
Comments