Good criteria and eligibility rules give you accurate scores and save credits. Set up eligibility before you score a job for the first time, then write criteria using the tips below.

Recommended setup order

1. Open the All Jobs page and select the job. The criteria panel opens automatically.
2. On the Eligibility tab, click Generate Criteria and Eligibility. Add the job description and your own intake notes, including any deal-breakers (for example "must be authorized to work in the US without sponsorship" or "US timezones only"). Generating replaces existing criteria and eligibility rules.
3. Review the Eligibility tab first. Keep only true deal-breakers; anything that is just a preference belongs in criteria.
4. Review and edit your criteria using the tips below, then set weights.
5. Check scoring settings (gear icon): Score recent experience higher and Only score work history. If you change anything, click Update Settings.
6. Click Score Applicants.
7. Check the Ineligible filter once to make sure no one was excluded by mistake.

Rediscovery and sourcing use the same criteria and eligibility rules, so get scoring right for applicants first.

Writing criteria that score well

• Put everything that matters in the Requirement. SquarePeg scores each criterion from its Requirement text. The Label is a short name for you.
• One qualification per criterion. Each criterion gets its own score and can be used as a filter. Split "2+ years of engineering and a CS degree" into two criteria so you can weight and filter each one.
• Use "or" for real alternatives. "Experience with Tableau, Looker, Power BI or SQL" means any one is enough.
• Describe what shows up on a resume. Use titles, tools, domains, scope, years and company types. Avoid traits like "strong communicator" or "culture fit"; a resume can't show them.
• Use "direct experience" only when you mean it. It makes a criterion strict: related but not exact experience scores low. Leave it out if related experience should earn partial credit.
• Use company data. Criteria can refer to industry, company size, funding stage, public or private, revenue and year founded. Example: "Has worked at a Series B–D B2B SaaS company with 50–500 employees."
• To score a screening question, name it and give the answer you want. Otherwise screening answers aren't used for scoring. Example: "Answered 'Yes' to 'Do you have an active RN license in Texas?'"
• Keep it focused. 5–10 criteria works well. Use Required for the 2–4 things a hire must have, Preferred for differentiators and Bonus for nice-to-haves. If everything is Required, scores won't separate candidates.
• Don't include protected characteristics such as age, gender or nationality. They aren't scored.