Optimal Matching


We all know the importance of interviewing and then hiring the right people. But this task becomes more difficult as the number of applicants per vacancy grows. Out of dozens of applicants, it is easy to waste time interviewing the wrong people and lose out on good hires by not interviewing the right people. For applicants this poses a similar challenge. From a stack of applicants, how can an individual stand out?

Advances in business science can help address these questions. Connexys, Erasmus University’s Rotterdam School of Management, and TextKernel have joined together to try to make optimal matches between applicants and vacancies for different companies. An optimal match occurs when there is a perfect fit between the needs of the organization and the abilities and ambitions of an applicant.

To make these matches, application data is attained from companies’ Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS). Of particular importance, CV data is extracted and normalized using innovative text extraction methods (Rode, Colen, & Zavrel, 2012; Spitters, Bonnema, Rotaru, & Zavrel, 2012).  This “unlocks” the CV data and provides an overview of the individual’s past experiences in relation to other applicants and in relation to the job requirements. This standardized approach allows tests of the importance of certain factors in recruitment and selection at a scale that was previously prohibitive.

As stated, the main aim of the project is to find out how to make optimal matches between applicants and vacancies or applicants and companies. In addition, several more specific questions will be addressed throughout the project. Particular effort is being devoted to (a) identifying optimal career trajectories that can help guide individuals in their careers (e.g. Lee and Felps, 2013), as well as (b) advancing measures of degree of specialization and amount of relevant experience.

For more information contact  <link people colin-lee>Colin Lee, clee@rsm.nl