How do I match and compare candidates for a WBL opportunity?

Last updated About 1 hour ago

Match Candidates is the coordinator tool for finding the right student for an opportunity — or the right opportunities for a student — using AI-generated fit scores, interest signals, and side-by-side comparison.

This feature (along with placement and hiring actions) is only available to users who are members of the Work-Based Learning Coordinator group and Application Admins.

Opening Match Candidates

You can open this modal from several places:

  • The Available Opportunities tab → Match Candidates

  • The Eligible Students tab → Match Candidates (opens directly in By Student mode for that student)

  • The Match Candidates icon on an individual opportunity card

Two modes

At the top of the modal, switch between:

By Opportunity

  1. The left panel lists opportunities that already have at least one match signal — a student expressed interest, or favorited a matching job title. (Opportunities with no signal yet don't appear here: "Opportunities will appear after a student expresses interest or favorites a matching job title.")

  2. Select an opportunity to load its candidates on the right, grouped into:

    • Interested Students

    • Favorited This Job Title

  3. Within each group, candidates with a higher Fit score are listed first.

By Student

  1. The left panel lists students eligible for at least one WBL type.

  2. Select a student to see their Suggested Opportunities, ranked #1, #2, #3…

Badges you'll see on opportunities

Alongside the candidate count, an opportunity's card may show an active experience badge (for example, "2 active experiences") — how many students already have a running WBL experience tied to that opportunity. It's a quick way to gauge whether an opportunity still has room, or whether an employer may already be at capacity.

What does "Fit" mean?

Fit is a 0–100 score, generated by AI, estimating how well a specific student matches a specific opportunity. It considers the student's career interests, coursework, certifications, skills, WBL history, availability, and their WBL eligibility interest summaries — compared against the opportunity's details.

  • Click the Fit badge (or Fit pending while it's still being calculated) to expand:

    • Strengths — concrete reasons the student is a good fit

    • Considerations — honest concerns worth knowing (schedule, age requirement, missing coursework, etc.)

    • Refresh Analysis — regenerate the score if the student's profile has changed

  • Every fit panel is labeled School-internal only — this analysis is never shared with employers. It's a ranking aid for you, not an automated decision.

You may also see a Possible schedule conflict badge if the opportunity's hours don't line up with the student's stated work availability. This is just a flag, not a disqualifier.

Approving a candidate from the matching view

Once you've found a good candidate, use:

  • Approve (for a student who expressed interest), or

  • Match (for a student who favorited a matching job title)

Either action approves the student's placement for that opportunity and notifies them that they can now apply. See How do I apply for an opportunity, and what do the different statuses mean? for what the student sees next, or use Place & Hire to skip straight to a direct placement — covered in How do I place a student in an opportunity and record a hire?.

Comparing candidates side by side

Available in By Opportunity mode:

  1. Check the Compare box on up to 4 candidate cards. (A warning appears if you try to select more.)

  2. The toolbar shows how many are selected, plus Clear and Compare buttons.

  3. Click Compare to open Compare Candidates, which lays each selected student's Fit score, Strengths, Considerations, availability, and schedule-conflict status side by side.

The comparison view is read-only — close it and take action (Approve, Match, or Place & Hire) from the main candidate list.