What it means
Screening criteria are the job-related requirements, qualifications, signals, and evaluation rules used to decide which candidates move forward in a hiring process. Criteria can include required licenses, work authorization, experience, skills, location, schedule availability, assessment results, portfolio evidence, and role-specific competencies. In recruiting software, screening criteria may appear in application questions, knockout rules, scorecards, recruiter review forms, and automated matching workflows.
Why buyers should care
Screening criteria shape who gets considered and who is filtered out. Vague or inconsistent criteria can create fairness risk, poor candidate experience, and unreliable funnel reporting. Buyers should evaluate whether software supports structured criteria, job-related documentation, configurable review steps, audit trails, exception handling, and clear separation between required qualifications and preferred signals. Automation should make criteria easier to apply consistently, not hide why a candidate was rejected.
Evaluation checks
Review application questions, knockout logic, recruiter review fields, scorecard links, disposition reasons, bias review controls, and reporting by criteria outcome. Ask vendors how criteria changes are versioned and how rejected candidates can be reviewed later. Strong screening criteria are explainable, role-related, and traceable.
This glossary entry is buyer-oriented guidance, not legal, compliance, or financial advice.