TL;DR: How to match with quality candidates on Indeed

1. Post your job as a free listing or a Sponsored Job to boost visibility.
2. Set must-have screener questions so Indeed can automatically screen out unqualified applicants.
3. Filter applicants in the Employer Dashboard by those must-have criteria and key details like location or experience.
4. Use Smart Sourcing and Talent Scout to proactively search and match with candidates in Indeed’s talent pool.
5. Message candidates promptly to build trust and work toward the Responsive Employer Badge.
6. Schedule interviews with Indeed Interview and meet virtually without extra tools.
7. Make a competitive offer and confirm details in writing.
8. Mark the candidate as Hired and close the job so Indeed can optimize your future results.

Indeed hiring tools at a glance

• Sponsored Jobs: Paid listings that get better visibility in search results and access to features like Advanced Matching and the Urgently hiring label.
• Screener Questions: Pre-written or custom questions in your job post that help filter for must-have skills, experience and credentials.
• Employer Dashboard: Your hub for viewing applicants, filtering by qualifications, messaging candidates, scheduling interviews and tracking status.
• Smart Sourcing: An AI-powered sourcing tool that matches your jobs with quality candidates based on their skills, experience and preferences; requires a subscription to view full resumes and contact candidates.
• Talent Scout: AI recruiting assistant that helps you optimize your jobs and find and connect with top candidates so you can focus on interviewing and hiring.
• Indeed Interview: Built-in virtual interview tools that let you schedule, host and track interviews from your browser.
• Responsive Employer Badge: A visual signal on your job posts that indicates you are likely to reply to candidates, earned by responding consistently to messages and applications.

Step 1: How do I post a job on Indeed and showcase my brand?

When you post a job on Indeed, you can choose to create a free listing or pay to sponsor your job to improve its visibility in job-seeker searches.^[3] You can also customize your Indeed Company Page to help potential candidates learn more about life at your company.

When you sponsor a job on Indeed, you also unlock:

• Advanced Matching: Our smart matching technology automatically connects your job posts with the right people. It analyzes job requirements and puts your jobs in front of candidates who already have those specific skills.
• Smart Screening: Use AI-powered screening to help prioritize applicants who meet your key requirements faster.
• Matched candidates: Contact top matches on the Jobs page and invite them to apply.
• Talent Scout: AI recruiting assistant that uses insights from your job post and applicant data to surface strong matches, suggest optimizations and help you engage top candidates so you can spend more time interviewing and hiring.
• Time-saving AI features: Accelerate your candidate screening process using auto-generated messages to contact applicants, or the free Indeed AI Job Description Generator. 
• Urgently hiring label: Drive interested job seekers to apply right away by showing you are already actively reviewing candidates.
• Branded jobs: Stand out from the crowd by adding your logo and a company image to your job post.

Related: Indeed Pricing: Job Posting Costs

Step 2: How do Screener Questions help me screen for quality candidates on Indeed?

Indeed helps you find people with the skills and qualifications you are looking for by using screener questions in your job post.

Screen for key skills and qualifications

Depending on the job, you might ask candidates questions about special certifications, work experience or software proficiencies. Their answers can help you quickly see whether they meet your key hiring criteria, such as education level, years of experience, language abilities, willingness to relocate or geographic location.

How to set must-have Screener Questions

1. In your Employer Dashboard, create a new job or open an existing draft and scroll to the Screener Questions section.
2. Choose pre-written questions based on your job title or click to add your own custom questions.
3. For non-negotiable requirements (e.g., certifications, minimum experience, work authorization, location), toggle the question to Required so it becomes a must-have filter in your dashboard.
4. Save and publish your job; only required questions will be available as filters when you review candidates.

When you mark a question as required, you give Indeed permission to automatically deprioritize applicants who do not meet that must-have and file them under Rejected in your Employer Dashboard. That way you can spend more time reviewing people who meet your minimum criteria, while still being able to look at optional qualifications when you want to.

You can add as many screener questions as needed for each role and adjust them over time if you find you’re being too strict or too broad.

Example Screener Questions 

For a licensed electrician role, you might set required questions like:

• Do you currently hold an active journeyman or master electrician license in this state? (Yes/No – Required)
• How many years of full-time experience do you have as a licensed electrician? (Multiple choice – Required; e.g., “0–1,” “2–4,” “5+”)
• *Are you available to work on-call or weekend shifts when needed?* (Yes/No – Optional)

Read more: How to Use Screener Questions on Indeed

Step 3: How do I filter and manage candidates in the Employer Dashboard?

Once applications start coming in, your Employer Dashboard becomes your control center.

You can:

• Filter applicants by must-have questions. Only questions marked as required will appear as filters. Optional questions won’t show up as filter options.
• Apply additional filters like education, location or work experience where available.
• Tag each candidate with Yes, Maybe or No to quickly sort by interest.
• Track each applicant with statuses like Awaiting review, Reviewed, Contacting, Rejected and Hired.

Best practices:

• Reject misaligned candidates promptly. When someone isn’t a fit, clicking Reject candidate automatically sends a polite message letting them know they’re no longer being considered.
• Mark new hires as Hired. Updating the final status helps you keep accurate records, understand which sources bring in strong candidates and improve how Indeed surfaces candidates to you in the future.

You can also invite colleagues to collaborate (review candidates, leave notes and help make decisions) by adding them under your Application Settings > Communication Settings and assigning permissions.

Step 4: How does Smart Sourcing help me find quality candidates on Indeed?

Posting jobs is one way to attract candidates; Smart Sourcing helps you go out and find them.

With a Smart Sourcing subscription, you can:

• Search across millions of Job Seeker Profiles using filters like job title, skills, location, availability and recent activity.
• Use advanced search, including Boolean operators, to hone in on specific skill sets or backgrounds.
• See matched candidates for your open roles based on the information they share with Indeed (skills, experience, preferences).
• Build shortlists of people who closely match your requirements—even if they haven’t applied yet.

Smart Sourcing can be especially useful when:

• You’re hiring for hard-to-fill roles or specialized skill sets.
• You want to supplement job posts by reaching out to passive or semi-active talent.
• You need to move quickly and want to start conversations with well-matched candidates right away.

How to search with Smart Sourcing

1. Open your employer account and go to the Smart Sourcing experience.
2. Attach an existing open job to your search (where available) so results are tailored to that role.
3. Enter a job title and key skills, then apply filters like location, availability, recent activity and years of experience.
4. Review matched candidates and add the best fits to a shortlist so you can message them directly.

Example Smart Sourcing searches

• Skill + title focused (software engineer):
  (“software engineer” OR “backend engineer”) AND (Python OR “Django”) AND (API OR “microservices”)
• License + location (registered nurse):
  (“registered nurse” OR RN) AND (“ICU” OR “critical care”) AND (“state license” OR “compact license”)
• Remote-ready marketers:
  (“marketing manager” OR “growth marketer”) AND (“remote” OR “work from home”) AND (SaaS OR “B2B”)

You can then narrow further using filters like location radius, years of experience, availability or last active date.

Note: An active Smart Sourcing subscription is required to view full candidate details and send direct messages.

Step 5: How should I message candidates on Indeed to build trust?

Timely, clear communication is a big part of making the right hire.

From your Employer Dashboard:

• Send messages directly to candidates to introduce your opportunity, ask clarifying questions or invite them to the next step.
• Create and save templates so you can personalize at scale—swapping in role details, candidate names and key requirements without rewriting each note.
• Use AI-assisted messaging where available to generate first drafts based on your job description and the candidate’s resume.

Benefits:

• Candidates are more likely to respond and move forward when they hear from you quickly.
• Job seekers who apply to jobs after employers contact them are 3.4X more likely to get an interview than those who apply on their own.^[4]
• Consistently responding to candidates can help you earn the Responsive Employer Badge, which signals to job seekers that you’re likely to reply.

Even a short acknowledgment or status update, especially after an application or interview, can improve how candidates perceive your organization.

Read more: Candidate Messaging: When To Call, Text, Email and Meet

Step 6: How do I schedule and run video interviews with Indeed Interview?

Indeed has built-in tools to help you handle interviews without extra software.

During a virtual interview, you can:

• Review the candidate’s resume and take notes on the same screen.
• Invite additional colleagues for panel interviews and share your screen where needed.
• Use features like background blur and noise reduction to create a more focused experience.

How to schedule a video interview with Indeed Interview

1. In your Employer Dashboard, open the candidate’s profile for the role.
2. Click Set up interview.
3. Choose Video as the interview type (you can also select phone or in-person).
4. Select several time options that work for your team and add details like interviewer names, duration and any prep requests.
5. Send the invitation so the candidate can confirm a time. Once they confirm, both of you receive a calendar file and a link to join the virtual interview.

Keep the experience professional and structured: come prepared with questions, give candidates time to answer and use the conversation to highlight why your company and role may be a good fit for them.

Step 7: How do I make a competitive offer and mark a candidate as hired on Indeed?

When you’ve identified the right person:

1. Reach out to your finalist to schedule a conversation about the offer.
2. Share the proposed compensation, benefits and start date, leaving some room for negotiation where appropriate.
3. Follow up with a written offer letter that clearly outlines salary or pay range, role expectations, benefits and any contingencies.
4. Once the candidate signs, update their status to Hired in your Employer Dashboard and close or pause the job.

Being transparent about pay and benefits upfront can help attract the right candidates and reduce friction at the offer stage.

FAQs about using Indeed’s employer tools to find quality candidates

Is Indeed a good choice if I care more about quality than application volume?

Yes. Indeed is designed to help you focus on quality by letting you define must-have screener questions, filter applicants in the Employer Dashboard, proactively search with Smart Sourcing and manage interviews and offers in one place. Together, these tools help you spend less time on unqualified applicants and more time with strong matches.

How do I automatically screen out applicants who don’t meet critical requirements?

Mark key screener questions as Required in the Screener Questions section of your job post. Applicants who don’t meet those must-haves can be automatically moved to Rejected in your Employer Dashboard, so you can prioritize people who meet your baseline criteria.

Is Smart Sourcing included or paid?

Smart Sourcing is available with a subscription. You can search and see limited information about candidates, but you need an active subscription to view full resumes and contact them directly.

What’s the difference between free job posts, Sponsored Jobs and Branded Jobs?

• Free job posts offer basic visibility on Indeed.
• Sponsored Jobs are paid listings that can get better visibility and access to features like Advanced Matching, and the Urgently hiring label. 
• Branded Jobs are Sponsored Jobs with added visual branding (your logo and a company image) to help your posts stand out.

When to use each option

• Free job posts: Basic visibility at no direct cost; best for less competitive roles or when you’re testing demand.
• Sponsored Jobs: Paid promotion for higher, more consistent visibility; best for competitive or hard-to-fill roles where you need more quality applicants, faster.
• Branded Jobs: Sponsored Jobs with added visual branding (logo and image); best when you need to stand out from similar roles and reinforce your employer brand.

What is the Responsive Employer Badge and how do I earn it?

The Responsive Employer Badge appears on your job posts when you consistently reply to applications and messages within Indeed. It signals to job seekers that you’re likely to respond, which can encourage more of the right candidates to apply.

Can I export candidates or share them with my team?

Yes. From the Employer Dashboard, you can select candidates and export their information if you prefer to review resumes via email or share them with colleagues who don’t regularly log into Indeed.

Hiring workflow checklist

Use this quick checklist to keep your hiring focused on quality:

• [ ] Clarify the role and write a clear, specific job description (or use Indeed’s AI Job Description Generator).
• [ ] Claim and update your Company Page.
• [ ] Post your job and decide whether to use Sponsored Jobs (and Branded Jobs where available).
• [ ] Set must-have screener questions to enable automatic screening and filtering.
• [ ] Review and filter applicants in the Employer Dashboard, keeping statuses up to date (Reviewed, Contacting, Rejected, Hired).
• [ ] Use Smart Screening (where available), Smart Sourcing and/or Talent Scout when you need extra reach or help prioritizing applicants.
• [ ] Message candidates promptly to work toward the Responsive Employer Badge.
• [ ] Schedule and run video interviews with Indeed Interview and provide prep information.
• [ ] Make a clear, competitive offer and confirm details in writing.
• [ ] Mark the candidate as Hired and close the job to keep your pipeline accurate and inform future recommendations on Indeed.

Putting it all together

Indeed’s hiring tools work best when you use them together as a connected workflow focused on matching you with quality candidates, not just more applications. 

By building a strong employer brand and clear, well-targeted job posts, then layering on screener questions, Smart Sourcing and organized candidate management in your Employer Dashboard, you can spend more time with applicants who are most likely to be a great fit and less time on unqualified resumes.

When you keep communication timely, run structured virtual interviews and extend clear, competitive offers, you create a candidate experience that reflects well on your company and helps you turn more high-quality job seekers into new hires.

Back to Hiring with Indeed

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