(Fluid) Searching and Comparing Profiles

Overview of the Results Calculation Ranking

This topic discusses how the system calculates results for target profiles to determine the profiles that best match for the search criteria. Search and compare profiles uses the search engine to determine which profiles most closely meet the specified criteria. The search query is constructed of search elements generated from each criteria item property in the search criteria. A search against the Person or Non-person Profile index is performed to return matching profiles with a match percentage. The profiles are displayed with the profile having the best fit listed first.

The search criteria comprises a set of profile criteria items that you want to search for in the target profile. However, items in the search criteria can have multiple properties. For example, if you add a competency to the search criteria you can also specify the desired rating for the competency, or if you add a language skill you can specify the desired writing proficiency for that language. The competency rating and the writing proficiency are properties of the competency and language skill profile criteria items. The system calculates a property percentage match value for each property that you specify in the search criteria.

Profile match percentages are also determined by the setting of the Exact Match field. This is discussed later in this topic.

Calculating Property and Item Percentages

The property percentages vary according to the property. For most properties, criteria with matching properties score 100 percent and those that don't score 0 percent. However, properties with a rating scale, such as the rating property and the interest level property, have scores that are in the range 0–100 percent according to how closely the source and the target match.

A search criteria item must at least match on the content item, unless Exact Match is specified. With Exact Match, the content item and all specified properties must match. When Exact Match is not specified, then the more properties that match for the criteria item the higher the score will be for that item.

If the search criteria include items with the interest level property (JPM_INTEREST_LEVEL), the system calculates the property score in the same way as the rating property.

Calculating the Rating Property Percentages

If the search criteria includes items with the rating or interest level property (JPM_RATING1, JPM_RATING2, JPM_RATING3, or JPM_INTEREST_LEVEL), the system calculates this property value differently than other properties. Instead of scoring 100 or 0 percent, the system assigns a score that depends on how closely the rating or interest level in the target profile matches the rating or interest level specified in the search criteria.

The system uses a Closest Fit scoring method for all search types (person-to-person, job-to-job, person-to-job, and job-to-person) to rank the target profiles to the source search criteria. This means the profiles closest to the search criteria will be ranked higher. Items with the same rating score will be identified at a 100 percent match while target profile items with a lower or higher rating will be assigned a score of less than 100 percent.

However, for searches that use person-to-job or job-to-person types, the end user has the option on the Search Results page to sort the profiles, relative to the person, by either:

• Lowest to Highest Job Rating: Job ratings that are at or below the person rating will be ranked higher.

  For example, you are trying to find jobs for a person who is rated at a level 4–Very Good for an item. When a job in the search results only requires a level 3–Good rating for the same item, this person is overqualified for the job and therefore the score for this job profile, relative to the person, will indicate a greater than 100 percent (>100%) match value for this item.

• High to Low Person Rating: Person ratings that are at or above the job rating will be ranked higher.

  For example, you are trying to find individuals for a job that requires a level 4–Very Good rating for an item. When a person in the search results possesses a rating of 5–Excellent for the same item, this person is overqualified for the job requirement and therefore the score for this person profile will indicate a greater than 100 percent (>100%) match value for this item.

The following use cases illustrate the scoring methodology that is tied to the profile usage (PERSON and JOB) of the search source and target profile types:

Person looking for a best job match using the following scoring method:

• Closest Fit — A target (job) profile has a matching item with:

  • A higher rating, then the job profile score is a number less than 100 percent.

  • The same rating, then the job profile score is 100% (100 percent).

  • A lower rating, then the job profile score is a number less than 100 percent

• Lowest to Highest Job Rating — A target (job) profile has a matching item with:

  • A higher rating, then the job profile score is a number less than 100 percent.

  • The same rating, then the job profile score is 100% (100 percent).

  • A lower rating, then the job profile score is >100% (greater than 100 percent).

Job needs to be filled with the best person match using the following scoring method:

• Closest Fit — A target (person) profile has a matching item with:

  • A higher rating, then the person profile score is a number less than 100 percent.

  • The same rating, then the person profile score is 100% (100 percent).

  • A lower rating, then the person profile score is less than 100 percent.

• High to Low Person Rating — A target (person) profile has a matching item with:

  • A higher rating, then the person profile score is >100% (greater than 100 percent).

  • The same rating, then the person profile score is 100% (100 percent).

  • A lower rating, then the person profile score is a number less than 100 percent.

The system automatically uses the Closest Fit method for person-to-person or job–to–job searches (such as looking for people with certain qualifications or looking for jobs with certain criteria). This is where a target profile has a matching item with:

• A higher rating, then the score is a number less than 100 percent.

• The same rating, then the score is 100% (100 percent).

• A lower rating, then the score is a number less than 100 percent.

When a target profile does not have the criteria item, the score is 0% (zero percent).

The system calculates the rating property score based on the number of levels in the rating model defined for that item.

Calculating Item Scores for Exact Match Items

The system automatically includes the Exact Match field for each item in the search criteria. If you select Yes to the Exact Match option for an item, the system searches for profiles that include the item and all the properties specified for that item. Profiles that have different item properties are not included in the results. However, since the Fluid pages use boolean logic, the results may return a profile that does not have an exact match, depending on your use of the AND and OR operator.

For example, your search criteria includes two competency items and a degree, as shown in the table, and each item is connected by an OR operator:

This table lists the items in the target profile and the item scores:

The target profile scored 0 for item 0110 (Time Management) because the rating does not have an exact match with the item. However, the profile is returned in the results because the target profile contained exact or partial matches to other items. With the OR operator, the profile only needed to posses at least one of the criteria item properties.

If the items in this example had been joined with the AND boolean operator, then the profile would not have been returned because the profile needed to have a match with all the items.

Saved Searches

The page displays this section when you have saved searches (see the (Fluid) Search Criteria Page).

The Search and Compare feature enables you to save profile search criteria. When you have saved search criteria, the Start a New Search page will display your saved searches at the top of the page in a collapsible Saved Searches section. Saved searches are specific to the logged in user.

This example illustrates the fields and controls on the Start a New Search page when you have saved searches.

Select a saved search to be taken directly to the (Fluid) Search Results Page to see a list of profiles that meet the criteria of the search. If no profiles match your criteria, the page will indicate that there are no results.

Profile Search Results grid and Continue button

The Profile Search Results scroll area lists the profiles that match the search criteria you selected. Select the profile name that you want to use as the source for the search and compare.

Working with Search Criteria Groups

Use groups to help you to find and compare people or jobs using different combinations of criteria in a single search. You can add the same criteria in multiple groups and make different combinations. You can also move search criteria items from one group to another group.

The following scenario shows an example of using groups in your search criteria:

You are looking for a person who has certain qualifications but are open to several different combinations of educational experiences. Qualified individuals would need to possess one of the following educational combinations:

• Bachelor of Business Administration

  OR

• Associate of Business Administration AND Certified Public Accountant

  OR

• Associate of Business Administration AND Association of Cost Management Accountants certification

To enter this search criteria, you will need to:

1. In the Group -1 group box, select the Add / Remove Criteria link, select the criteria type Degrees, add the Bachelor of Business Admin criteria, and click Done.

2. Select the + Add Group icon and link to insert the Group - 2 group box at the top of the page. Click the Add / Remove Criteria link in the Group - 2 header. Select a criteria type of Degrees and add the Associate of Business Admin criteria. Then select a criteria type of Licenses and Certifications and add the Certified Public Accountant, and click Done.

3. Select the + Add Group icon and link to insert the Group - 3 group box at the top of the page. Click the Add / Remove Criteria link in the Group -3 header. Select a criteria type of Degrees and add Associate of Business Admin. Then select a criteria type of Licenses and Certifications, add the Assoc of Cost Mgmt Accountants criteria, and click Done.

This example illustrates the use of criteria groups as explained in the previous scenario.

Adding and Removing Groups

Adding or Removing Criteria

A group consists of one or several criteria cards that indicate your searching parameters. Each group must contain at least one search criterion.

Field or Control	Description
(Criteria) badge icon	A criteria item displays this badge when it has related items (sub-competencies or elements). The first number in the badge identifies how many have been added as additional criteria for this search and the second number indicates how many are associated with the item. Note: Related items that you can add as criteria are determined by the relationships defined in the content catalog and the content section definitions in the profile type. The content section must also be configured to be included in the Search/Compare index to be included in the search. See <Edit Criteria Item> Page and (Fluid) Add/Remove Criteria (Related Items) Page.
Add / Remove Criteria icon and link	Click this icon and link to open the (Fluid) Add / Remove Criteria Page to add or remove items for a group to include in your search criteria.
Show All Details and Hide All Details links	Toggle between these two links to show or hide additional details that may reside on the criteria card.
(Edit) icon and link	Click this icon and link to access the <Edit Criteria Item> Page where you can view, update, or delete an item from the search criteria.
Details link	Click this link to show or hide additional details that reside on the criteria card. The link will toggle between a down and up arrow to expand or collapse the data.
Exact Match	Displays whether a criteria item must be part of the target profile to be in the search results. Note: Exact Match is the Mandatory property in the profile setup configuration. If the Mandatory property is included in a content section definition, the system uses the setting in the profile as the default value in the search criteria, but you can override the default.
and	Click these icons to toggle between the OR and AND operators. These operators are available between criteria cards within a group and provide you with the flexibility to require that the target profile possess all criteria items (AND) or specify that the target profile need have only one of the criteria items (OR). When you select OR, the page combines the criteria cards indicating that only one item from the cards is required. When you select AND, the criteria cards remain separate, indicating that both card items are required to return rows in the search.

Moving Criteria from One Group to Another

Moving criteria varies depending upon the device you are using or mode in which you have accessed the system.

This example illustrates the moving options when using a touch device or in screen reader mode.

Add / Remove Criteria page when viewing selected criteria

To view only the criteria items you have selected for your search criteria, use the Show All Selected Criteria link.

Navigation:

Click the Show All Selected Criteria link on the Add / Remove Criteria page.

This example illustrates the Add / Remove Criteria page when you click the Show All Selected Criteria link.

When you click the Show All Selected Criteria link, the page shows all the items you have selected for this criteria group. It also includes the following field elements:

Related Items (Sub-Competencies or Elements)

This section is available when related items have been configured for a content item and can be included as part of the Search/Compare process.

Additional Filters

This section is available when the target source is a person type.

Enter a partial or full description to use as a filter against your search. You can use single quotes (' ') around words that make up a phrase or an asterisk (*) to search for partial strings.

Profile Group Filters

The group box appears only if the target profile type belongs to searchable profile groups.

See Profile Group Types Page.

Filters (Facets) Panel

This left panel displays facets that are based off of the search results. Select different facets to further filter and narrow your results.

Breadcrumbs will appear above the Search Results grid for each selected facet. Each time you select a facet, the list of facet values is refined and a new set of values and counts are displayed.

Search Results

Profile Search Results Cards

The top of this page shows those profiles you selected for the compare process in a card format. Use this section to review, move, delete, or add profiles to the compare process.

Configurable Compare Group Headings

Administrators can configure this page to display additional compare groups using the search and compare configuration pages. This allows you to view additional fields in the compare results which do not impact the search ranking. In the previous screen shot, the Job Information and Additional Information collapsible sections were part of this search query’s setup.

Matching Results for “<Profile Name>”

This section shows the results for the compare based on the profiles and sort order for the compare process.

The results will display a collapsible Criteria Type group box that lists the criteria items selected for that type. The left most column in the box shows the source criteria items, and when applicable, the proficiency or requirements specified for that profile. The other columns represent the target items that correspond to the search criteria with a percentage score of how well they match to the source item based on the sort.

Related Items

When items in the search have related items, they will appear as a collapsible sub-section under the criteria item.

Example of the Compare Results page showing related items (Sub-Competencies) sub-section for a criteria item

Source

Use this section to enter source profile data. Tab out of a field to enable other fields on the page.

Target

Use this section to enter target profile data. Tab out of a field to enable other fields on the page.