Hiring Guide: How to Use Indeed’s Employer Tools

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 jobseeker searches. You can also customise your Indeed Company Page to help potential candidates learn more about life at your organisation.

When you sponsor a job on Indeed, you may also get access to:

• Advanced Matching: our smart matching technology automatically connects your job posts with the right people. It analyses job requirements and puts your jobs in front of candidates who already have those specific skills
• Smart Screening: automatically screen and score candidates based on your job criteria, helping you focus on the right applicants faster. On average, Indeed Smart Screening users reduced time-to-hire by 20%3
• matched candidates: contact top matches on the Jobs page and invite them to apply
• Talent Scout*: an AI recruiting assistant that can surface and engage quality candidates for your open roles
• time-saving AI features: accelerate your candidate screening process using auto-generated messages to contact applicants
• urgently hiring label: drive interested jobseekers to apply right away by showing you are already actively reviewing candidates
• branded jobs: distinguish your jobs by adding your logo and an organisation image to your job post.

*Only available with Premium Sponsored Jobs or a Smart Sourcing subscription. Availability may vary.

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

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

What should employers screen for in Indeed applications?

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

How do I set must-have Screening Questions on Indeed?

1. In your Employer Dashboard, create a new job or open an existing draft and scroll to the Screening 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 authorisation, 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 deprioritise 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 consider optional qualifications when you want to.

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

What are examples of must-have Screening Questions on Indeed?

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

• Do you currently hold an A-Grade Electrician licence 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)

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

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

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 employers find quality candidates on Indeed?

Posting jobs is one way to attract candidates. Smart Sourcing helps you go out and find them. Smart Sourcing can also include Sourcing Assistant, an AI-powered tool that helps employers identify and engage relevant candidates, reducing manual searching and automating early-stage outreach with customisable messaging options. It is available on Smart Sourcing Professional and Smart Sourcing Enterprise subscriptions, and is not included with Standard subscriptions.

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 focus on specific skill sets or backgrounds
• review matched candidates for your open roles based on the information they share with Indeed (skills, experience, preferences)
• use Sourcing Assistant , if you have a Smart Sourcing Professional or Enterprise subscription, to help automate candidate discovery and personalised outreach for relevant matches
• 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 specialised skill sets
• you want to supplement job posts by reaching out to passive or semi-active talent
• you want to move quickly and start conversations with well-matched candidates right away.

How do I search for candidates 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.

What are example Smart Sourcing searches?

• Skill + title focused (software engineer):
  (‘software engineer’ OR ‘backend engineer’) AND (Python OR ‘Django’) AND (API OR ‘microservices’)
• Licence + location (registered nurse):
  (‘registered nurse’ OR RN) AND (‘ICU’ OR ‘critical care’) AND (‘AHPRA registration’ OR ‘registered nurse licence’)
• 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 review full candidate details and send direct messages. Sourcing Assistant is available with Smart Sourcing Professional and Smart Sourcing Enterprise subscriptions. Standard Smart Sourcing subscriptions do not include Sourcing Assistant.

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 personalise 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.

Why does fast candidate messaging matter?

• Candidates are more likely to respond and move forward when they receive a response from you quickly.
• Job seekers who apply to jobs after employers contact them are 3.4 times 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 acknowledgement or status update, especially after an application or interview, can improve how candidates perceive your organisation.

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 do I 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 organisation 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 screening 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 screening questions as ‘Required’ in the Screening 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 prioritise people who meet your baseline criteria.

Is Smart Sourcing included or paid?

Smart Sourcing is available with a subscription. You can search and assess limited information about candidates, but you need an active subscription to review full resumes and contact them directly. Sourcing Assistant, a feature within Smart Sourcing, is available with Smart Sourcing Professional and Smart Sourcing Enterprise subscriptions. Standard Smart Sourcing subscriptions do not include Sourcing Assistant.

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 an organisation 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 want more quality applicants, faster.
• Branded Jobs: Sponsored Jobs with added visual branding (logo and image); best when you want 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.

What is the 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 screening questions to enable automatic screening and filtering.
• [ ] Review and filter applicants in the Employer Dashboar d, keeping statuses up to date (Reviewed, Contacting, Rejected, Hired).
• [ ] Use Smart Screening (where available) to screen and score candidates based on your job criteria. Use Smart Sourcing, Sourcing Assistant and/or Talent Scout when you want extra reach or help identifying relevant candidates.
• [ ] Message candidates promptly to work towards 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.

Back to Hiring with Indeed

1. Indeed survey of US employers using Premium Sponsored Jobs.
2. Indeed survey of US employers using Smart Sourcing.
3. Indeed data (US). Based on 1,095 jobs with the Smart Screening feature enabled.
4. Indeed data, US. Job seekers contacted by employers on Indeed before applying are more likely to get an interview.