Estimated read time: 3–4 minutes

CLARA's AI settings give you the flexibility to tailor how candidates are scored and prioritized — both across your entire organization and for individual roles. This guide walks you through what you can adjust, who can make changes, and when it makes sense to do so.

Use this guide as a reference when setting up a new job or revisiting your screening criteria.

What you'll need before getting started

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

Access to CLARA with Partner Admin, Account Owner, or Recruiter permissions (depending on the level of settings you're adjusting — see the table below)
At least one active job created in CLARA

⚠️ Note: If you don't have the right permissions, contact your Partner Admin or Account Owner, or reach out to our Partner Success team at success@getclara.io.

Overview

CLARA AI settings can be configured at two levels:

Company-level defaults — applied across all jobs in your organization
Job-level adjustments — tailored for a specific role or hiring need

Understanding when and how to use each level ensures your hiring process stays both efficient and fair.

Who can adjust settings

Customization Level	Who Can Change It?	When to Adjust?
Company-Level Defaults (applied across all jobs)	Partner Admins and Account Owners	During initial setup, policy changes, or to align with company-wide hiring goals.
Job-Level Adjustments (tailored for specific roles)	Recruiters (with permissions). Note: Hiring Managers do not have access to adjust AI settings directly — changes should be made by a Recruiter or Admin on their behalf.	When hiring for niche roles, adjusting AI priorities for a specific job, or refining candidate scoring for improved matching.

When to adjust CLARA AI settings

Consider adjusting your settings when:

Hiring priorities shift — for example, placing greater emphasis on skills-based hiring or specific qualifications
Candidate quality is not aligning with your job expectations
A role requires unique qualifications outside your standard company settings
New hiring trends or business needs require updated screening parameters

⚠️ Note: We recommend avoiding frequent changes to your AI settings mid-process. Adjusting settings after candidates have already been scored can affect consistency and make it harder to compare candidates fairly. If you need to make changes, consider doing so before a new batch of candidates is uploaded.

How to adjust AI settings in CLARA

Navigate to Settings using the left navigation menu and open the AI Settings tab.
Rank what matters most to you when scoring candidates. You can rank each item from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important). Take your time here — these rankings directly influence how CLARA scores and prioritizes candidates across your pipeline.
To reduce potential bias in your screening process, navigate to the De-Identification tab. This setting removes identifiable candidate information — such as names, alma mater, and personal details — during screening. Toggle individual options on or off based on your preferences.

Best Practices

💡 Align settings with your hiring goals: Define whether efficiency, skills-based hiring, or specific qualifications are your priority before setting up a role — and configure your AI settings accordingly.
💡 Use past experience to guide adjustments: Think back to similar or identical roles you've hired for before. If certain AI settings produced strong candidates last time, use those as your starting point — and adjust from there based on what worked or didn't.
💡 Limit bias while customizing: Avoid over-reliance on experience-based filters that could unintentionally exclude non-traditional candidates.
💡 Standardize at the company level: Set consistent defaults across all jobs, then use job-level adjustments only for roles with genuinely different requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I adjust my AI settings?

We recommend setting your AI preferences before uploading candidates and avoiding changes mid-process. Frequent adjustments can affect scoring consistency and make it harder to compare candidates fairly across a role.

Can hiring managers adjust AI settings?

No — hiring managers do not have direct access to AI settings. If adjustments are needed based on a hiring manager's feedback, a Recruiter or Admin should make the changes on their behalf.

What's the difference between company-level and job-level settings?

Company-level settings apply as the default across all jobs and are managed by Partner Admins and Account Owners. Job-level settings allow Recruiters (with the right permissions) to fine-tune scoring for a specific role without affecting other jobs.

What does De-Identification do?

De-Identification removes identifiable information — such as a candidate's name, alma mater, and personal details — from the screening view. This helps reduce unconscious bias by keeping the focus on qualifications and responses rather than personal background.

Will changing AI settings affect candidates already in the pipeline?

Yes — changes to AI settings can affect how candidates are scored and ranked. We recommend making any adjustments before a new batch of candidates is uploaded to maintain consistency across your pipeline.