LunaPromptsSearch for “AI Engineer” and you can find people who build very different things. One owns data pipelines. Another creates demos. A third has the production reliability experience your team actually needs, under a different title.
A useful search starts with the work. A useful shortlist explains why each person could be relevant and what still needs to be assessed.
LunaPrompts candidate discovery helps hiring teams find profiles that align with the skills required for an open role. Review candidates from configured sources, select a shortlist, and move them into a relevant assessment in the same platform.
Build a shortlist for an agent role
Technical recruiterIllustrative scenario01 / 03Name the essential work
The role needs Python, SQL, and experience with tool-using workflows.
A team needs someone to maintain a tool-using workflow over business data. The recruiter and engineering manager identify Python, SQL, and failure handling as essential. Familiarity with one particular agent framework is useful but teachable.
Search the configured sources using that brief. A profile might describe a data automation project without using the current title “agent engineer.” Another might contain the right keywords but little detail about ownership. Both deserve a review based on the relevant work, not automatic conclusions from the vocabulary.
For each shortlisted person, write a short invitation rationale: the experience that appears relevant and the capability the assessment should clarify. Keep the profile source and the date of the information visible in the recruiter’s workflow. Before contacting a previously known candidate, check that the opportunity is relevant and follow the organization’s contact practices.
Use the assessment to test the hypothesis. A strong match label should not carry forward as a demonstrated skill unless the person’s work supports it. Conversely, a candidate with an unusual title may show exactly the capability the role needs. Discovery is doing its job when it expands a relevant evaluation pool and produces a clearer handoff.
Start with the work, then define the search
A title such as AI Engineer can describe very different jobs. One opening may require Python and retrieval systems. Another may center on agent orchestration and production reliability.
Choose the skills that distinguish your role. Separate essential requirements from capabilities the candidate can develop after joining. This gives the discovery process a useful target and makes shortlist review more focused.
Bring relevant sources into one workflow
The LunaPrompts discovery workflow is designed around three source categories:
- Your existing ATS talent pool: Review relevant candidates already known to your organization through the connected workflow.
- Configured third-party sources: Expand the pool through supported providers, with Bright Data named in the current product material.
- LunaPrompts' curated candidate pool: Consider additional profiles whose experience aligns with the role.
The available pool depends on the sources and access configured for your organization. Discovery should make the source of a profile clear enough for the recruiter to understand where the information came from.
A profile match is the start of evaluation
A candidate's profile can suggest relevant experience. It does not demonstrate that the candidate can perform the work at the required level.
Use discovery to decide whom to investigate or invite. Use a practical assessment and follow-up conversation to evaluate the skill. This keeps a useful distinction between a sourcing signal and demonstrated ability.
That distinction also helps hiring managers understand what a shortlist represents. It is a set of people worth evaluating, with a reason each person appears relevant.
Make rediscovery part of the process
Before starting every search from scratch, consider whether existing candidates fit the new opening. Someone who was not selected for a senior role may be relevant to a differently scoped position. Someone with adjacent experience may now match a new team's requirements.
Review the current relevance of their information and follow your organization's candidate-contact practices. Rediscovery is useful when it creates a relevant opportunity for both the team and the candidate.
A review framework your team can use
The following is an editorial checklist for this workflow. Adapt it to the role, the candidate journey, and your configured environment.
| Review area | What to establish |
|---|---|
| Search requirement | A skill connected to actual work |
| Profile evidence | Relevant experience and ownership |
| Source context | Where the information came from |
| Assessment question | What the profile cannot establish |
Do not promote a profile match into a skills score. The first helps decide whom to invite; the second should come from actual evaluation.
Put the guide to work
Rewrite an open-role search without using its job title. List three responsibilities and the evidence that would justify an invitation.
Download the editable worksheet to record the decisions and open questions with your team. The examples in this guide are illustrative, not customer results or validated selection rules. Product availability and setup depend on the workflow agreed for your account.
A focused checklist, a worked scenario, and questions to resolve together.
Frequently asked questions
Can candidate discovery use our existing ATS pool?
The workflow supports discovery from connected candidate sources, including an ATS talent pool. The specific data available depends on the integration and configured access.
Does a strong profile match mean the candidate has passed an assessment?
No. A profile match indicates potential relevance. Assessment results provide separate evidence of demonstrated skill.
What happens after we select a shortlist?
Invite candidates to a role-specific assessment, review their work, and use the evidence to decide who should progress to an interview.
Keep building your hiring workflow
- ATS integrations: The logo is connected. Is the hiring workflow?
- JD to assessment: The job description is ready. The assessment still needs judgment.
- Talent CRM: “Assessment complete” is a status. Who owns what happens next?
Explore candidate discovery with LunaPrompts or browse all 19 hiring field guides.
