Why results vary
Three factors contribute to non-deterministic behavior:Real-time profile refresh
Real-time profile refresh
Talent profiles are enriched and updated in real time during each search. A profile that did not match a filter moments ago may match now (and vice versa) after a refresh. This means every search benefits from the latest available data.
AI-powered scoring
AI-powered scoring
Result ranking uses AI models whose outputs can vary slightly between calls. The ranking reflects the best possible ordering at the time of the request, but small fluctuations are normal and expected.
Database updates
Database updates
New talents are continuously indexed and existing profiles are updated from external sources. The pool of matching candidates grows and evolves constantly.
What this means in practice
- Same filters, different results: two identical requests sent minutes apart may return different talents or rank them differently.
- Result counts may shift: the
estimationCountvalue can change between calls as new profiles are indexed or existing ones are updated. - No two pages are “frozen”: when paginating with
relatedSearchTransactionIds, each page reflects the live state of the database at the time of the request.
What stays consistent
Despite the non-deterministic nature of results, the API provides strong guarantees:No duplicates in pagination
The
relatedSearchTransactionIds mechanism ensures you will never see the same talent twice across paginated requests.Filter accuracy
Every returned talent genuinely matches your filters at the time of the request. Non-determinism does not affect accuracy — only ordering and pool composition.
Recommendations
Don't rely on result ordering
Treat results as a set of matching candidates rather than a strictly ordered list. If you need a stable ranking, apply your own sorting logic after receiving results.
Use pagination correctly
Always accumulate
searchTransactionId values across pages. This is the only way to guarantee non-overlapping results. See Pagination for details.
