3: Example - Java Developer
Criteria: Java Developer example
Technical roles like Java Developer require a different approach to criteria than sales or finance roles. Job titles in tech vary widely — the same person might be called a Software Engineer, Backend Developer, or just Developer depending on the company. This means relying on title alone will miss a large part of the relevant pool.
Title vs. Relevant Work Experience
For most technical searches, skip the title as a must have or use it loosely. Instead, anchor the search on Relevant Work Experience and set it to a function like Software Development or IT. This captures anyone who has been working in a technical capacity regardless of what their employer chose to call them.
If you do want to include title, set it as a nice to have rather than a must have. This pushes people with "Developer" or "Engineer" in their title higher in the results without cutting out strong candidates who happen to have a less standard title.
Skills: same bucket vs. multiple buckets
How you group skills changes what TalentRiver looks for — this is one of the most important things to get right.
Skills in the same bucket = OR logic. If you add Java, Kotlin, and Spring into one skill bucket, TalentRiver will surface candidates who have any of those skills. Use this for equivalent technologies where any one of them signals the right background. For example, a candidate who knows Spring but hasn't listed Java explicitly is almost certainly a Java developer.
Multiple buckets = AND logic. If you add a second skill bucket, TalentRiver requires candidates to match something in both buckets. Use this when a combination of skills is genuinely necessary. For example: one bucket with Java / Spring / Kotlin, and a second bucket with SQL / PostgreSQL / MySQL. This finds candidates who have the backend language and the database experience, not just one or the other.
Be careful not to create too many AND buckets. Every bucket you add reduces the pool. Start with one or two and see where results land before adding more.
Suggested skill groupings for a Java Developer search
Bucket 1 — core language (any of these): Java, Kotlin, Spring, Spring Boot
Bucket 2 — data layer (any of these, if required): SQL, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Hibernate
Bucket 3 — cloud or infrastructure (any of these, if relevant): AWS, Azure, GCP, Docker, Kubernetes
Only add bucket 3 if the role genuinely requires it. For most mid-level Java roles, two buckets is enough.
Experience level
For a mid-level Java Developer, 3–6 years of relevant work experience is a reasonable range. For a senior hire, move this to 6–10 years.
Avoid setting the floor too high. A strong developer with 4 years of focused Java experience at a product company is often more capable than someone with 8 years at a consultancy doing occasional Java work. Let company type and company size help you calibrate quality rather than relying on years alone.
Company size
Company size is a useful signal for cultural fit and technical depth.
If the role is at a scale-up or product company, prioritise candidates who have worked at companies of a similar size — roughly 50–500 employees. These developers are used to moving fast, owning their work end to end, and working without large support structures.
If the role is at a large enterprise, candidates with experience at bigger organisations (500+ employees) will be more comfortable with the processes, codebases, and team dynamics.
Candidates who have only worked at very large consultancies may have broad exposure but limited depth in any one stack. Factor this in when reviewing close matches.
Background and company type
For technical roles, where someone has worked tells you a lot about how they work.
Startups and scale-ups — developers here typically own features end to end, work across the full stack, and are used to moving fast with limited process. Good signal for roles where autonomy, speed, and breadth matter. If you're hiring for a similar environment, this background is a strong fit indicator.
IT consultancies — developers here move between client projects and are used to picking up new codebases quickly. They tend to be adaptable and experienced across a range of industries and tech stacks. The trade-off is depth — check how long they spent on each engagement and whether they worked with Java specifically, or just adjacent technologies.
Putting it together: an example build
For a mid-level Java Developer at a product company:
Must have: Relevant Work Experience in Software Development, 3–6 years, Bucket 1 skills (Java / Spring / Kotlin)
Nice to have: Bucket 2 skills (SQL / PostgreSQL), product company or scale-up background, Java Developer or Software Engineer title
Exclude: Purely frontend titles like Frontend Developer or UI Developer if the role is backend only
Filter: Company size 50–500 if cultural fit to a fast-moving team matters
Start here, check the full and close match distribution, then add a cloud skills bucket only if results are strong and you want to narrow further.