UKG Pro has integrated Recruiting into the same portal where employees request time off and managers conduct performance reviews, which helps manage the entire employee lifecycle in one place. However, a candidate who applied 8 months ago and wasn't closed remains hidden from daily views. They are only accessible if a recruiter remembers and searches for them.
Nothing in that portal checks whether that candidate fits a different role that opens later. The connection depends entirely on a recruiter remembering the person and deciding to look.
This expert guide covers what tools UKG Pro provides for finding candidates already in the system. It also covers their limitations and how an AI integration addresses those to automate rediscovery, sourcing, and scoring past applicants.
What Is Candidate Rediscovery?
Candidate rediscovery involves sourcing and matching candidates already in your UKG Pro database to newly opened roles. It covers applicants from closed requisitions, candidates parked in a talent pool, and anyone who made it partway through a hiring process before the role filled.
With automatic checks against new openings, your application history transforms into an effective sourcing channel, allowing hiring teams to bypass the manual retrieval of old records whenever a position opens up.
Does UKG Pro Provide Candidate Rediscovery?
No, UKG Pro doesn't provide a candidate rediscovery feature or any way to source and rank past qualified applicants automatically. The recruiting module includes Candidate Pools, where a recruiter groups applicants worth tracking under a named folder, and a Candidate Match predictor that uses AI to rank applicants against the specific opportunity they applied for and generate a recommended list.
UKG added the ability to merge two duplicate candidate records as a recent enhancement, though nothing in that release describes automatic detection; a recruiter still has to notice two records exist before merging them.
Every one of these tools depends on a recruiter opening it and pointing it at a specific job or a specific pair of records. None of them checks a closed requisition's full applicant list against a role that just opened, and none of them operates without someone starting the process manually.
How to Rediscover Candidates in UKG Pro
Since UKG Pro has no built-in way to automatically source, score, or surface past applicants across open jobs, its users connect Skima AI to scan that history and rank matching profiles every time a role opens. Below is a 5-step workflow, from connecting your account to a finished shortlist:
Step 1: Connect Your UKG Pro Account With Skima AI
Generate an API client with OAuth 2.0 credentials, scoped for read and write access on candidate, employee, job, and custom fields. This connection uses UKG's own REST APIs directly, with no middleware required. Skima AI needs both read and write access to function.
- Read access: candidate and employee profiles, job requisitions, application status, and resume attachments
- Write access: custom fields, candidate tags, and activity notes
- Pulled data: candidate contact details, resumes, application stage, and job requirements for scoring context
- Event notifications: candidate submission, profile updates, stage changes, and document uploads
If event webhooks are not configured, Skima AI falls back to safe polling at set intervals.
Step 2: Configure Custom Fields and Confirm the Connection
Define the custom fields Skima AI writes to, or authorize Skima AI to provision them during setup. These are Skima AI match score, a number from 0 to 100, and reasons, a block listing reasons for the fit. A Skima Screened tag gets added at the candidate level, so screened applicants stay filterable inside UKG.
Optional HM Feedback and HM Comment fields capture manager responses once a shortlist goes out, logged as activity notes.
Before rolling this out further, validate the connection with a sample of candidate data. Confirm the Match Score and Reasons actually appear on that record before applying it to live requisitions.
Step 3: Launch Talent Rediscovery Against a Live Requisition
Open the job inside Skima AI, from the Jobs list or from within the job itself. Click the three-dot Actions menu and select Rediscover Candidates. A modal lets you scope the scan two ways. Limit it to a saved candidate segment, or leave it open to every synced UKG record.
Set the Candidate Created Date range next: All time, Last 6 months, Last 1 year, or a custom window, then click Apply. Skima AI scans the selected pool against this requisition's specific requirements and sends a notification once the scan finishes. Refresh the page to see the results.
Step 4: Review and Filter the Rediscovered Matches
Open the View Candidates tab to see a ranked list pulled from across your entire application history. Each candidate carries an AI match score and reason bullets explaining the fit. Filter by Industry, Work Mode, Experience Level, Notice Period, Location, and Salary Range.
Start broad and tighten the filters gradually. Narrowing too fast hides good candidates, including people the Candidate Match predictor never surfaced for an earlier opportunity but who line up well against this one.
Step 5: Shortlist and Sync Feedback Back to UKG Pro
Build your shortlist from the ranked matches Skima AI surfaced. Generate a secure, no-login link and send it to the hiring manager. They can click a thumbs up, thumbs down, or maybe on each candidate, with an optional comment.
Skima AI writes that decision back into UKG through the same API connection for the audit trail, logging it as an activity note on the candidate record. The feedback stays visible on the record without anyone opening a second tool.
What If Your UKG Pro Database Is Messy or Duplicated
UKG Pro added the ability to merge two duplicate candidate records as a recent product update. It is a genuine improvement over having no merge option at all. However, the update does not include an automatic detection system. A recruiter still needs to notice when a person has applied twice, usually by recognizing a name while reviewing a new application, before merging can happen.
That gap becomes more significant in a fast-paced hiring environment. A distribution center or retail chain that frequently fills the same roles will accumulate duplicate applications whenever someone reapplies with a new email address or a slightly different name spelling. None of these duplicates are caught until a recruiter happens to notice.
Skima AI handles this as ongoing maintenance rather than a one-time project. It first matches on email, phone, or LinkedIn URL. It also checks matching names, locations, and companies as a backup signal.
Furthermore, a field comparison modal appears before any merge, highlighting exactly what differs between the two records. Missing details are filled in through contextual profile enrichment instead of remaining incomplete. A dedicated Duplicates tab logs every resolved case for later audit, divided into In Database, From Uploads, and Resolved sub-tabs.
5 Benefits of Candidate Rediscovery with Skima AI in UKG Pro
Talent rediscovery with Skima AI changes what a UKG Pro team can do with its own application history in 5 specific ways:
- Faster Time-to-Screen: Rediscovered candidates arrive already scored, so recruiters skip the raw resume pile entirely. In a documented 30-day UKG pilot, a team reduced time-to-screen by 58%.
- More Interviews From the Same Shortlist: The same pilot saw interviews from the top shortlist double compared to the prior process.
- Explainable Match Scores With an Audit Trail: Every rediscovered match carries reason bullets tied to skills and experience, logged as an activity note alongside a Skima Screened tag for instant filtering inside UKG.
- Hiring Manager Engagement Without a New Login: The shortlist feedback loop keeps managers responding through a link, no UKG credentials required. Manager satisfaction rose 24 points on NPS in that same pilot.
- Lower Cost Per Hire on Repeat Roles: Rediscovered candidates were already sourced once, so filling a role you've hired for before needs zero new job board spend.
5 Best Practices to Rediscover Talent in UKG Pro
None of these benefits happen automatically in UKG Pro. You need to adopt a few intentional habits. The 5 practices below focus on search timing, data hygiene, and fitting rediscovery into a workforce that often spans multiple shifts and locations:
- Check Candidate Pools and Candidate Match First: Candidate Pools and the Candidate Match predictor already cover applicants a recruiter has actively grouped or ranked for a specific opportunity. Use Skima AI's Talent Rediscovery to reach the much larger set of closed-requisition applicants that neither tool checks again.
- Turn On Automatic Rediscovery for Every New Requisition: Skima AI's setting under Preferences and General starts a database scan the instant a new job is created. Enable it so no requisition slips through without a first look at your existing applicant history.
- Use Reverse Search for Candidates Suited to a Different Shift or Location: A candidate who did not fit one opening often suits a different shift or site in a multi-location workforce. Reverse Search starts from that profile and returns every open job they match, ranked by score.
- Segment Scans With the Candidate Created Date Filter: Choose a 6-month or 1-year window when a role needs someone who was recently active. Widen to All time for a niche or hard-to-fill role where the applicant pool has always been thin.
- Review the Duplicates Tab on a Regular Schedule, Not Just When a Recruiter Notices: Since UKG's merge option depends on someone spotting a duplicate first, checking Skima AI's Duplicates tab on a set schedule catches records nobody happened to notice.
Is Candidate Rediscovery Worth It for Your Recruitment Team?
A company that has used UKG Pro across multiple locations or shifts for several years builds up a candidate history far larger than any single candidate pool or candidate match search ever touches.
That backlog holds real value. A candidate who did not fit one role often suits a similar opening at a different site, and nothing connects those two facts unless a recruiter searches for that person directly.
Setting up Skima AI takes some coordination on the IT side. Someone needs to generate an API client with the correct OAuth 2.0 scopes, define the fields Skima AI writes back to, and validate the connection with sample data before going live. None of this is unusual for a UKG rollout, but it is not a same-day setup either.
For a smaller organization with only a handful of open roles a year, that backlog stays thin and the setup effort is harder to justify. For a larger employer operating UKG Pro across many locations or shifts, the candidate history building up behind each closed requisition is exactly what rediscovery is built to put back to work.
Pilot Talent Rediscovery in UKG Pro Now
For larger organizations that often hire using UKG Pro, a pilot with Skima AI can deliver a high ROI. Avoid switching all locations at once. Start with a few live requisitions or a specific candidate pool, ideally roles your company has filled more than once before.
Connect Skima AI, set up the custom fields, and launch Talent Rediscovery for those roles. Skima AI's UKG integration organizes this as a 30-day pilot, with checkpoints to track progress along the way.
Monitor time-to-screen, the number of rediscovered candidates who get interviews, and the hiring manager's feedback. Based on a documented 30-day UKG pilot, you can expect around a 58% decrease in time-to-screen and double the interviews from your top shortlist. After that, expanding to more requisitions will be a data-driven decision.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Does UKG Pro have a built-in talent rediscovery feature or tool?
No, UKG Pro does not have a built-in talent rediscovery feature or tool. It offers Candidate Pools for grouping applicants, a Candidate Match predictor that ranks people against a specific opportunity, and a way to merge two duplicate records. None of these scan closed requisitions automatically when a new role opens.
2. How to perform candidate rediscovery in UKG Pro?
To perform candidate rediscovery in UKG Pro, connect Skima AI to UKG Pro through an API client with OAuth 2.0 credentials, configure custom fields, then launch Talent Rediscovery on a live requisition. Skima AI scans your application history, ranks candidates, and syncs hiring manager feedback back automatically.
3. What are the benefits of UKG Pro candidate rediscovery?
Rediscovered candidates arrive pre-scored, cutting screening time by over 58% in a documented 30-day pilot and doubling interviews from the top shortlist. Matches carry explainable reasons, a Skima Screened tag for filtering, and hiring manager feedback without a new login.
4. Is Skima AI safe to integrate with UKG Pro for talent rediscovery?
Yes, Skima AI encrypts candidate data in transit and at rest, follows SOC 2 and GDPR practices, and logs every AI decision and manager response as an activity note for audit. Scores rely on resume-based evidence only, with no automatic rejections.
5. Is candidate rediscovery useful for UKG Pro's typical customers?
Yes, especially for larger employers operating UKG Pro across multiple locations or shifts that refill similar roles over time. The value grows the more often the same kinds of positions, and sometimes the same candidates, come back into play.
