Matching Programs have been implemented in a wide variety of professions and competitive recruitment situations, including: medicine, law, dentistry, psychology, accounting, pharmacy, podiatry, placement of university co-op students, and sororities.

With a Matching Program, candidates continue to apply directly for positions, and applicants and recruiters evaluate each other in the usual manner, independent of the Matching Program. However, no offers are made to applicants during this process. Instead, after all evaluations are complete, each candidate submits to the Matching Program a list of desired positions in numerical order of preference (first choice, second choice, etc.). Similarly, each recruiter submits a list of desirable applicants, in preference order. The Matching Program then places individuals into positions based on these stated preferences; all offers, acceptances, rejections and final placements occur simultaneously.

What a Matching Program Will Accomplish

A Matching Program is an effective and fair means of implementing a standardized acceptance date. It allows recruiters and applicants to evaluate each other fully before offers are made, thus eliminating premature decisions based on incomplete information. All offers, acceptances or rejections occur at the same time. Therefore many common adverse situations are eliminated from the recruitment process, such as applicants hoarding multiple offers, applicants reneging on a prior acceptance in order to accept a more preferred subsequent offer, and recruiters overfilling the number of positions available.

What a Matching Program Will Not Do

A Matching Program will not affect the number or quality of applicants or applications for positions, the number of applicants selected for interview, or the recruiters' ability to evaluate applicants. It is not a placement or executive search service, a centralized application service, or an advertising service. A Matching Program will not reduce the flexibility or freedom of choice applicants and recruiters now have in the selection process, and will not remove the control recruiters currently have in selecting applicants. It is not an impersonal, computerized assignment of applicants to positions; matches are based strictly on the preference lists submitted by both recruiters and applicants.