Fuzzy Search and Match
What is Fuzzy Searching?
Fuzzy searching occurs when the search software matches almost -- but not quite -- what you typed in. Normal search systems take you literally: enter 'Excel' and it will return matches for 'Excel'. But people make mistakes: both recruiters and candidates. What about variants such as 'MS Excel' or 'Excell'? What if you search for 'Acount Manager' by accident instead of 'Account Manager'? What then?
Fuzzy searching takes care of it. Actonomy's fuzzy searching technology is smart enough to figure out what you (or the candidate) meant rather than what was typed. Spelling errors, dropped letters, variant ways of writing (e.g. British vs. American spelling differences): fuzzy searching takes them into account and returns the results you were actually looking for!
What is Fuzzy Matching?
Fuzzy matching occurs when you search for criteria that are semantically different from the critera actually used in the document you 'search' for. These are not simply spelling mistakes, but rather synonymous words or words with approximately the same range of meaning. This can also refer to 'nearby' or range matches of numeric data (for instance, between 30 and 40 miles). Fuzzy matching understands that certain terms, while different, mean the same thing, and that approximately 30 miles can also include 25 miles and 35 miles.
Fuzzy matching is usually used in conjunction with parameters such as distance, salaries, work schedules, etc. Traditionally 'fuzzy matching' has referred mostly to numerical criteria, but Actonomy goes a step further: words and concepts can also be fuzzy! With the Actonomy ontology, different terms or concepts with similar or related meanings can be used to find results that match your request in a relevant way.
How does Fuzzy help you?
Not everyone is perfect. A mistake in your typing may mislead you into thinking there are no results, when in fact there are! Or, an otherwise well-qualified candidate may remain undiscovered because of a typographic error or an unusual way of phrasing things. Fuzzy searching can help you find what you want regardless of variant spellings or mistakes. You search less, find more, and save both time and energy.
Actonomy's unique combination of fuzzy matching and ontology gives a new dimension to the search process. Cumbersome matrices of numeric relations are no longer needed to handle equivalencies betwen concepts! The easier -- and for human beings, more understandable -- way is handled by Actonomy's ontologies. No more complex numeric structures, no more abstract numbers: instead you see real, concrete words and their equivalents and synonyms. Finally a system that interprets what you said to give you what you meant -- without complex coding!