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5 Ways to Shortlist Your Applicants

Shortlist Candidates

Have you ever received an overwhelming number of applicants for an available role? We’ve all been there and while it can a nice break from the everyday tasks, it’s difficult to narrow down so many smart suitable candidates. Here are five ways to make the process less daunting and more successful by helping you shortlist all of those applicants.

  • Decide on how many applicants you are willing to interview. This will determine how critical you can be in your CV reviewing. The less interviews you have time for, the more boxes you must be able to check for each candidate.
  • Determine the essential skills you are looking for. Often times we get CV’s that make you question why the applicant is even applying. You can easily reject those that do not meet your criteria and start making a ‘yes’ pile once you have your ideal candidate in mind. Not every candidate will have every skill so be prepared to be flexible once you see your options.
  • Create deal breakers. Extra effort goes a long way in the hiring process because it shows the applicant’s eagerness and desire to work for an organisation. You may find a candidate that has every skill, but maybe they have hopped around from job to job in a short period of time or they didn’t put any effort into their application (poor CV, no cover letter). While we don’t recommend rejecting someone for one small reason – it does make the shortlisting easier.
  • Figure out who would fit ‘culturally’. It’s not all about the skills! You also need someone who can fit in with your team and align with your organisation’s beliefs. Otherwise, it can do more harm than good. Bringing in an employee that does not fit in with the team and organisation could result in a toxic work environment….or they may just check out before it even gets to that point.
  • Pick up the phone. A quick phone conversation can sometimes tell you way more about a person than paper. If you’re unsure about an applicant, there’s no harm in screening them before you decide to schedule an interview. Their personality may win you over!