Shortlisting Candidates

Shortlisting is the process of deciding which potential job candidates will be interviewed. Since it is generally most effective to interview only three or four candidates for a particular position, you will need to screen all applicants and create a shortlist of those who best meet your selection criteria.

It is a good idea to use a screening rating system to evaluate each candidate against your selection criteria. This system would group applicants into three categories.

• will interview
• will only interview after interviewing all top-rated candidates and
• will not interview

There are four basic screening approaches for developing a shortlist of candidates.

• Document screen: You review the resumé, application form and any other supplemental material you’ve asked for to determine whether the candidate meets the “must have” selection criteria.
• Phone screen: You contact the candidate by telephone to ask for information to determine if he or she meets the minimum selection criteria.
• Face-to-face screening interview: You ask the candidate to come in for a 10 to 15 minute interview to assess if they meet the minimum selection criteria.
• Combination: You combine the three approaches above.

If you complete the screening process and you still have more than four candidates, you will need to do a secondary screening that could include a job-related test, personality inventory or a job-related simulation. This should enable you to narrow your shortlist to three or four candidates who you will then invite for an in-depth behavioural interview.