Candidate Shortlisting for Interview

Candidate shortlisting is a crucial stage in the recruitment process where applications are reviewed against predefined criteria. Shortlisting takes place after an application deadline and helps HR teams decide which applicants should progress through to the next stage of the hiring process.

Well executed shortlisting enables efficiencies across the hiring process. Saving time, focusing resources on top talent, and improving the quality of hires. It also contributes to a fair and transparent candidate experience.

The hiring process usually begins with a request to hire (job requisition) followed by a written outline of the job role (job description). The role is then advertised. Candidates submit applications which are reviewed by the HR team.

The internal hiring team decides on their criteria for shortlisting candidates. This generally involves pre-defined criteria as outlined in the job description including essential criteria such as qualifications, experience, skills match and preferred criteria such as familiarity with key software, alignment with company values etc.

These criteria are usually combined into a scorecard with hiring teams giving each applicant a numerical score against the allocated criteria.

Candidates who receive the highest scores (matching the defined criteria closest) are then reviewed and the team decide how many of those candidates to progress to interview. After the interview, the candidates are again reviewed, and a suitable candidate (or candidates) is either asked back for a second interview or a job offer is made.

Reach ATS offers a number of key features to streamline the shortlisting process, reducing cost per hire and speeding up time to hire.

AI-powered intelligent shortlisting features screen candidates against predefined criteria and the job description, offering a percentage fit-to-role score and providing a smart summary of each candidate.

The flexible software enables teams to adapt their workflows to suit the roles they are hiring for whilst automated communications keep applicants apprised of their progress.

Bulk actions allow HR teams hiring at scale to move multiple applications through the various hiring stages with ease while self-serve interview scheduling features relieve the admin burden and offer a level of convenience to applicants that further improves the candidate experience.

AI tools, blind shortlisting features (which screen applicants without any personal or demographic identifiers) and structured, automated hiring workflows ensure shortlisting is fair and equitable for all applicants.

AI shortlisting goes beyond simple rules-based keyword matching to analyse the nuances of skills, past experience and similarities with the job description. These insightful candidate summaries offer a deeper understanding than keywords alone – ensuring that top talent doesn’t escape your team’s attention.

All actions taken within the Reach platform are recorded, from initial application through to job offer and onboarding. This complete audit trail ensures you can track and monitor all live vacancies whilst ensuring transparency and compliance.

Our smart AI powered analytics provide insights on which platforms give you the best matches, help you refine your job descriptions and candidate sourcing options as well as optimising your shortlisting criteria for better future sourcing.

Reach ATS is fully customisable. It empowers HR teams to adapt workflows to suit different hiring needs – from fast track for time sensitive roles to multiple interview rounds for more senior or sensitive roles. Our intuitive software enables workflows to be duplicated or adapted in minutes. And if you want to optimise your shortlisting further, our Candidate Attraction Experts are always on hand to help.