The process of eliminating unqualified candidates from consideration is known as shortlisting. This is why it is so important to move things forward quickly.

Indeed, recent data from HR magazine shows that today’s workforce desires a speedy turnaround, with at least 50% of job applicants declining an offer because of a lengthy application and interview procedure. However, 65% of companies said they had lost a top applicant due to a drawn-out hiring procedure.

HR must, therefore, acquire the skills necessary to expedite the shortlisting process to successfully recruit and retain top personnel. They risk driving away their top picks if they don’t.

Yet one of the trickiest aspects of hiring is picking the best prospects from among the many that apply. Finding out how to quickly narrow down your prospect pool is a time saver. Luckily, you’ll find several tips for quickly narrowing down target prospects below. Okay, let’s start exploring this.

What is shortlisting?

It selects potential employees by evaluating their resumes and applications against set criteria. As a result, HR can narrow down the pool of potential candidates.

Say the cutoff date for applications has passed, and it’s time to sift through resumes and cover letters to find the best new hires for your organization. In most cases, shortlisting occurs after qualified applicants have been located and enticed to apply.

However, what happens next? Selecting the best candidates from the pool means conducting interviews and evaluating them further. Shortlisting involves more than just a yes/no pile of applications.

Suppose you take the time to develop a rigorous shortlisting procedure. In that case, you can streamline your recruiting efforts and give every qualified applicant a fair opportunity, thus increasing your chances of finding and hiring the best people for the job.

What is the purpose of shortlisting?

Creating a shortlist may make the otherwise daunting task of selecting a few prospects much more manageable. It also helps your HR staff establish criteria for selecting prospective interview applicants.

Knowing how close you are to achieving the optimal candidates might be helped by creating a shortlist. If you are still looking for applicants that meet your minimum requirements, it may indicate that you are not advertising the openings in the best possible locations. You may have lofty standards for the role you’re trying to fill.

In most cases, shortlisting makes it possible to streamline and speed up the employment process.

How to Choose Interview Candidates

1. Determine the necessary and ideal requirements

The most recent version of the position description should serve as the foundation for your selection criteria. What credentials, abilities, and competencies are required for the position? If you have someone on your team with appropriate expertise who can double-check the criteria for you, that would be useful.

Once you have your list, divide it into three sections: mandatory, preferred, and desirable.

All of the prerequisite knowledge and experience needed to do the assignment effectively should be included in the

Mandatory requirements.

These are some of the most desirable features to look for. Usually, they have to do with what one may pick up.

Possessing these characteristics will set a candidate out from the rest of the pack. The following are some good examples:

• Expertise in a certain field of work
• Knowledge of applicable tools, software, or applications
• Professional Accreditation

2. Using a basic grading system, decide who to keep or cut.

Building a candidate scorecard follows the establishment of shortlist criteria. Candidates’ scores may be compared to one another using a scorecard. By not comparing one person to another, you protect yourself against discrimination and bigotry.

To get started, give each criterion category a numeric number based on how important it is in filling the vacant position.

3. Use an applicant tracking system (ATS) to screen and rank applications.

An application tracking system is another essential technique for vetting potential hires before setting up interviews. By automating and simplifying the shortlisting process, ATSs increase the efficiency of your applicant shortlists.

Accurate recruiting procedures and a well-defined framework make it less likely that qualified candidates will be overlooked during the shortlisting phase.

Those who don’t belong should be eliminated. Rank the rest. Determine how many people you want to interview. Put applicants through the appropriate hoops using this rating system. In addition, ensure sure your selections are automatically stored. With this method, you can keep tabs on the people you need to interview further.

4. Establish the size of your shortlist.

As was previously discussed, your list of potential candidates should be concise. It all depends on how short you want it to be. The total number of potential employees is subject to time and money constraints.

In order to determine how long it will take to find, hire, and recruit the new employee and who will be engaged in the process, you need first look back at your company’s recruiting history and any other pertinent information. If time is of the essence, your list of potential candidates should reflect that.

As you narrow down the pool of potential prospects, remember that an interview’s average success rate is at least 15%. You should interview at least 15 out of every 100 applicants.

However, if you have a larger pool of applicants than you’re willing to consider (10 candidates) and only willing to consider 10, leave the last three prospects off the shortlist. However, to achieve your goal, you should only consider eligible individuals.

5. Read all resumes, cover letters, and CVs as soon as they are received.

Evaluating the materials applicants provide as soon as feasible after they are submitted is preferable, but if this is not possible, then do so as soon as possible. Schedule regular breaks throughout the workweek to review applications and resumes. This prevents candidate paperwork from piling up.

You may be swamped with applications if you opt to evaluate all of the papers at once. Going through hundreds of applications may be mind-boggling and lead to temporary impairments in judgment.

Avoid skimming through a mountain of applications since you can lose out on a fantastic match. Instead of leaving the tedious work till the last minute, spend some time at the end of the resume/CV submission process to quickly glance and filter for glaring errors.

While 61% of resumes are rejected due to errors, it could be to your advantage to do so 100% of the time. Paying close attention to details is an important skill in any job, no matter how high or low profile. Don’t hesitate to make the call, and do it early!

6. Take into account phone and video screenings.

Multiple qualified individuals may apply for a limited number of vacancies. Nowadays, it’s normal practice to conduct a quick phone or video screening if there is no clear method to cut down the selection.

The use of video interviews is commonplace in modern hiring practices. Therefore, your candidates will only be caught off guard if you implement these checks sooner than intended. They may even be relieved to hear it since it indicates that they have made it through the first stages of the recruiting procedure.

7. Keep in mind the importance of a good cultural fit.

Even at the shortlisting stage, cultural compatibility should be considered. Communication via phone, video chat, or panel interview is ideal for gauging cultural compatibility.

In this way, you can determine if they will be a good cultural fit for your company and if their work ethic will reflect your own.

If you take the time to narrow down your applicant pool to those who are a good cultural fit for your business, you will save time in the interview process on people who aren’t cut out for the job.

8. Look for contradictions.

Make checking references the standard practice. Include references if asked to do so when applying for a job.

Check for hard evidence, such as numbers or outcomes, to verify claims. Candidates may be tempted to exaggerate their qualifications by including false information on their resumes.

You should be sure of every information a candidate provides about themselves, but if something doesn’t feel right, follow your instincts. Do some investigating and follow-up.

Someone who lies about their achievements or experiences is likely to be a poor fit. Doing a quick Google search can help immensely. In the long term, you may save time by double-checking your work. After a candidate has passed a reference check, they may be placed on a shortlist.

9. Try evaluation during the first application step.

While assessing candidates is often done later in the recruiting process, doing so earlier might help you get to know prospects better, particularly if you anticipate a large pool of applications.

If you want to give each applicant a rating on a certain talent, an assessment might assist. For instance, an assignment may assist you in finding qualified individuals if your requirements are specific. You may either wait until after people have applied to do the evaluation, or you can include it in the application process.

10. Notify the selected candidates

Once you’ve determined which applications have been cut, it’s time to share the good news with them. Get in touch with the chosen candidates to offer your congrats and provide them with further information on how to proceed with the selection process, whether that be a screening call, talent tests, or a video interview.

Email those who weren’t accepted just to let them know they weren’t selected. When looking for work, nothing is more discouraging than receiving no response from a potential employer. If you decide an application won’t be going forward, it’s important to let them know as soon as possible.