Qualifying and shortlisting

This stage is all about preparing, planning and making decisions that have a big impact not only on the immediate recruitment process, but also long term for your business.

This guide clearly lays out everything you need, from choosing which type of interview you want to carry out and deciding how you screen candidates, to gathering key data that can inform future recruitment efforts.

Review applications

When reviewing a candidate’s CV, it’s a good idea to prepare questions that can give you a better overall idea about the candidate, instead of relying on the CV alone.

Try the following types of questions:

• Screening: save time from the start by clarifying they have the right to work and have the necessary skills for the job. You can do this by adding fields to the job application form on your website/recruitment portal with questions on their experience and right to work.
• Yes/no: they can help you determine that the candidate has enough technical and industry skills, as well as experience at a level of seniority required for the role.
• Targeted: use targeted questions to learn more about the candidate’s abilities and their interest in the job.

Make the process accessible for everyone. When preparing any questions for the candidates, it’s essential to evaluate each one objectively and fairly using clear criteria based on the requirements for the role.

At this stage, think about checking candidates’ availability, including notice periods, planned holidays and for the interview itself. Use scheduling tools for a seamless experience when booking calls.

Finally, don’t let candidates wait more than two working days to hear from you and know what the next steps are. Check out our guide to learn how to create the best candidate experience.

Screening candidates

Phone or video screening calls are a chance to get an overview of the candidates’ skills and see if they make a good fit with your company’s values. These are usually carried out by the hiring manager, HR representative or a recruitment agent if you’re using one.

Screening calls help you narrow down candidates and choose the ones you want to learn more about and schedule more in-depth interviews with.

To help you save time and effort, try the following tips before you start interviewing:

• Create an email template for each event, for example scheduling calls.
• Prepare a question bank, a list of questions that you and your team can refer to during interviews. For consistency and fairness, make sure the questions cover all areas you want to assess. Learn more about the interview process.
• Create a scoring system and use the same scale, for example one to five, to assign points to criteria to help evaluate objectively.

More screening methods

Depending on the role, you might consider using more screening methods on top of phone or video calls.

Giving candidates assignments to take home can give you deeper insights into their project management and motivation. For more tech-based roles, coding challenges can help you assess their technical knowledge and problem-solving skills.

Best practices

Follow these best practices for optimal results during the recruitment process:

• Clear communication: set clear expectations and keep your communication channels open.
• Constructive feedback: offer constructive feedback to every candidate that made it past the screening call, include positive observations to help them with future job applications.
• Rejection templates: write email templates for rejections. For example, if the candidate is missing qualifications or industry experience and knowledge or there is a salary and budget mismatch. These can be automated with an applicant tracking system (ATS).
• Give details of rejections: For candidates that have been rejected at later stages, consider calling them to discuss the reasons in more detail. This shows you are valuing their time and effort and can help boost your perception as an employer.
• Use technology: Take advantage of automation technology available and integrate it with your ATS to make processes more efficient. Some examples include scheduling and assessment tools.
• Continuous improvement: Aim to always identify areas for improvement by using key performance indicators (KPIs) and gathering feedback.
• Data compliance: Make sure you follow data privacy laws and regulations.

Key performance indicators