What is Shortlisting?

Shortlisting is making a shorter and more appropriate set of candidates from a big group of applicants during recruitment and selection processes. Usually, this is the stage that takes place after the screening process. The aim is to choose from the pile of resumes, cover letters, and application forms the candidates who best suit the job opening and the organization.

Qualifications, competencies, relevant experience and skills often determine who may be shortlisted for a particular position, as demonstrated in the job brief. The employers or hiring managers use a scoring system, assessment, etc, to test their applicants and analyse them to decide who is suitable for further consideration. In shortlisting, the recruiters focus on the candidates most likely to do well in the position and exclude those not in the process. This saves time and resources and is an effective way of selection.

Example of Shortlisting

A shortlisting case would be a company trying to hire a software developer. Following the submission of multiple applications for the post, the HR staff is going to pick the resumes and cover letters which match the necessary qualifications specified in the description of the job that was there in the specification of the job, such as having a degree in computer science, proficiency in languages used in programmings like Java and Python, and relevant work experience.

Finally, they make a shortlist of candidates by considering this factor, choosing those whose capabilities and experience match the job specification. These individuals can undergo additional assessments such as technical interviews and coding sessions; their suitability for the position is determined in that second step. This way of narrowing down the pool of candidates can enable the business to concentrate on the candidates who are the most likely to be successful in software development positions.