Now that your advertisement is live, its time to begin shortlisting your applicants.

In recent times we have noticed the number of applications per advertisement is increasing, so our recommendation is to begin creating your shortlist as soon as the applications start rolling in!

What is a shortlist?

A shortlist is a group of selected candidates that you have identified as suitable for your vacant position. This can be because of their qualifications, past experience, work history or skills.

Having a detailed advertisement and matching each candidate to the requirements is a simple way to get this list started. But be careful – if you leave it too long you may have a list of 100+ applications to compare to your advert! Spending 10-15 minutes at the end of your day to review the applications received that day will save you hours in the long run.

There is no limit to how many people are on your shortlist and you can review this at any time to narrow your list down to the top 3 or 4 contenders.

What do I do with my shortlist?

Now that you have finalised your shortlist, you can then prepare for your interviews. There are no rules around how formal or informal an interview should be, and can usually be determined based on the type of role you are advertising for.

However, it is important to remember that interviews are to gain valuable information on the candidates’ employment history as well as to give you a chance to ask your candidates on their skills and abilities related to the role you have advertised.

A brief phone interview is an efficient way to gain some of the critical information about a candidate before committing to a face to face interview. These quick phone calls can often highlight the best candidates, giving you confidence to move forward to the next stage, or rule out others that are not suitable, despite their application being quite strong.

Avoid asking questions that are personal, intrusive or irrelevant to the role. These may seem inappropriate or discriminatory to the candidate, and our first part of the series “HIRING Part 1 – Know the Law” will give you information on relevant legislation to be mindful of.

Be sure to contact your candidate and inform them of the time and place the interview will be held, who will be attending the interview, as well as sending a follow up email for confirmation.

Unsure on how an interview can be conducted? Needing some help with you interview questions? Contact one of our HR consultants today!