When it comes to the shortlisting process there are certain elements that need to be carefully considered. Here is an easy-to-read blog about what to consider within the shortlisting process in recruitment.
When beginning the recruitment process, ensuring mandatory sections have been completed such as employment gaps and correct references is vital before continuing with the process. Once all the information is there for your consideration, you must cross reference the application to the job specification, checking the relevant qualifications are held and the candidate’s achievements within this. This is the most important part of the shortlisting process, as the correct qualifications must be held to be qualified for the job role.
Continuing from job specific qualification checks, you may then wish to consider any additional qualifications that the candidate holds and whether these are a great addition to the job specification. Sometimes, additional qualifications can be irrelevant to the job role, and you may feel that a candidate with less, but more specific qualifications are better suited so, do not let lots of qualifications throw you off.
Candidates will also include some information about previous job roles and experience. This can be used to determine what experience the candidate has gained, whether it was relevant to the job you are hiring for and how long they spent there. However, shorter jobs may not always be bad news; Some of the best experience can come from month-long internships or summer work and volunteering. This can also show the candidate’s dedication to the job role and building their personal portfolio of experience.
Sometimes, the application will include a short-length personal writing piece from the candidate, similar to a biography. This is a great place for a candidate to let their personality and enthusiasm shine, so carefully consider this piece of writing too. There may be information about personal hobbies, interests, and their personality traits. However, it is important to remember this piece of writing and other sections can easily be fabricated, so always consider Safer Recruitment protocols to make safe decisions when shortlisting for interview. Within the personal writing you may look for elements of the candidate’s personal skills and traits that link to your school such as culture, attitude, teamworking and even their future ambitions. When recruiting, you hope to keep a new employee in the job role for a long time, so considering these attributes and ambitions is vital.
Once you have considered all these elements, your shortlisting panel can use a number system to rank each candidate on certain elements, so you can then numerically compare the applications. You may wish to make notes of certain areas you would like more information on from the candidate so you can remember to ask them at the interview.
Our applicant tracking software, FACE-Ed can help automate sections of your recruitment process to lighten the load that comes with the hiring process. FACE-Ed can automatically screen applications for employment gaps and incorrect references, following Safer Recruitment protocols. FACE-Ed tracks what documents you need to check such as DBS and right to work checks, so you don’t miss a thing. Our applicant tracking software does all the hard work for you while ensuring you are staying complaint with education recruitment protocols.
If you are interested in having a chat about FACE-Ed and how it can help, book a demo and our team will show you the software in action and answer any questions you may have. We are looking forward to hearing from you!
