How to shortlist

Assisting hiring managers across the WA public sector in the application of contemporary best practice in recruitment.

Shortlisting is when you consider all the information you have about applicants and decide who you want to learn more about. Applicants who continue in the recruitment process are called candidates and they are put on a short list.

After completing this section, you will have:

  • a shortlisting process to support consistent decision-making.
  • a sample shortlisting assessment template. 

Actions

  • Review the information you asked applicants to provide in the job advertisement.
  • Standardise the information you capture from applicants on a form to reduce subjectivity in the assessment process. You can use the shortlisting assessment matrix as a guide to write up your shortlisting report.
  • Consider your agency diversity requirements.
  • Set a range of scoring descriptors as a guide for your shortlisting decision- making, and apply the relevant scoring for each individual application as appropriate.
  • Each assessor is required to ascertain whether applicants meet the criteria assessment of the advertised job requirements at different levels of capability to move to the next stage of the selection process. For example:
Inherent job requirements Assessment criteria Scoring: [E]
Exceeds this criteria		 Comments (example)

Capability in:

  • project management
  • negotiation
  • stakeholder engagement
  • team leadership
  • complex problem solving.
 Success in managing a team to deliver projects, each valued at over $4m, including engaging and negotiating with project stakeholders over complex and challenging issues.

Identified and linked all relevant issues.

  • Described the situation and skills applied at a high level.
  • Displayed high levels of initiative and/or innovation.
  • Identified significant opportunities.
  • Achieved outcomes of a high standard.
 Applicant has managed projects such as xxx valued at $x. The applicant negotiated the procurement of the contracts and discounted price points, engaged with private, public and local council stakeholders to get development approval within project timeframe. Showed leadership and initiative in meeting with regulators to get the approvals.
  • Other diversity requirements

Tips on shortlisting

  • If you have a large number of applicants who demonstrate the job requirements, you may choose to:
    • include them all on the shortlist and undertake an additional screening step before deciding who to invite to assessments that are more time consuming and/or expensive, such as interviews or personality assessments
    • decide to add a limited number of the most competitive applicants to the shortlist, being aware that you have not yet tested the validity of written claims and, as such, are prioritising applicants based on limited information
    • consider shortlisting an applicant who is from an underrepresented diversity group if they have shown they meet the job requirements –they do not need to be the most competitive candidate
    • use an independent assessor or assessment options and tools such as phone screening to minimise negative assumptions from first impressions.
  • If you have a small number of applicants who demonstrate the job requirements, you may choose to include them all on the shortlist.
  • If you do not have any applicants you want to progress, consider why there was a low response such as clarity, timing and visibility of the advertisement, and type of job. You may wish to re-open the job advertisement, add applications through a wider search or close the process without making an appointment and reconsider the job description.

Finalise the assessment report

  • Provide a report containing all of the above information to the person endorsing your selection.

Resources

What’s next?

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