Candidate screening checklist: build a fairer shortlist.

Write one sentence that states what the screen is for. A useful version is: “After the first conversation, the recruiter decides whether the evidence supports a deeper interview with the hiring manager.” This keeps the screen proportionate: it is a focused checkpoint, not a compressed final interview.

• Name the person who makes the next decision.
• State the decision in plain language.
• Decide what should remain for the later interview stage.
• Agree how candidates can request help or an alternative route.

Start with the work, not a generic list of personality traits. A CV can say that someone is strategic, collaborative or commercially minded. The screen should clarify what those claims mean in the context of this role.

CV review is a useful first pass. It can show chronology, claimed responsibilities, qualifications and prior environments. It rarely explains the candidate’s own contribution, the trade-offs they faced or how a result was achieved. Use the same initial pass for every application you decide to review.

• Review experience against the agreed criteria, not an idealised background.
• Mark claims that need context as questions, not conclusions.
• Keep notes factual and job-related.
• Do not use the CV as a proxy for communication style, motivation or fit.

For a deeper comparison of what a conversation adds beyond a CV, read AI pre-qualification interviews: a recruiter’s guide.

Give the candidate room to explain a relevant example in their own words. Ask one open question for each priority criterion, then follow up only where the answer needs context, ownership or outcome. For example: “Tell me about a month-end close you owned. What did you change, and what happened as a result?”

Availability, location, working pattern, salary expectations and work authorisation may be relevant before a full interview. Treat them as practical constraints to clarify, not a way to reduce the candidate to a filter. Tell candidates why you are asking and how the answer will be used.

• Ask only for constraints that are relevant at this stage.
• Use the same core questions for comparable candidates.
• Explain the purpose where it may not be obvious.
• Record the answer accurately rather than inferring it.

A summary is useful when it points back to the candidate’s actual answer. It is not useful when it hides uncertainty behind a score. Before moving someone forward, the recruiter should be able to see which criterion the conversation addressed, what the candidate said, what remains unproven and what a human interviewer should explore next.

Use the checklist to support a clear next step: progress to a human interview, keep the candidate in consideration while information is gathered, or close the process with appropriate communication. The decision note should say what the role-relevant evidence established and what did not.