How to shortlist CVs quickly and effectively

By Nick Billingham, Manager at TPP Not for Profit

In today’s current job-heavy market, there are some charity jobs that will produce literally hundreds of applications, particularly the more generic administration roles.  It’s daunting facing such a mountain of paperwork, and it can be tricky to know where to start.  In this post, we look at ways to make it easy to shortlist applicants to find the people you want to interview.

Unlike recruiting for more specialist roles, where you may need to compare applicants with very different CVs, the goal here is to exclude as many unsuitable candidates in the shortest possible time.


Log all applications

Firstly, best practice is to log all applications with the candidate’s name, email and source of their application.  When you scan their CV you can also add in some brief notes on their skills and experience.  This may seem like a lot of work already, but it will help you keep track of who you’ve rejected, who you might be interested in and where your applications are coming from (useful for deciding where to place future advertising).


Define your criteria

Before you start going through CVs, it’s very important to define exactly what your ideal candidate will look like.  You should use your job description and person specification to pull together two lists; essential criteria and desirable criteria.  Be really strict about the criteria you term ‘essential’ – as a rule of thumb there should be twice as many desirables as essentials.

You can then go through your CVs and score each against your lists of criteria.  Any that don’t meet all of the essential criteria can be quickly discarded.  Working to lists of criteria also allows you to split up the CVs with other team members and ensures you are all shortlisting on the same terms.

It’s also a good idea to decide before you start to shortlist how many candidates you want to interview – this will help avoid the temptation to keep anyone in who ‘may’ be suitable.



Conduct your shortlist in stages

The quickest way to shortlist is to do it in stages.  The first stage is to run through all the CVs and simply exclude those who don’t meet your essential criteria list, and note this on your spreadsheet.  This should immediately make the pile of CVs much more manageable.

In stage 2 you should go through the remaining CVs and assign the candidates scores against each item in your list of essential criteria, recording the scores on your spreadsheet.  This will give you an easy way to rank candidates and give you a top ten to work with.  At this stage, you should also check for any inconsistencies in their CV and make sure that their presentation, spelling and grammar, and attention to detail are flawless on both their CV and covering letter (if applicable).

In the final stage, you should start with a list of candidates who would all be able to do the fundamentals of the role.  You can now go through and score them against your list of desirable criteria, which will help single out the candidates who will be able to pick things up more quickly and contribute that bit extra to your organisation.

Bear in mind that it is extremely unlikely that you’ll find a candidate who matches every single item on both your list of essentials and desirables.  Indeed, the very best candidate may sometimes require you to think outside the box.  But it’s important to try and stick to your original lists wherever possible in order to minimise unconscious bias as much as possible.


Give everyone a response

Everyone who takes the time to apply for a role should receive some form of response, even if it is just an automated email.  Keeping your spreadsheet of applicants up to date should make it easier to ensure everyone gets an update on their application.

This is particularly important for charities, whose audiences of employees, volunteers, supporters and advocates tend to widely overlap.  A simple email thanking candidates for their interest but expressing regret that not everyone can be asked to interview should be enough.  You can even remind them of all the other ways they could support your organisation.


Sounds like a lot of work?

The fact is, however you manage the process, shortlisting for most roles is always going to require a big investment of your time.  TPP regularly handle roles for our clients that generate high volumes of response; we recently had 116 applications for a Finance Assistant role and regularly deal with vacancies generating several hundred applications.

Some organisations prefer to recruit for lower level roles internally, but these are the ones that typically eat into your valuable time.  If you think your working hours could be better spent, talk to us about handling your vacancy.  We’ll deal with all the administration and candidate liaising, and will interview all candidates, prior to sending you a shortlist.  We also try to make sure all applicants have a positive recruitment experience, whether they are successful or not, and we will always present your organisation to candidates as an attractive opportunity.  And best of all, you only pay when you appoint a candidate.

For more information about our recruitment services, visit our website or contact us on 020 7198 6000 or info@tpp.co.uk.

Should you hire an ‘overqualified’ candidate?

With unemployment still relatively high and lots of charity professionals currently searching for a job, we’ve noticed that not for profit organisations are receiving more applications from ‘overqualified’ candidates.  But employers can be reluctant to consider these candidates, even though they would certainly be able to handle the role.

In this blog post, we look at what overqualified means and the pros and cons of hiring an overqualified candidate.

What is overqualified?

Candidates are described as overqualified when they are skilled or educated beyond the requirements for the role.  For example, while a person specification for a role may require a bachelor’s degree, employers could receive applications from candidates with a master’s degree.  Or employers could request candidates with some previous experience of that role, and receive applications from jobseekers with over ten years’ experience.

However, having lots of education or experience does not necessarily make a candidate overqualified.  The key is whether that education or experience is relevant to the role.  If not, they are really starting at the same level as any other candidate.

It is also very important to steer clear of any age discrimination when determining if candidates are overqualified.  Simply having worked for a long period of time does not automatically make an applicant overqualified.

Traditional objections to overqualified candidates
If employers are looking for certain skills and experience, you might think that a candidate exceeding their expectations would be snapped up, but many organisations are reluctant to consider overqualified candidates.  One of the most common reasons cited is a fear that the candidate will expect a higher salary in exchange for their qualifications.  The other is an assumption that the candidate is only using this role as a placeholder and will leave as soon as a better opportunity presents itself – this is a particular worry in the current job market, with many candidates agreeing to take any job purely to avoid unemployment.

Employers may also have concerns that an overqualified candidate would not be challenged or fully engaged in the role and become unproductive and unhappy.  One disgruntled employee can then have a knock-on effect on the rest of the team.

Dispelling the myths

Overqualification does not automatically lead to lower job satisfaction or higher turnover.  In a study from the US, sales associates who were thought to be overqualified actually performed better than their peers, and the more empowered they were in their role, the more likely they were to stay put.  Indeed, nearly half of graduates are now considered overqualified for their first role.

Candidates have a huge range of motivations for taking a charity job and overqualified applicants may have a very good reason for wanting that particular role, rather than simple desperation for a job.  They could be downshifting and looking to achieve a better work/life balance, or wanting to change sectors or roles following a previous unsatisfactory career move, or they could be moving to a new location.

The interview stage is the best time to determine an overqualified candidate’s level of seriousness about the role.  Questions like “Can you describe your favourite job from the past and what you did?” or “What did you not like doing in former jobs?” can help define their motivations and determine whether they would be a good fit for your team.  Have confidence in your organisation’s culture; if you choose to work for your organisation, other people will also want to.

Some ‘hidden’ benefits

There are some less obvious benefits to hiring an overqualified candidate that some employers would not immediately consider.  For example, it can be good for morale overall, as a more experienced employee will be able to pick up the work more quickly, relieving the rest of the team from having to cover the responsibilities.  This is particularly important during this period of belt-tightening, when many employees are already having to take on extra tasks.

In addition, most teams function best with a mixture of people, not just clones of your current or previous employees.  Someone with unexpected skills and lots of life experience may bring something extra to the table that you have not previously considered.

If an overqualified candidate has a good reason for wanting to take your role, chances are that they have really considered what they want to do and may actually be a better long-term proposition than a candidate who exactly fits the person specification.  For example, a jobseeker with lots of commercial experience may move into the charity sector looking for a more meaningful role.  Getting promoted or moving on may therefore be lower on their list of priorities than a candidate moving up within the sector.

Future proof your team

When considering a candidate who is overqualified for the job, it’s always worth looking at the big picture.  When making hiring decisions, the best leaders don’t just consider current needs, but also look to the future.

Overqualified candidates often have other skills in areas that are not required for a particular role but may be useful for the organisation as a whole.  This gives them greater flexibility for the future and could allow them to accomplish things in the future that you have not considered part of that role.  Rather than just fulfilling an immediate need, they could help your organisation grow and achieve even more.

These employees can also improve the skill set of the team as a whole, as they could mentor or train up others to their level.  They can also serve as a model for your employees and help challenge them to bring productivity up.  Having extra skills in your team can also give you the flexibility to react to challenges or opportunities that may arise in the future.  Making full use of their skills will also make them a more engaged employee.

Be honest

If you are considering an overqualified candidate for a position, it’s extremely important to be up front about the role’s potential right from the start.  Being honest about salary, benefits and promotion prospects will help to weed out candidates really looking for something else and will avoid an applicant expecting too much from a role.  But if you think they may be temporarily underutilised, but there is great potential for the future, make sure you make that clear.

You could use phone screening to go through these details, check that the candidate is happy with the terms and weed out those with unrealistic expectations before interview stage.

It is also very important to confirm that their manager would be comfortable working with them and vice versa.  Sometimes it can be difficult to manage an employee who has more years of experience than you do.  Make sure you explore this thoroughly at interview – again, it is worth being completely honest and asking them straight out if they foresee any problems.

It can’t hurt…

Rather than rejecting them out of hand, it’s always worth at least considering an overqualified candidate.  After all, they would certainly be able to handle the role advertised  Often it can be difficult to fully judge a candidate’s motivations and dedication to a role without at least offering them an opportunity to meet with you face to face in an interview.

If you do interview them and you feel that the candidate would still not be a good fit for your organisation, that could help you to refine your person specification and direct your job search.

Hiring an overqualified candidate can be a risk, but sometimes you have to take risks to realise your organisation’s full potential.  When weighing up the pros and cons, there are often more benefits to hiring an overqualified employee than downsides.  And even if they do turn out to be only there short-term, they could still make a positive long-term impact on your organisation.

There are also ways to mitigate some of the risk of hiring an overqualified employee.  You could offer them the role on a temporary or contract basis, to see how they will actually turn out on the job and to get the role filled.

There is a definite move in the commercial world to take advantage of the current candidate-heavy job market and actively seek out overqualified employees to get extra value for money.  Perhaps the charity sector should also be more open to capitalising on this talent glut.  After all, sometimes more is simply more.

The perils of purple squirrels

On average, employers take 5 weeks and 6 days to recruit a new employee, and even longer for senior or specialist roles.  This is nearly twice as long as the average time taken to recruit in 2008.

High unemployment has led to a candidate-heavy job market.  With so many jobseekers out there eager for work, why are organisations taking such a long time to fill their vacancies?  

Even seeing lots of excellent candidates doesn't help employers to make a decision, as it encourages them to believe there’s someone even better out there.

So why are there delays?

Recruiting can be an expensive business, and the costs of hiring the wrong person are extremely high.  Although the economy appears to be picking up, not for profit organisations still fear that there may be further turmoil ahead and remain cautious about hiring.

With the glut of candidates to choose from, employers feel they can wait to find their perfect candidate; one who has all of the ‘desired’ points on the job description, as well as those ‘required’.  Even interviewing lots of excellent candidates can encourage employers to wait, as they believe there must be someone even better out there.

Red tape and overly complicated processes can also delay an organisation’s hiring process and the saving on overheads made by not recruiting can feel like an incentive to keep a vacancy unfilled.

But keeping a job open for months on end or spending extra effort recruiting doesn't actually address the core reasons why it is so hard to find the perfect candidate.  One of those reasons is that perfect candidates are too rare to bank on – they are ‘purple squirrels’.

What is a purple squirrel?

A purple squirrel is a term recruiters and hiring managers use to define an ultra-rare candidate who is perfect for the role, down to the last detail.  A purple squirrel will have all the skills and experience required, fit perfectly into your organisation’s culture, live in the right area and, crucially, will work for the salary offered.

These candidates do come along occasionally, but too rarely to build a recruitment strategy on.  Purple squirrels are not a product of successful recruiting, but more often simply due to luck.

The impact of delays on recruitment

Maintaining the momentum of your recruitment process is important to keep candidates motivated about the role, and delaying could be a crucial factor if they are deciding between two jobs.  Even though the market is candidate-heavy, the best candidates are still in high demand, and they won’t hang around while you wait to see if someone even better turns up.  They will go to more decisive organisations, and their negative recruitment experience could reflect badly on your employer brand.

A recruitment campaign only lasts so long.  If your possible candidates have found jobs elsewhere, you may have to start the process again from scratch - using up your valuable time and wasting money.  As the economy starts to recover and hiring increases, the demand for good candidates is just going to increase even more.

Positions left unfilled for a long time also become less attractive to potential candidates, like houses that remain unsold – everyone thinks there must be something wrong with the role.  In fact, Britons believe that job vacancies that remain unfilled for more than 72 days are roles that nobody wants.  This means that the longer you wait, the less likely you are to find a really good employee to fill the role.

And the impact on your organisation

Obviously, organisations cannot function without employees.  Unless you reorganise to absorb duties elsewhere, you are eventually going to have to fill a vacancy.  While a job is not being done, productivity in that department drops, and the longer you leave it, the harder it is to build up momentum again.

Taking a long time to recruit also puts unfair amounts of pressure on your other employees, who will have to cover the essential duties of that role.  This may affect productivity and ultimately retention, as overworked and disgruntled employees are less likely to remain loyal and motivated.

Remember the perfect candidate may not be the best one

In the long term, it is more important to find a candidate who fits the culture of your organisation.  When recruiting, you should prioritise ‘hard to learn’ requirements like people skills over specific skills that can be learnt on the job.  Employees who are trained up to do a role have more incentive to succeed and tend to stay longer in a role.  Rather than waiting to find the perfect candidate, why not invest that time in training up a good one to become perfect in the role.

Another area to consider is the opportunities for flexible working.  Again, this can lead to a more loyal and motivated employee.  Being flexible in one area may also mean that you can negotiate with the salary offered.

The ‘perfect’ candidate that an organisation is looking for can often be one that is exactly like the hiring manager or the departed employee.  While they may be able to pick up the ropes quickly, a candidate like this will not bring in new ideas or fresh viewpoints to your organisation.  It is generally accepted that a more diverse workforce is a more effective and resilient workforce.

The view from TPP

At TPP, we’ve represented our share of purple squirrel candidates, and we know how very rare and in demand these employees are.  When we work with you to fill a vacancy, we use a combination of job advertising, social media, our own database of contacts and search and selection to find both active and passive candidates we might be suitable.  We then interview them, face-to-face wherever possible, before sending over their details, to go through their CV and to check how well their personality will mesh with your organisation’s culture.  We will only put a candidate forward for a role if we are confident that they can develop into your perfect employee.

If you're not sure...

If you are undecided about whether to hire a candidate you've interviewed right now, or to wait and see if there is a better candidate out there, why not consider offering the position as a temporary or contract assignment?  This allows you to save on overheads, gives you some coverage for the role until you hire permanently, and lets you try out candidates in a real working environment.  Based on their performance, you can then offer them the role on a permanent basis, or keep recruiting.  But bear in mind that your temporary employee may also continue to look elsewhere!

Ultimately, if you are adamant you need a candidate that fulfils every requirement, you are going to have to wait for them to appear and it is highly likely that you will have to increase your offered salary to secure them.  We believe that it is more cost-effective to concentrate on the best person you find for the job, rather than the best person out there.

Writing effective job descriptions and person specifications

What is a job or person specification?

Before you place a vacancy with a recruitment consultancy, it is a good idea to spend some time evaluating exactly what you require from a candidate. While a job description and person specification are not legal requirements, they will save you time in the long run.

A job specification is a detailed description of the role, including all responsibilities, objectives and requirements. A person specification is a profile of your ideal new employee, including skills, experience and personality type.

Why should you bother?

Writing a detailed specification forces you to think about exactly what skills and experience is required for your role and the type of person you want for the team. Giving your recruitment consultant a comprehensive brief will allow them to work more effectively and quickly in finding you the perfect candidate.

Specifications also give candidates a better idea of exactly what you are looking for. This can help to weed out inappropriate applications from people who might be suitable on paper, but not actually that interested in the role. They also help to manage the expectations of successful new employees and to avoid situations where they feel they have been misled about the exact nature of the role.

You can use the specifications as a checklist for evaluating CVs and in interviews, which will save you preparation time and make sure you don’t miss anything.

Writing specification can make you think about how your department works and provide you with an opportunity to shift responsibilities around to maximise efficiency.

Specifications are also useful after the vacancy has been filled, as they can help to assess a new recruit's performance and to determine their future training needs.

Things to bear in mind before you start

Be as specific as possible about the responsibilities of the job, including any deadlines for delivery and measurements of success.

Leave room for flexibility within the job specification, and make it obvious if the role is likely to change or grow in the near future. This helps to avoid employees resenting taking on responsibilities not in their original job description.

Be careful with your wording, eg is a qualification really required or would someone who is Qualified by Experience (QBE) still be suitable?

It is essential not to discriminate on grounds of gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality or health, so avoid any inappropriate requirements, eg “must have x years’ experience” or words such as “dynamic” or “mature”. Read more information about avoiding discrimination here.

If the role is involved with service delivery, you may want to ask a selection of your clients their opinions on the type of person they would prefer to work with.

What should you include?

A job specification should include:

• the job title the position in the company, including their line manager and any other members of staff reporting to them
• the location of the job
• a summary of the general nature, main purpose and objectives of the job
• a list of the main duties or tasks of the employee
• which skills/qualifications are essential and which are desirable
• any equipment or software requirements, eg “knowledge of Raiser’s Edge”
• salary and benefits
• examples of typical projects help to illustrate the requirements

A person specification should include:

• the technical, organisational, communicative and creative skills and abilities you expect from an ideal candidate
• any specific qualifications or education required for the role
• the level of experience needed in either similar organisations or equivalent roles
• the kind of personality that would fit in with your team, and with your organisation’s ethos
• character traits that are likely to help them to do the job effectively
• any preferred achievements, eg volunteering

Some examples of job and person specifications for typical roles in non-profit organisations are available from the NCVO website.

Finally, please remember to use your recruitment consultancy as much as possible. TPP Not for Profit are experts in the not for profit sector and are able to give you advice about how best to construct job and person specifications to fill a role, and on the salary and benefits you will need to offer to attract the best possible candidates.


TPP Not for Profit are specialists in the charity, arts and public sectors and help our clients both recruit and retain their staff. For more information, visit ww.tpp.co.uk or contact us on 020 7198 600 or info@tpp.co.uk.