Shortlisting

You will receive an e-mail from your Resourcing team the morning after the closing date for your vacancy, which will refer you to the actions required to carryout the short-listing process (Note - the system will accept applications up till midnight on the closing date). The e-mail will include a web link to a single PDF document containing all the applications for your vacancy (the 'Candidate Pack'). A Short-listing report, pre-populated with the names of all the candidates for the vacancy and which can be used for recording your short-listing scores, is available on request from your HR Faculty Team. Alternatively, a blank Shortlisting Matrix (Office document, 175kB) ‌is available for use or adaptation.

Short-listing is the vital first stage in the selection process. Measuring how candidates match up to your selection criteria at this stage is crucial to enable you to objectively assess which of the candidates you wish to consider further in the next part of the selection process, generally the interview stage. This is particularly the case where you have a large number of applicants, in which case you may wish to split the process into a long-list and a short-list stage. (If no suitable applications are received, you may wish to re-advertise the vacancy.)

Ideally, everyone who is part of the selection panel should be involved in the short-listing process either together or independently. However, if this is not practicable, then it is advised that the final shortlist should be agreed by a gender balanced panel of at least two members.

Tips for the short-listing process

Here are some tips to help you use your selection criteria effectively and fairly in the short-listing process:

• Decide which of the selection criteria included in the further particulars you can practically use when reviewing the written applications. You may decide to focus on the essential criteria initially. 

• It is useful to give each criterion (or group of related criteria) a value and weighted according to their importance, then you can score each candidate against each criterion and come up with an objective rank order. The Short-listing report that your Faculty/ Divisional HR Team send to you as above should be used for recording this process (you can adapt the columns used to record your scoring system as necessary).

• If you use a criterion based on how well each candidate has completed their application make sure the assessment is not based on arbitrary factors such as standard of hand-writing.

• Base your assessment on the evidence that the candidate has provided and try not to make assumptions to 'fill in the gaps' - if they haven't demonstrated that they have a particular skill or experience then don't assume they have.

• You may wish to request additional evidence form candidates at this stage, for example work samples, examples of published academic work or a portfolio's of relevant outputs.

• If you have a large number of applicants who appear to meet the essential criteria then use your desirable criteria to try to identify those who are most suitable. You may wish to initially draw up a long-list of those who meet the essential criteria first and then identify those to call for interview from this group, bringing the desirable criteria into the assessment.

• Overseas nationals who have recorded in their application form that they would require permission to work in the UK to take up the job should be considered alongside the other applicants in the first instance. It is important to remember that the resident population of the United Kingdom contains a range of ethnic and national groups and there are a wide range of people from outside the UK who are eligible to work here. If there are sufficient applicants who are both currently entitled to work in the UK and meet the criteria for the vacancy, it may be appropriate not to shortlist an overseas national who does not currently have permission to work in the UK in the form of an appropriate visa for the role. The new points based Immigration System took effect from 1^st January 2021 in line with the UK’s exit from the EU. The range of roles that the University may be able to obtain a certificate of sponsorship for has changed and if you have short-listed an overseas national for a non-academic role then you are advised to check their eligibility to work status with your HR Employee Services HUB team.

• Ideally you should be looking to short-list no more than about seven candidates (four to six is probably the optimum number).  Identify reserve canddiates in case people drop out.

• The gender balance of the candidate shortlist should be a fair reflection of the original gender balance of the full candidate application pool.  Single gender shortlists should be avoided.

• Ensure that you can objectively justify the cut-off point between those you short-list and those you do not.

• The Chair-person of your selection panel should be the final arbiter if there is disagreement on who to short-list.

The eRecruit system then needs be used to formally record the short-listing outcomes (simply batch recording the candidates who are unsuccessful and those who have been short-listed) and trigger your Faculty/ Divisional HR Team to liaise with you in setting up the interviews/ selection process. Please follow the eRecruit guidance on this part of the process. Following this guidance will also ensure that unsuccessful candidates are notified by an email from the eRecruit system.

And remember, individuals can potentially appeal against a decision not to be short-listed so make sure your decisions are fair, objective and non-discriminatory, and properly recorded. 

You may have heard about some employers using social networking sites to 'check' candidates out before proceeding to shortlist or offer employment. You are strongly advised not to enter into this practice: social networking sites often contain highly personal information which, taken out of context, should form no part in the selection process for employment; not least because this practice may lead to allegations of discrimination, as such sites will often identify the person's age, sexual orientation, marital status etc.