Getting unstuck: Practical shortlisting when recruitment isn’t your day job

Shortlisting is often where recruitment quietly stalls.

For many occasional recruiters, it can feel time-consuming, high-risk and surprisingly onerous. Applications don’t compare neatly, policy feels heavy, and there’s a real fear of getting it wrong — especially when candidates are putting genuine hope into the process.

As a result, shortlisting is sometimes delayed, revisited or over-analysed, even when everyone wants to move forward.

This short, practical session focuses on candidate-centred shortlisting — making decisions that are fair, respectful and defensible, while also being realistic about time and workload.

We’ll explore simple ways to approach shortlisting that reduce cognitive load, support good judgement and help you move forward with confidence, without compromising merit or care for applicants.

This is not a compliance lecture. It’s about making shortlisting feel clearer, lighter and more human.

Who this session is for

This session is suited to:

• managers and executives who act as panel chairs or panel members occasionally
• internal scribes or administrators who support shortlisting
• people leading recruitment into new, evolving or hard-to-define roles
• anyone who has delayed shortlisting because it felt overwhelming, risky or hard to start

No recruitment or HR background required.