Shortlisting Applicants
Panels assess applications so that only those who meet the essential criteria for the vacancy are considered further.
Checklist
- read the Merit Selection Guide, page 7-8;
- check your agency guidelines on documenting your shortlisting process; and
- consider all redeployees who have applied before shortlisting other applicants.If you have any applicants who have been identified under Section 41 as a redeployee, you must consider their application/s before progressing any further with the recruitment process. Redeployees are assessed for their ability to do the job with a reasonable period of training. Where more than one applicant is a redeployee, the merit principle applies between those applicants. If the panel does not recommend the redeployee, a selection report must be assessed by the Commissioner for Public Employment prior to any further action.
Ask the following questions
How many applicants should be shortlisted?
There is no 'right' number of applicants to shortlist. Shortlisting will depend on the type of job, number and quality of applicants received.
What if I get 60 or more applicants?
The panel should still examine each application to determine whether a person meets the criteria or not. You should not shortlist based on whether a person has written their application in the expected format. The panel should shortlist based on the content of an application. The best applicant may be discarded if the panel does not assess properly.
It is worth noting that, if the job or an identical job becomes vacant within six months of advertising, the next suitable applicant may be offered the job without the need to advertise again
Do I have to shortlist if I don't have many applicants?
No. You can make an assessment based on the applications received. The panel selection report must still demonstrate how the successfull applicant was chosen and that the Merit Principle was applied.
What assumptions can I make about an applicant?
A panel should consider all information submitted by the applicant, not just the document addressing the selection criteria. It is wrong to not shortlist an applicant on the basis that they did not display their information in the suggested format. A panel should also review the resume to determine whether an applicant would meet the essential criteria even though they might not have highlighted the information. Remember, you have just spent a lot of time and money advertising, it is nonsensical to then discard a potentially good applicant because they did not write their application in the format you expected.
Example: An applicant has not stated they have a drivers licence which is an essential criteria but they meet all the other criteria. The applicant has indicted that he has been a ministerial driver for the past five years then the panel could assume the applicant has a drivers licence but this should be clarified at the interview stage.
The only proviso is that the panel should assess all applications in the same manner.
What if I am not sure whether an applicant meets a particular criteria?
A panel can contact the applicant at the shortlist stage to clarify any information provided in their application.
What happens if no one meets all the essential criteria?
If no applicant has the minimum requirements for the position, ie the essential criteria, then a selection cannot be made at that time. The panel will need to consider whether:
- re-advertising in a broader range of publications will attract a better field of applicants;
- the essential criteria are correct or need to be reviewed and the vacancy re-advertised; and
- advertising at a different time in the year might prove more fruitful.
If all the applicants lack the same criteria, it may be necessary to review that criterion and consider if it is essential or desirable.
What if no one is suitable?
If no one is suitable then it may be better to leave the job vacant and to look at other options rather than fill the vacancy with an inferior candidate. A good vacancy is better than a bad appointment.
Why do we need desirable criteria?
Desirable criteria are knowledge, skills or abilities that would be advantageous for an applicant to have. These criteria are not essential and the duties of the job could be performed without them.
The panel uses desirable criteria in the selection process if there is a strong field of applicants who all have the essential criteria and the panel needs to distinguish between them.
Do I have to contact referees at this stage?
No. However, it may be useful to contact referees at this stage to assist with the shortlisting process. Be mindful that some applicants may not have advised their current managers that they are applying for a job. It may be appropriate to advise the applicant that you intend to contact their referee before further assessment.
What happens next?
After the panel has decided whom to shortlist for further assessment the panel might decide to advise DCIS so that letters can be sent to the applicants not shortlisted.
The panel now needs to decide on the best method of assessing the shortlisted applicants (refer to Assessment of Applicants for further information).
Once this has been decided, applicants should be given adequate time to prepare and make themselves available. Be considerate of applicant's circumstances. Applicants may already be in employment or have carer duties and will need time to make alternative arrangements.