Longlisting and Shortlisting

4 – The Review Process:

In many cases, you will receive far too many applications, especially if people have noticed your efforts to run an inclusive, diverse, and equitable application process. You should therefore come up with a system before you begin reviewing, including deciding whether, and how, to come up with your long- and short-lists.

Longlisting typically involves reviewing all applicants against a minimum threshold of technical skills and experience, with any candidates who fail to meet the threshold being rejected. This can be helpful to reduce the workload of reviewing all candidates in detail if you receive a very high number, allowing you to devote more time to reviewing applicants who are likely to succeed.

Shortlisting typically involves a more detailed review of applications based on the overall content to select those of highest quality.

There are several ways in which these decisions about applications can be made:

A lottery system: Sometimes used where there are a very great number of high-quality applications, all of which are eligible to be successful, but where there are only very few spaces for successful candidates.
A review panel: They will score each applicant independently and then collate their scores, to enable the selection the best candidates based on their aggregate scores.
A panel discussion: This can enable reviewers to argue in favour of applications they have reviewed -particularly where there is a smaller number of strong applications-, with the aim being that the panel comes to a decision together. Here, the chair of the meeting will need to be especially mindful of unconscious bias and biasing of collective decisions.

Some of these will fit different application processes and opportunities better than others. As always, be mindful about the EDI implications of each system.

SECTION 4: The Review Process

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If you are holding interviews, there are various steps you can take to improve EDI.