Short listing

The purpose of short listing is to select from all of the applicants those whose application indicates that they have the potential to meet the selection criteria and are suitable to interview. It is a way of narrowing the field of applicants that will be assessed further.

When short listing from written applications, care should be taken to assess people in terms of their stated individual qualifications, knowledge and experience for the position and not in terms of stereotyped assumptions.

Selection committees must also keep in mind that the University does not permit discrimination against potential staff due to breaks in service or career progression due to the need to meet family responsibilities.

If a large field is expected, and there are some jobs that are known to always attract a large field, it may be worth trying to develop some simple screening techniques that can be used from the outset of the process. Whatever techniques are used, these should be identified in the selection documentation from the outset of the process. One is whether the selection criteria are explicitly addressed; another is whether qualifications are acceptable.