Shortlisting and interviewing

Use this stage to narrow down your candidates and decide who to invite for an interview. There is a shortlisting matrix  below which will help you to evaluate candidates based on the criteria you set out in your job advert. During the shortlisting stage, treat candidates you already know, including current employees, in the same way as external candidates. Removing names from applications can help avoid any unconscious bias. 

Interviews are your chance to evaluate a candidate’s suitability for the job and to give them an opportunity to find out more about the job and your organisation.  

Top tips:  

• Set up your interview in a way that helps demonstrate the skills that are needed for the job. Consider your criteria. Make sure you know exactly what you are looking for and use this to shape the interview.  

• Consider using an exercise to mimic a real work situation. For example, if staff will be using spreadsheets regularly ask them to complete a short task on Excel. Or if they need to be a confident communicator then ask them to deliver a short presentation.  

• It is not all about skills and experience. Think about how candidates will fit in with your current team and design your recruitment process to give others a chance to assess this.  

• We recommend offering feedback to all unsuccessful candidates after interview. Some might not contact you for feedback, but for those that do it is a chance to help them improve for the future. 

• Find a calm space – avoid noisy and busy areas.

• Be friendly and welcoming. Make the candidate feel comfortable. It is not an interrogation.  

• Take notes so you can remember who said what.  

• Maintain eye contact.  

• Ask open ended questions (don’t limit the answer to yes or no) and be specific, don’t package several questions into one. Rambling questions result in rambling answers.  

• Be patient. Give space for thought as they answer. Don’t be tempted to finish off their answers.  

• Do your homework. Know who you are speaking to. Bring their application for reference.  

• Don’t rush. Give yourself plenty of time between interviews to process, take notes, and have a break  

• During the interview stage, check all job applicants’ ‘right to work’ documents.  Before you employ anyone, you must check that they have permission to work in the UK.  Keep copies for your records. Read the Government’s guide on document checking:

Checking a job applicant's right to work - UK Government website

Remember that at no point in recruitment should you discriminate against anyone based on their nationality. 

International students and graduates have a lot to offer. They can bring a fresh perspective, experience of other cultures and often advanced language skills. Their ability to work in the UK will depend on their nationality and their visa. Always check most recent Government immigration information. 

UK visa sponsorship for employers

The Skilled Worker Visa has replaced the Tier 2 (General) Visa:

Skilled Worker Visa information 

More information on hiring international students