Don't Shortlist Someone Who Can't Get the Job

Every extra interview asks a candidate to emotionally invest in a job they may never realistically get. A shortlist can look tidy and still be weak. It may satisfy a process requirement. But if the people on it can't genuinely compete for the job, it isn't a good shortlist.

The final appointment is only as good as the shortlist. That's why shortlisting deserves more care than it often receives. It isn't simply reducing a pile of applications. It is deciding who deserves the emotional and practical investment of an interview.

Don't put someone on a shortlist if they can't actually get the job.

Some employers become fixed on numbers. They want three candidates because that feels manageable, or five because that feels thorough. But merit matters more than quantity. If there are two genuinely strong candidates, interview two. If there are six, consider six. If there are none, be honest enough to keep looking.

That sounds obvious, but it happens. A candidate is included to make up the numbers, to create comparison, or because someone feels they deserve a chance. The problem is that interviews aren't harmless. Candidates prepare, hope, travel, rearrange work and start imagining themselves in the role.

I have seen candidates invest emotionally in interviews that were never truly open to them. That's unfair. It also weakens the employer's decision-making because the panel spends time comparing people who weren't all viable options.

A good shortlist should be built around the requirements of the role and the context of the organisation. What experience is essential? What can be learned? What evidence matters most? Which candidates could realistically succeed if appointed? These questions matter more than reaching an arbitrary number.

There should also be room for judgement. A candidate may not match every line of the brief but may show strong adjacent experience. Another may look strong on paper but lack the practical evidence the role requires. Shortlisting is where those distinctions need to be made carefully.

The best shortlists create meaningful choice. They give the panel different strengths to assess, but every person included has a credible path to appointment. That's the standard. Anything less is process theatre.

A good appointment doesn't start at offer stage. It starts when the shortlist is built with discipline, fairness and respect for the people invited into the process.