Use case · Operations · HR
CV Screening & Candidate Shortlisting
AI CV screening reads every application, pulls out each applicant's skills, qualifications and experience, scores them against the requirements you set for the role and recommends a shortlist with reasons. Every applicant hears back at each stage, and your recruiters spend their time on interviews, not attachments. People still make every hiring decision.
- Read against the same criteria
- Every CV
- For every shortlisted candidate
- With reasons
- The automation only recommends
- People decide
What is AI CV screening?
AI CV screening is an automation that reads each application, extracts the applicant's skills, qualifications and experience into structured fields, and scores them against the requirements you set for the role. It recommends a shortlist with a short note on why each candidate fits and what's missing. Your recruiters and hiring managers decide who goes forward.
Recruiters call it the CV sift, or getting from a longlist to a shortlist.
Why is screening CVs by hand so slow?
Screening CVs by hand is slow because one job advert can bring in hundreds of applications, and someone has to open each one and judge it against the role. It's inconsistent from one reader to the next and rushed when volumes spike. Strong candidates wait days and accept another offer, and unsuccessful applicants often hear nothing.
Hundreds of attachments per role
Each CV has to be opened, read and judged by hand.Different readers, different standards
Two recruiters reading the same CV can reach different conclusions, especially at the end of a long day.Applicants left waiting
Good candidates take another offer while they wait, and the ones who hear nothing remember the employer.
How does AI CV screening work?
AI CV screening collects applications from every source into one place, extracts each applicant's details with AI and scores them against the role's requirements and, where you provide them, examples of strong past hires. It recommends a shortlist with reasons, keeps every applicant informed once your team confirms decisions, and records everything in your ATS, CRM or Airtable.
With AI automations
A new application by email, through your application form or from a job board export
Collect
Applications from every source land in one place.Read the CV
AI extracts each applicant's skills, qualifications and experience into structured fields.Score against the role
Each applicant is categorised and scored against the requirements you set and, where you provide them, examples of strong past hires.Shortlist with reasons
The best-fit candidates are recommended, with a short note on why each one fits and what's missing.Keep applicants informed
An acknowledgement when they apply, next steps if they're shortlisted, and a polite update if they're not progressing, once your team has confirmed the decision.Record
Everything is written to your ATS, CRM or an Airtable base, segmented by role and fit.
With an AI voice agent (screening calls)
A candidate is shortlisted
Call within minutes
An outbound AI voice agent calls shortlisted applicants for a first-stage screen.Ask the screening questions
Availability, notice period, salary expectations and right to work.Add it to the record
The answers are written to the same candidate record.
Which systems deliver it?
AI CV screening is delivered by AI automations, which collect, read, score and shortlist applications and keep applicants informed. It pairs with an outbound AI voice agent, which gives shortlisted candidates a first-stage screening call within minutes and adds their answers to the same record.
| System | Trigger | What it does | Package note |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Automations | A new application from any source | Extracts and scores each CV, recommends a shortlist with reasons, updates applicants | Advanced Automation: multi-step AI across several tools |
| AI Voice Agents | A candidate is shortlisted | Calls for a first-stage screen and records availability, notice, salary and right to work | Outbound agent added alongside the automation |
Where is it used?
AI CV screening suits recruitment and staffing agencies, in-house HR and talent acquisition teams, and growing businesses hiring for several roles at once, especially roles that attract high numbers of applications. Agencies call it the CV sift or longlist to shortlist; in-house teams call it application screening.
Same job, their words
A CV sift that keeps pace with every advert. Applications from job boards and email are scored against the client's brief, consultants get a ranked shortlist with reasons, and shortlisted candidates get a screening call within minutes.
What should you know before you start?
AI CV screening recommends; people decide. Scoring follows the requirements you set for each role, and we review them with you so they're relevant to the job and fair to every applicant. CVs are personal data, so applications are processed in your own accounts in line with data protection law, such as UK GDPR, and your retention policy.
- People make the decision. Your recruiters and hiring managers decide who goes forward, and rejections are sent only after your team confirms them.
- Criteria are agreed per role. Relevant to the job and fair to every applicant.
- CVs are personal data. Processed in your own accounts, under your retention policy.
How would we build it for you?
We haven't published a CV screening case study yet. Here's how a build would run: we connect your application sources, agree the scoring criteria for one live role with you, write the applicant messages, then run real applications through it side by side with your recruiters before it handles a role on its own.
- Sources connectedemail · form · job board
- Criteria agreedper role
- CVs scoredwith reasons
- Shortlist reviewedby your team
- Applicants updatedevery stage
- RecordedATS · CRM · Airtable
Frequently asked questions
Questions
Answer
Does AI decide who gets hired?
No. AI CV screening recommends a shortlist with a short note on why each candidate fits and what's missing. Your recruiters and hiring managers decide who goes forward, and applicants who aren't progressing are only told once your team has confirmed the decision. The automation saves the reading time, not the judgement.
How is each CV scored?
Each CV is scored against the requirements you set for the role: the skills, qualifications and experience that matter, and, where you provide them, examples of strong past hires. We review the criteria with you for each role so they're relevant to the job and fair to every applicant, and the reasons behind every score are shown.
Is AI CV screening GDPR compliant?
CVs are personal data, so applications are processed in your own accounts and handled in line with data protection law, such as UK GDPR, and your own retention policy. We agree with you during the build where applications are stored, who can see them and how long they're kept.
Can it work with our ATS?
Yes. Shortlists, scores and candidate details can be written to your ATS, your CRM or an Airtable base, segmented by role and fit. Which ATS connections are possible depends on what your system allows; we check on the discovery call. Applications can come in by email, through your application form or from a job board export.
Can shortlisted candidates get a screening call automatically?
Yes. An outbound AI voice agent can call shortlisted applicants within minutes for a first-stage screen, covering availability, notice period, salary expectations and right to work. The answers are added to the same candidate record, and candidates who pass can be booked straight into an interview with appointment setting.