# Screen job applicants against your instructions

> Researched. Small business · Intermediate · Operations. Updated 2026-11-02.

Canonical page: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/screen-job-applicants-against-your-instructions/

## What it does
Check a pile of job applications against the instructions and must-haves in your post, with quoted evidence, so you read a shortlist instead of every application.

## Who it's for
Small business owners hiring for one role who get dozens of applications at once.

## Tools
- Claude or ChatGPT with file upload
- Your job post
- The applications, with contact details removed if you can

## Steps
1. Write 3 to 5 must-haves that are about the job only: a license, availability, a skill, and any instruction from the post.
2. Leave out anything about age, family, health, nationality or other personal traits. The AI should never see or score those.
3. Upload the applications and run the prompt below. Anthropic says you can upload files to Claude for analysis.
4. Read every application in MEETS and MISSING INFO yourself. Spot-check a few in DOES NOT MEET.
5. You decide who gets an interview. The AI only sorts and quotes evidence.
6. Keep the must-haves list with your hiring records.

## Copy-paste prompt
Adapt bracketed fields to your situation.
```text
Check these job applications against my must-haves only. Use only what each application says.

Job post: [PASTE]
Must-haves (job-related only): [LIST, e.g. valid driver's license; weekends available; answered the question in the post]

For each applicant (use their initials only):
- each must-have: YES (quote the evidence), NO, or NOT STATED
- overall: MEETS, MISSING INFO, or DOES NOT MEET
Do not rank, score or comment on anything outside my must-haves. Do not guess.
```

## Guardrails
- What it touches: Chat input you provide (Claude or ChatGPT with file upload; Your job post).
- Needs your OK: Send, pay, publish, and account changes stay with you. Treat agent output as drafts first.
- Safety level: Read-only
- Letting the AI rank people on vague things like culture fit.
- Rejecting MISSING INFO applicants without asking.
- Pasting full personal details when initials would do.

## Tips
- An instruction in the post, such as answering one question, quickly shows who read it.
- NOT STATED is not NO; a short follow-up question often settles it.
- Keep the must-haves the same for everyone in a round.

## Estimates (labeled, not measured)
- Time saved: About 1 to 2 hours per hiring round.
- Money saved: Not stated in sources.
- Tool cost: File uploads may need a paid plan. Prices: Not stated in sources.

## Sources
Summaries use the public sources below, not independent verification.
- Anthropic: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/12111783-create-and-edit-files-with-claude (Create and edit files with Claude: Excel spreadsheets with working formulas; upload CSV and other files for analysis (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page))
- Anthropic: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/9517075-what-are-projects (What are projects: project knowledge and instructions; RAG mode when project knowledge approaches context limits (read 2026-11-02 from a search result excerpt of the page))

## Get the free starter pack
Five beginner copy-paste AI setups, free by email: https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/starter-pack/?utm_source=ai-agent&utm_medium=markdown&utm_campaign=setup-screen-job-applicants-against-your-instructions

Related:
- [AI to Write a Job Description (Copy-Paste Prompt for Hiring)](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/write-a-job-description-with-ai/index.md)
- [Onboard your first employees](https://www.aisetupsthatwork.com/setups/onboard-your-first-employees/index.md)