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