For HR Generalists ·
What you'll accomplish
By the end of this guide, you'll have a repeatable process for using Claude to do your first-pass resume screening — cutting through a stack of 30–100 applications in under an hour instead of a full afternoon. You'll still make the final call on every candidate; AI just does the initial ranking.
What you'll need
Before you screen resumes, have a clean version of the job description ready. You're going to paste this into Claude as your screening criteria.
What you should see: A text copy of your JD ready to paste
Open claude.ai and start a new conversation. Type (or paste) this template:
I'm an HR Generalist screening candidates for the following role. Please help me evaluate resumes against these requirements.
JOB DESCRIPTION:
[Paste your job description here]
SCREENING CRITERIA:
- Required: [List 3-5 must-have requirements]
- Preferred: [List 2-3 nice-to-haves]
- Disqualifiers: [Anything that automatically rules someone out]
For each candidate I share, please: (1) give a rating of Strong/Possible/Weak, (2) note which requirements they meet or miss, and (3) give a one-sentence recommendation. Ready to begin?
What you should see: Claude responds confirming it's ready to receive resumes
Copy and paste 3–5 resumes into the same conversation, clearly separated. Label each with the candidate's name.
What you should see: Claude evaluates each candidate with a rating, what they match/miss, and a recommendation Troubleshooting: If a resume won't copy (scanned PDF), type out just the key facts manually — name, years of experience, past roles, education
Reply "Next batch:" and paste 3–5 more resumes. Continue until you've screened all candidates.
Based on Claude's analysis, pull all "Strong" candidates and any "Possible" candidates you want to review personally.
What you should see: A dramatically shorter shortlist of qualified candidates to contact
For technical roles: "Required hard skills for this role: [list]. For each candidate, specifically note whether they have evidence of these skills and rate their fit as Strong/Possible/Weak."
For culture/values fit: "Our company values are [list]. Flag any resumes where there's no mention of team collaboration, and note any candidates who specifically highlight alignment with these values."
For comparing final finalists: "Here are my top 3 finalists. Compare them side-by-side on these dimensions: [requirements]. Which would you recommend for the phone screen and why?"