For HR Generalists ·
What you'll accomplish
First-pass resume screening (30 to 100 applications) is done in under an hour instead of a full afternoon. You still make the final call on every candidate; Claude handles the initial ranking. This guide gives you the repeatable process.
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?"