How can you compare incomparable applications? Get out the CV selection grid!

Do you need to recruit your company's new sales director or next Java developer? Then you know that, whether you're a recruiter or a manager, you're embarking on a recruitment process of varying length!

Once you've carefully drafted and posted your job advertisement, surprise: you receive dozens, even hundreds of CVs. Panic on board! How do you sort through all these CVs to find your dream candidate?

Now's the time to pull out your magic wand: the CV analysis grid.

Why use it, and above all, how? We take a look at this almost indispensable recruitment tool, and since we're sharing, we've included our template for you to download and personalize for a successful job interview!

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Why use the CV analysis grid?

To compare candidates more easily

The CV analysis grid is a useful tool when you're in the process of selecting the best candidates from the applications received.

As each candidate's career path is unique, it's not always easy to compare candidates in order to select those with whom you'd like to continue the recruitment process. One will have the right diploma, while the other will have significant experience with a competitor... a difficult choice!

To remedy this, you can have your candidates take professional personality tests, such as the papi test!

Also, establishing a skills reference framework to analyze and compare different CVs :

• give you a methodology for seriously studying applications,
• enables you to make an initial selection,
• to do so more quickly,
• compare CVs according to the criteria most relevant to you,
• create a benchmark for comparison throughout the recruitment process (involving several employees).

💡 Using recruitment software can save you time in your selection process:

Integrating the impact of AI and automation into recruitment in 2025

In 2025, it will be impossible to ignore artificial intelligence and automated candidate selection. A high-quality, ultra-practical technical tool for evaluating certain criteria that facilitates the initial sorting process in the face of large numbers of applicants.

Today, more and more employers are using an ATS (Applicant Tracking System) to filter profiles according to criteria and keywords. The result: interesting candidates are overlooked. While AI is obviously efficient and fast, it is also as subtle as a recruiter on caffeine after 200 readings of CVs and cover letters on Word. 😅

Automation lacks nuance and misses out on professional potential. The key to success? A necessary weighting at this stage. Use AI, yes... but never alone! Using a skills grid completes the automated profile selection process. It takes into account soft skills, atypical experience and the coherence of the candidate's career path. This rating grid is your safeguard against missing out on hiring a nugget! ✅

Examples of recruitment innovations for 2025

Recruiting is no exception to technological innovation! Before the interview, they provide you with relevant information and help you identify candidates suited to the job and the company. Here are a few examples:

• automatic pre-interview video: a professional assessment of a job applicant's body language and voice. Don't panic, we're not yet rejecting candidates because of a tense smile.
• AI-based matching: some systems are turning into the Tinder of recruitment, or almost! They compare the CVs received by the recruiter with the profiles of the best-performing employees. Similarities? Then the application is selected.
• predictive skills tests: we leave aside the list of fancy CVs, and use algorithms that directly assess your ability to do the job.

These are useful time-saving innovations, but nothing beats a selection grid to keep control of the process.

Example of a CV selection grid: downloadable template

So, are you convinced of the usefulness of the analysis grid? If so, we invite you to download our free template.

You'll find a grid that can be fully customized to your needs, if that's not beautiful!

Here's an overview of the analysis grid:

If that doesn't help you select the best resumes, we don't know what will... 😏

How to use the CV analysis grid

Grab our template to understand how to build your grid and use it to recruit like never before!

1. Define selection criteria

This first step is probably the most important, because selecting the right criteria is the key to selecting the right CVs for the job - yes!

You'll need to determine :

• Prerequisites. If the candidate doesn't have these, he/she can't be retained to continue in the recruitment process. This could be a specific diploma, mastery of a development language, a valid driver's license, etc.
• Essential skills. These are the skills that are most important for the position in question. These skills may have been acquired through training or work experience.
• Secondary skills. Less essential to the performance of the job, they enable the candidate to score a few extra points if he or she masters them. Mastery of these skills should add real value, e.g. a foreign language, software proficiency, etc.

2 Establish your rating scale

In our example, we propose a rating scale, but feel free to adapt the system to your company's specific needs.

For example, you can either choose a weighted rating scale for each type of skill, or a common benchmark for each point. The choice is yours!

3 Evaluate each CV

Now it's time to pick up your pen and get to work analyzing each application. For each criterion, give the score you feel is most appropriate.

No detail will escape you!

4. do the math

Once you've analyzed each CV with regard to the criteria and skills required for the job, you can add them all up.

This way, despite a sometimes long list of criteria, you'll easily see which CVs have been awarded the most points. Easy, isn't it?

5. the short list

To create that famous short list of successful candidates, you can proceed in one of two ways:

• interview all candidates who have scored at or above a defined threshold,
• interview the top 5 candidates, for example.

There is no right or wrong method. It all depends on the type of position: the more applications you receive, the more demanding you can be.

6. Example applied to a job

Let's take a concrete example. Your company wants to compare the candidates applying for its "digital communications manager" vacancy. The person you're going to offer the job to has to manage social networks, create different, impactful visuals, and write articles that meet SEO requirements. He or she must therefore be creative, responsive and proficient in working with networks and design tools. 📋

To make your choice easier and your recruitment more successful, draw up a model grid with the advantages and disadvantages of each candidate. Then take a global look at this benchmark rating system to compare and analyze, without relying solely on your instinct for decision-making.

Define criteria for comparison	Scale (score, number of points, percentage...)	Candidate 1	Candidate 2	Candidate 3
Professional experience in digital communications (2 years minimum)	30%	✓ (30%)	✓ (30%)	X (0%)
Proficiency in graphic tools	20%	Advanced (20%)	Intermediate (10%)	Advanced (20%)
Soft skills (creativity, responsiveness)	30%	High (30%)	Moderate (15%)	High (30%)
SEO and copywriting skills	20%	Good (15%)	Expert (20%)	Good (15%)
Total	100%	95%	75%	65%

With these weighted elements and the final score, you can assess which is the best candidate for the job in question:

• Candidate 1: has the most balanced profile and fits the job description well.

• Candidate 2: has excellent SEO skills, but creativity and tools are not his thing. Criteria that are nonetheless important for the position.

• Candidate 3: this is the candidate who least meets the requirements of the first selection.

✅ The weighted result of the table helps you make your choice. However, nothing can replace the recruitment interview phase and your expert eye.

• You will certainly select candidate 1 and contact him/her to propose an appointment. But don't get carried away - just like on a dating site, first impressions can be deceptive.
• Candidate 2, on the other hand, has an interesting profile that may be worth meeting at first. In an interview, he or she may reveal unsuspected potential!
• On the other hand, compared to the other two, it may not be necessary to let candidate 3 reach the secondary stage.

See all software Recruiting

Summarizing the CV selection grid

The CV selection grid is used to analyze all applications for a given position according to predefined criteria, in order to compare them and facilitate the recruiter's work.

What if recruitment became more attractive? Just imagine! Instead of sorting through 500 CVs by hand, the best candidates come to you spontaneously. The Holy Grail of recruitment processes! And that's what inbound recruiting is all about: creating an employer brand that's so strong that talent will be jostling for your door. To achieve this feat :

• Rely on an optimized, dynamic career site.

• Present authentic employee testimonials to promote your corporate culture.

• Offer engaging, hard-hitting content.

• Adopt consistent HR communications.

The result? Fewer irrelevant applications for the recruitment team, and more qualified, motivated candidates. Instead of looking for a needle in a haystack, attract the ones that shine! 🪩