Do we need to review every application before moving forward with interviews and making a job offer?

Question: We’ve identified the job candidates we’d like to interview, but we still have applications coming in. Do we need to review every application before moving forward with interviews and making a job offer?

Answer from Janelle, SHRM-CP, SHRM-PMQ: The short answer is no. There’s no legal requirement to review all the applications before moving forward, and you can always return to the applicants who applied later to review them if needed. Having said that, we do recommend reviewing every application.

Doing so ensures you don’t miss out on potentially excellent candidates who might be buried in the pile. It also demonstrates a commitment to fairness and nondiscrimination in your hiring process.

If you’re concerned about a flood of applicants after interviews are already underway, you can always take down the job posting and repost it if none of the current candidates work out

This Q&A does not constitute legal advice and does not address state or local law.

Janelle has over 19 years of HR Practitioner experience within the healthcare, logistics, and manufacturing industries. She has worked in HR roles as an HR Manager, HR Generalist, and Sr. Recruiter managing hiring, onboarding, payroll, employee relations, and staffing. Janelle holds certifications from the University of South Florida Muma College of Business and the Society for Human Resource Management.

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