Applicant Screening — Claude Code skill: score resumes against a job
Screens resumes against role requirements and gives each candidate a score. Useful when applications pile up and someone has to read them all.
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a claude-codeWhat Applicant Screening does
The skill takes a resume and a job spec and maps one onto the other. It builds a requirements matrix first: must-haves with weights, nice-to-haves with bonus points, and disqualifiers such as missing work authorization or a salary expectation outside the range. Every line gets a score and the evidence behind it.
Output comes in two shapes. A single-candidate report carries a score out of 100, a recommendation, strengths, interview questions and a list of things to verify. Batch mode ranks applicants into tiers and closes with a read on the whole pool: what most of them share, what most of them lack.
It leans on the office-mcp MCP server for extract_text_from_pdf, extract_text_from_docx and analyze_document_structure, so PDF and DOCX resumes need that server in place. Employment history stays unverified, and the score is guidance rather than a verdict. The author's advice is to score before gut feeling sets in, otherwise the numbers bend toward the impression you already have.
What it helps with
- sort a resume into must-have and nice-to-have requirements
- score every applicant on one consistent scale
- rank a batch of applications and split them into tiers
- pull interview questions out of the weak spots in a resume
- spot which skills the whole applicant pool is missing
Example prompts for the agent
- Screen this resume against our Senior Python Developer requirements
- Rank these 10 applications for the developer role
- Screen for: 5+ years Python, AWS required, ML nice-to-have
How to install Applicant Screening
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a claude-code2Manually: put the files in place
~/.claude/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.mdCopy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/applicant-screening/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a codex2Manually: put the files in place
.agents/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.mdFor all projects use ~/.agents/skills/
1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a cursor2Manually: put the files in place
.cursor/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.mdCursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/
1GitHub CLI
gh skill install claude-office-skills/skills applicant-screening2Manually: put the files in place
.github/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.md1Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a gemini-cli2Platform CLI
gemini skills install https://github.com/claude-office-skills/skills --path applicant-screeningManually: put the files in place
.devin/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.mdThe legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works
Skills CLI (Vercel)
npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a opencodeClaude.ai
Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to install skills in Claude Code: five ways
Questions about Applicant Screening
How do I install Applicant Screening in Claude?
Run npx skills add claude-office-skills/skills --skill applicant-screening -a claude-code. The skill file lands at ~/.claude/skills/applicant-screening/SKILL.md.
What does Applicant Screening do?
It matches a resume against job requirements, scores the must-haves and nice-to-haves, and returns a report with a recommendation. With several applicants it builds a ranking instead.
What does the skill need to run?
The office-mcp MCP server with its PDF and DOCX text extraction tools. Without it the skill cannot read resume files.
Source text
SKILL.md · MIT
---
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# CLAUDE OFFICE SKILL - Enhanced Metadata v2.0
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# Basic Information
name: Applicant Screening
description: "Screen job applications against requirements and score candidates"
version: "1.0"
author: claude-office-skills
license: MIT
# Categorization
category: hr
tags:
- screening
- hiring
- recruitment
- evaluation
department: HR
# AI Model Compatibility
models:
recommended:
- claude-sonnet-4
- claude-opus-4
compatible:
- claude-3-5-sonnet
- gpt-4
- gpt-4o
# MCP Tools Integration
mcp:
server: office-mcp
tools:
- extract_text_from_pdf
- extract_text_from_docx
- analyze_document_structure
# Skill Capabilities
capabilities:
- candidate_evaluation
- requirement_matching
- scoring
# Language Support
languages:
- en
- zh
---
# Applicant Screening
Screen job applications against role requirements to identify top candidates efficiently.
## Overview
This skill helps you:
- Evaluate resumes against job requirements
- Score candidates consistently
- Identify must-have vs. nice-to-have qualifications
- Flag potential concerns
- Rank applicants for interviews
## How to Use
### Single Candidate
```
"Screen this resume against our [Job Title] requirements"
"Evaluate this application for the [Position] role"
```
### Batch Screening
```
"Screen these 10 applications for the Senior Developer position"
"Rank these candidates based on our requirements"
```
### With Criteria
```
"Screen for: 5+ years Python, AWS experience required, ML nice-to-have"
```
## Screening Framework
### Requirements Matrix
```markdown
## Job Requirements: [Position]
### Must-Have (Required)
| Requirement | Weight | Criteria |
|-------------|--------|----------|
| [Skill 1] | 20% | [X] years experience |
| [Skill 2] | 15% | [Certification/level] |
| [Education] | 10% | [Degree type] |
| [Experience] | 25% | [Industry/role type] |
### Nice-to-Have (Preferred)
| Requirement | Bonus | Criteria |
|-------------|-------|----------|
| [Skill 3] | +5pts | [Description] |
| [Skill 4] | +5pts | [Description] |
| [Trait] | +3pts | [Indicator] |
### Disqualifiers
- [ ] No work authorization
- [ ] Below minimum experience
- [ ] Missing required certification
- [ ] Salary expectation mismatch
```
## Output Formats
### Individual Screening Report
```markdown
# Candidate Screening: [Name]
## Quick Summary
| Attribute | Value |
|-----------|-------|
| **Position** | [Job Title] |
| **Score** | [X]/100 |
| **Recommendation** | 🟢 Interview / 🟡 Maybe / 🔴 Pass |
## Candidate Profile
- **Name**: [Full Name]
- **Location**: [City, State]
- **Current Role**: [Title] at [Company]
- **Total Experience**: [X] years
- **Education**: [Degree, School]
## Requirements Match
### Must-Have Requirements
| Requirement | Met? | Evidence | Score |
|-------------|------|----------|-------|
| [5+ years Python] | ✅ | 7 years at 2 companies | 20/20 |
| [AWS experience] | ✅ | AWS Certified, 3 years | 15/15 |
| [Bachelor's CS] | ✅ | BS Computer Science, MIT | 10/10 |
| [Team lead exp] | ⚠️ | Led 2-person team | 5/10 |
**Must-Have Score**: [X]/[Total]
### Nice-to-Have
| Requirement | Met? | Evidence | Bonus |
|-------------|------|----------|-------|
| [ML experience] | ✅ | Built recommendation system | +5 |
| [Startup exp] | ✅ | 2 early-stage startups | +5 |
| [Open source] | ❌ | Not mentioned | 0 |
**Nice-to-Have Bonus**: +[X] points
## Strengths 💪
1. [Strength 1 with evidence]
2. [Strength 2 with evidence]
3. [Strength 3 with evidence]
## Concerns ⚠️
1. [Concern 1 - question to ask in interview]
2. [Concern 2 - what to verify]
## Red Flags 🚩
- [If any - employment gaps, inconsistencies, etc.]
## Interview Questions
Based on this candidate's profile, consider asking:
1. [Question about specific experience]
2. [Question about concern area]
3. [Question about growth potential]
## Overall Assessment
[2-3 sentence summary of fit]
**Final Score**: [X]/100
**Recommendation**: [Interview / Phone Screen / Pass]
**Priority**: [High / Medium / Low]
```
### Batch Ranking Report
```markdown
# Applicant Ranking: [Position]
**Date**: [Date]
**Total Applications**: [X]
**Reviewed**: [X]
## Summary
| Category | Count | % |
|----------|-------|---|
| 🟢 Strong Interview | [X] | [%] |
| 🟡 Phone Screen | [X] | [%] |
| 🔵 Maybe/Hold | [X] | [%] |
| 🔴 Not a Fit | [X] | [%] |
## Top Candidates
### 🥇 Tier 1: Strong Interview (Score 80+)
| Rank | Name | Score | Key Strengths | Concerns |
|------|------|-------|---------------|----------|
| 1 | [Name] | 92 | [Strengths] | [Concerns] |
| 2 | [Name] | 88 | [Strengths] | [Concerns] |
| 3 | [Name] | 85 | [Strengths] | [Concerns] |
### 🥈 Tier 2: Phone Screen (Score 65-79)
| Rank | Name | Score | Key Strengths | Gap to Address |
|------|------|-------|---------------|----------------|
| 4 | [Name] | 75 | [Strengths] | [Gap] |
| 5 | [Name] | 72 | [Strengths] | [Gap] |
### 🥉 Tier 3: Maybe/Hold (Score 50-64)
| Name | Score | Reason for Hold |
|------|-------|-----------------|
| [Name] | 58 | [Reason] |
### ❌ Not Proceeding (Score <50)
| Name | Score | Primary Reason |
|------|-------|----------------|
| [Name] | 45 | Missing required [X] |
| [Name] | 38 | Below minimum experience |
## Insights
### Applicant Pool Quality
[Assessment of overall pool quality]
### Common Strengths
- [Frequently seen strength]
- [Frequently seen strength]
### Common Gaps
- [What most candidates lack]
- [Skill shortage in pool]
### Recommendations
1. [Action for top candidates]
2. [Suggestion for sourcing if pool weak]
```
## Scoring Rubric
### Experience Scoring
| Years | Entry | Mid | Senior | Lead |
|-------|-------|-----|--------|------|
| 0-1 | 10/10 | 3/10 | 0/10 | 0/10 |
| 2-3 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 3/10 | 0/10 |
| 4-5 | 5/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | 3/10 |
| 6-8 | 3/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 |
| 9+ | 0/10 | 5/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 |
### Education Scoring
| Level | Technical Role | Non-Technical |
|-------|----------------|---------------|
| PhD | 10/10 | 8/10 |
| Master's | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Bachelor's | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Associate's | 5/10 | 7/10 |
| Bootcamp | 6/10 | N/A |
| Self-taught | 4/10 | N/A |
## Best Practices
### Fair Screening
- Focus on job-related criteria only
- Ignore protected characteristics
- Use consistent scoring
- Document decisions
- Consider diverse backgrounds
### Bias Awareness
- Name/gender bias: Focus on qualifications
- Affinity bias: Diverse interview panels
- Confirmation bias: Score before gut feeling
- Halo effect: Evaluate each criterion separately
### Legal Considerations
- Only use job-relevant criteria
- Apply standards consistently
- Keep screening records
- Have HR review process
- Consider adverse impact
## Limitations
- Cannot verify employment history
- May miss context from non-traditional backgrounds
- Scoring is guidance, not absolute
- Cannot assess cultural fit or soft skills fully
- Human judgment essential for final decisions
© claude-office-skills · MIT · claude-office-skills/skills