Thinning committee

The thinning committee is created when there are more applicants for a position than the interviewers can handle. A rule of thumb is if there are more than six applicants, there should be a thinning committee. The members of this committee (2 or more) will be nominated by the hr committee and approved by the staff. The committee exists until the resume stack has been whittled down to the number the interviewers wanted and all of the eliminated applicants have been notified.

Tasks of the thinning committee:

 * Find out how many interviews the interview committee will be able to do.
 * Come up with criteria for thinning; these should be characteristics, either pro or con, that will be looked for in the resumes. Solicit these from the whole staff, looking specifically for things that should be embodied in the ideal candidate for the job.
 * Thin! Keep the golden ideal before your mind's eye the whole time. Try not to think about all the hopes and dreams you are crushing. Making notes on the resumes might help other staff members understand your reasoning.
 * Make sure the staff knows where to find the folders so that they can review the resumes (and, yes, override your decisions).
 * Get the list (and resumes) to the interview committee as soon as you can, so they can start scheduling interviews.
 * Contact the people you rejected and let them know it's nothing personal.
 * Disband. Have a beer.