CV screening
Reads every application against one written criteria list and records a pass, a hold, or a reject with the reason, so a strong CV is never lost in an unread inbox.
Pre-screen each application that arrives at jobs@acme.inc against the role requirements, and every Friday send me the top three with a short summary of each.
| Signal | Weight |
|---|---|
| Relevant industry | High |
| Portfolio or examples | Medium |
| Cover letter | Low |
The job, and what good looks like.
A first pass over a new role is the least consistent part of hiring and the most expensive one. Some applications are read on the day they arrive, some are read a fortnight later, and some are never read at all, while the applicant has no idea where they stand. This workflow takes every new application as it lands, checks it against the same written criteria the role was opened with, and produces a short note of the evidence for each requirement rather than a bare yes or no. Anything that clearly meets the bar moves forward, anything clearly out is rejected with a reason that could be given to a candidate, and anything ambiguous is held for a person to read with the keyword filters turned off. Applications sitting longer than a few days are listed with the date they arrived. The criteria are part of the record, so two people screening the same role work from the same list. A human still makes every borderline call, works through the held pile, and decides what the role actually needs.
When it is handled
- Every application gets a first-pass read
- The same bar applied to every CV
- Screened the day it arrives
- Every rejection carries a reason
Works with tools like
- Workable
- Greenhouse
- TestGorilla
- HireVue
Ready-made automations. Pick the one that fits.
Each one is a plain-language document. Run it as it is, or change the timing, the rules and the tools to match your team.
Application pre-screen
Pre-screen each application that arrives at jobs@acme.inc against the role requirements, and every Friday send me the top three with a short summary of each.
Each new application
Employee Onboarding
When a new hire is added to the roster, generate their contract and NDA, then email the welcome kit.
You stay in charge.
At every step.
It reads and ranks. People decide about people.
- It never rejects anyone
It ranks and summarizes against your written criteria, with a reason for each. Every decision stays with you.
- Undo what you don't want
Every step is recorded, and a file it changed can be put back.
- Candidate data stays contained
Each automation reaches only the inbox and folders you connect for it.
Application pre-screen
Approve before it saves the document and sends the email?
Before you download.
- Where does it run?
- On your Mac or Windows computer, in the background. It keeps working after you close its window, and only reaches the folders and apps you connect for each automation.
- How does it connect to our CRM and other tools?
- Through each app's own connection where it offers one, signed in once by you, or by using the app in a browser the way you would. Each automation gets only the connections you give it, and the tools a page names are examples you can swap for your own.
- Does it run when my computer is asleep?
- It keeps your computer awake while a job runs and just before a scheduled one. While the computer is closed or off, nothing runs; when it wakes, it checks the inbox, calendar and other sources it watches for anything that arrived meanwhile.
- How does my team use it?
- Each person who runs automations installs the app. Keep a project in a shared folder, such as Google Drive or a network drive, and teammates can open it and follow every run, while one person owns it and runs it.
- Do I need anyone technical to set it up?
- No. Download the app, add an automation in plain words, and connect only what that job needs. Nothing runs until you switch it on.
Already have tools for this? Here is the difference.
Your applicant tracking system's automations
Moving candidates between stages and sending template emails.
They can't read a CV against your real criteria or explain why someone made the shortlist.
Flowchart automation tools
Copying records between HR apps.
Every exception becomes another branch someone has to build and maintain.
AI chat assistants
Summarizing a CV when you paste it in.
Applications keep arriving while nobody is asking, and the criteria live in a chat.
AUTOMATE.md
Your routine, written in plain words. It runs on its own, follows your rules, handles the exceptions a flowchart can't, and asks you when it matters. The file stays yours, whichever AI model runs it.
Start with one job.
Make it your own.
macOS — coming soon- 1
Get the app
It runs on your computer, next to your files.
- 2
Add the automation
Paste the instructions into the app, or save them as a file next to your work.
- 3
Try it, then turn it on
Run it once and check the result. It only runs on its own once you switch it on.