Shortlist - what is it? Definition and meaning

Today our language is full of many words that came to us from the English language. So, shortlist - what is it?

In the conventional interpretation, this is an inconclusive list of candidates for work, a prize, a prize, etc. In a literal translation from English, this is a short list.

Sample text

• The short-list of the literary prize "Writer of the Year" was published.
• The second round of voting will reveal the winners among those who are included in the shortlist.
• Shortlist: what is it and is it worth it to use in the framework of the jubilee contest?
• The work in the shortlist was selected in two stages.

Origin of the word

Shortlist - what is it and when did it appear? In Russian it came from English, where it has the same meaning. In English, the short list can be a noun and a transitive verb. The use of the word has become increasingly popular since 1964. In British English, as a noun, a short list of things or people that were chosen from a much larger group matters. Then a more successful person or a good thing is selected from the short list. Often, short lists are published for the issuance of a literary prize. They include work that should be carefully considered by the judges. Often a long list is prepared in advance, or a long list, from which a short list is then formed. That is, it's just a way to reduce the number of candidates.

In Internet marketing, this word was used to form short lists, like checklists, about anything. For example, a "shortlist about promoting a site in Yandex" or "shortlist on how to build a business." Here you can get confused. Short-list: what does this mean the word combination in the modern sense? Today it is not only a list of candidates for a post or a prize. This short list can tell how to achieve something. Sometimes you can find the word as the definition of step-by-step recommendations to something. Often short lists are used to create business plans. For example, you can create short lists of countries whose residents may potentially be interested in the goods or services being sold. Then specialists can conduct a more in-depth study of these countries and make a prediction.

How to compose a shortlist

The usual algorithm for compiling a short list of candidates for the position:

1. Go through all the candidates and mark who exactly needs to be deleted - write down a reason: a fake profile, an inappropriate letter of recommendation, clearly does not have the declared skills, etc.
2. All other candidates put in a short list.
3. Carefully read them - see the history of their work, portfolio, test results. Strike out those who are clearly losing compared to the rest.
4. Conduct a personal conversation in the office or on Skype with the remaining candidates. At this point, they should be no more than 3-5, otherwise you can spend a lot of personal time.
5. Based on the results of the interview, one candidate is selected.

A short list helps not to reject at once all those who are not completely right or for some reason initially did not like. If the shortlist interviews fail, you can always go back to the long list of candidates and go through it again. Thus, the short list makes it possible not to lose contact data of other applicants, especially if there are a lot of them.