There are various ways that you, as a recruitment professional, can quickly assess and shortlist a large volume of applicants. Typically, it's best practice to 'screen in' rather than 'screen out;' however, with significant applicant volumes, it's sometimes more resourceful to start by filtering candidates out based on non-negotiable skills and criteria.

For example, if the role requires a degree in Computer Science, it would be a productive approach to filter out applicants who do not meet the basic education requirements.

Also, be sure to utilize your applicant management system or recruitment software to its fullest. Many systems will do the initial basic filtering and screening for you. You can also optimize your job descriptions to be more specific, encouraging more targeted candidates to come through.

It's estimated that Google receives around three million job applications every year. Although Google does not expect its recruiters to carefully comb through every single resume that comes into their applicant portal, the applications that justify attention will stand out for a reason.

Share with the interviewer how you approach reviewing an application and what you look for to determine if an applicant should be shortlisted and offered a pre-screen interview.

Be as specific as possible when you answer. For instance, share your thought process and outline how you assess and eliminate or move forward with high volumes of applicants. If you use any software or HR tools in your approach, be sure to mention these.

"In my current role as a Recruiter for Company XYZ, we receive around 4,000 applications from our careers site daily. We must capture the best talent quickly, ensuring our open requisitions are closed as quickly as possible with the best available talent. When assessing high volumes of applications, I first see if the applicant's resume is messy and scattered. That's a strong indicator if the person puts care into their work. Then, aside from the care and attention to their resume, I look at three primary factors: at least two stand-out career accomplishments, measurable or tangible career results, and evidence of customization for the role to which they've applied. When an applicant puts in the effort to customize their resume, and they capture my attention with results, I am much more interested in reaching out to them. After that, I ensure they have the best relevant experience, the appropriate education if required, and strong tenure in previous positions. If the applicant meets those benchmarks, I reach out to them. Are these similar to the determining factors that Google's People Operations team uses to assess its applicants?"