The Resume Screening Checklist That Makes AI Work for You

Introduction

At Brainner, our goal has always been simple: help recruiters screen resumes faster, with more clarity and less noise (without losing human judgment).

And while Brainner’s AI handles most of the heavy lifting, a thoughtful setup is what unlocks its full potential.

We’ve onboarded hundreds of teams across ATS platforms like Greenhouse, Lever, Workable, Recruitee, and Workday. The pattern is always the same: the teams that get the most out of Brainner aren’t the ones who set up fast — they’re the ones who set up right.

So we built a simple checklist — one we share in every onboarding session — to make sure new users get maximum value from day one.

✅ 1. Quantify Your Criteria Whenever Possible

AI works best with clarity. Instead of saying “strong experience,” define what that means:

• 3+ years using Python
• Managed teams of 5+
• Built X in Y industry

Why it matters: When you quantify, Brainner can score resumes more accurately — and help you surface the best matches faster.

🧩 2. Break Down Complex Criteria

Let’s say you want someone with “experience in AI and product management, preferably in B2B SaaS.”

That’s actually three different signals. Break it down like this:

• AI experience
• Product management experience
• B2B SaaS experience

Why it matters: Breaking down criteria improves filtering and lets you navigate the candidate pool by each signal. That’s how recruiters stay in control of the AI — not the other way around.

🎯 3. Add Target Company Lists (If Relevant)

If your hiring manager says, “I love people coming from Stripe, Revolut, or Adyen,” add those companies to your target list in Brainner.

Why it matters: This sharpens the analysis — without making company pedigree mandatory — and lets you filter by prior company experience instantly.

🔄 4. Clarify Your AND vs. OR Logic

Hiring managers often say things like:

• “We want React OR Angular experience”
• “They need to know SQL AND Python AND AWS”

In Brainner, that logic matters. Define whether candidates need all the skills or just one. Otherwise, great profiles might get lower scores than they deserve.

📍 5. Always Include Location

Remote? Hybrid? In-office?

Whatever your policy, location should always be one of the criteria. Brainner uses this to:

• Help detect fake applicants (mismatched location data)
• Align candidate filtering with your remote/in-office policy
• Prioritize proximity when needed

🙋 6. Keep Soft Skills Non-Mandatory

Soft skills matter — but they’re hard to verify from a resume.

We always recommend adding soft skills (e.g., “team player,” “adaptability,” “communication”) as non-mandatory. That way, they appear in the report, but don’t skew the overall score.

Why it matters: You avoid unfairly penalizing great candidates who may just write shorter or more technical resumes.

📝 7. Use Pre-Application Questions as Filters

Brainner allows you to add pre-application filters like:

• Salary expectation
• Visa requirements
• Availability to join the company

These can help filter out misaligned candidates upfront — and save you even more time before interviews.

Final Thoughts: The AI Is Smart, But You’re Smarter

Brainner is designed to help you screen smarter, not just faster.

This checklist may look simple, but it’s backed by hundreds of pilots and thousands of candidate analyses. If you use it during setup, your AI-powered resume screening will be:

• More aligned with the hiring manager
• Easier to explain to stakeholders
• More effective at surfacing great candidates without noise

We’ll guide you through this during onboarding — and then let Brainner do the heavy lifting.