Applicant Pool definition

The applicant pool is the total number of people who have applied for an open position – the employer then embarks on the selection process by reducing the applicant pool to either a short-list or a long-list and then a short-list, depending on the number of people in the applicant pool.

For some jobs, particularly graduate jobs, the applicant pool may be massive – even into the thousands of candidates. This presents problems for employers who must differentiate between candidates in order to create a short-list. Choosing appropriate selection criteria to match the position and organisation is important to reducing an applicant pool to candidates suitable for the role.