Overview
HR professionals and hiring managers don’t have the time to spend dozens of hours downloading documents, combing for candidate info, and updating spreadsheets (before they’ve even interviewed anyone).
This is where our Resume Screening & Shortlisting Automation powered by n8n comes in handy. Combined with Google Drive, PDF parsing, AI-based categorization, Google Sheets, streamlines the resume management. It not only guarantees a single source of truth but also avoids duplications and will place candidates in shortlisted and not shortlisted buckets right into your ATS on the fly.
Objective
The objective of processing resumes from Google Drive into Google Sheets with n8n is to automate and streamline the resume screening and application tracking process.
The purpose of the process is to eliminate the manual process and maintain the consistency in the application managing process.
How does it work?
Step 1: Google Drive Search & Download
The process is initiated with a scan through a particular Google Drive folder that serves as a repository of contributed resumes (usually PDFs). When new files arrives, the system downloads them for processing. This way you do not need to keep track of every resume upload manually but every uploaded resume is automatically recognised.
Step 2: Resume Parsing
Then the resumes are processed by an n8n PDF parser. The parser extracts important information about the candidate including:
- Full Name
- Email Address
- Phone Number
- Key Skills
- Education and work history
The information is cleaned and organized in the same format. This process removes any inconsistent formatting that may exist between your different resume templates and ensures that your recruiters
Step 3: Candidate Categorization
In order to establish if a candidate meets all the requirements of a job position, the extracted data is fed to an AI API (e.g., the one offered by Mistral). The model takes as input skills, experiences, and other qualifications and compares to predefined job requirements, providing a classification:
- Shortlisted
- Not Shortlisted
Step 4: Duplicate Check (Email-Based)
Repetitive duplicate entries can crowd hiring records and take up recruiters’ time. To prevent this the workflow looks up existing entries from Google sheets and compares new candidate emails with the recorded ones. Whenever a duplicate is located, the system removes it automatically. Only distinct candidates are considered further.
Step 5: Data Organization in Google Sheets
And lastly, candidates are sent to two separate Google Sheets:
- List of all eligible candidates (Clean, Well Formatted) – Final Result
- Not Shortlisted Candidates Sheet – List where documents are saved for non qualified candidates and you can come back again next time.
Technology Stack Included
Key Benefits
Centralized Data
All of the candidates matter in neat Google Sheets. So you aren’t managing several different platforms and you don’t have to key in info by hand.
Time-Saving Automation
Automating downloads, parsing, screening and updates, recruiters are saving hours each week, allowing them more time for what matters most: interviewing and engaging with best-fit candidates.
No Duplicates
With email-based matching, candidates are never doubly counted–so you can trust your applicant database.
Instant Categorization
Instead of going through resumes one by one, the system immediately divides candidates into appropriate and inappropriate categories according to preset conditions.
Closure
This procedure is one of the most repetitive, but also one of the most important parts of hiring. HR teams using n8n automation no longer need to manually manage resumes, minimize the risk of errors and concentrate on what really counts: identifying and engaging the right talent, fast.
