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The advert has been live for a week and your inbox holds more than a hundred applications. Some are from teachers, some from SaaS account managers, some from people whose last three jobs lasted a year each. You have a renewal season approaching and a team that is already stretched. It is tempting to skim the pile, shortlist the ten CVs that look most like your last hire, and move on.
That is how the best five get lost. In a candidate-heavy market, the challenge is not finding people. It is sorting them fairly and quickly, without rewarding the smoothest CV or the most familiar career path. Here is a routine you can run with a small team and a spreadsheet.
Before you open a single CV, write down the handful of must-haves from your brief, the evidence of outcomes you would expect from someone who has done this well, and any real deal-breakers. Nice-to-haves go last, and they must never outrank a must-have.
Then read every CV the same way and sort it into three piles: Yes, Maybe and No.
The discipline is in the reason. "Not quite right" is a feeling. "No evidence of managing multi-site rollouts, which the brief lists as a must-have" is a decision you can defend and repeat.
EdTech careers are rarely linear. Strong people arrive from classrooms, lecture theatres, publishers, SaaS companies and start-ups, and they describe the same skills in very different languages. A few patterns are worth reading twice.
A candidate who answers those questions clearly is showing you exactly the thinking you need in the role.
Aim for 20 to 30 minutes, and treat it as a structured conversation, not an interrogation. Open by saying who you are, how long the call is and what happens next. Then ask the same five questions of everyone, in the same order:
Add one probing follow-up wherever an answer is vague: "Can you give me an example?" Close with logistics: salary range, notice period, location and flexibility, and right to work. Notice periods matter in EdTech, because a teacher or lecturer may have a set resignation date tied to the academic calendar. Right-to-work and role-specific checks vary by country, so take advice.
Give a short, accurate picture of the role, including the hard parts. Do not oversell.
Write your notes straight after each call, before the next one, using one template. Rate each criterion from the brief on a 1 to 5 scale with a one-line rationale, record the logistics, and end with Proceed, Hold or Decline. Keep notes factual and job-related. "Led onboarding of a number of schools in a term and built a templated pack" is useful. "Seemed good" is not. Leave out age, health, family plans, appearance, accent and religion, and store notes securely, because candidate data rules vary by country.
Then keep a pipeline sheet with one row per candidate. Useful columns are name, source, pile (Yes, Maybe, No), screening score, recommendation, next step and the date you last contacted them. A weekly glance at that sheet shows you quickly where people are waiting.
You will decline far more people than you hire, and the EdTech world is small. Tell people within a few days. Keep it short: thank them, say you will not be taking the application further for this role, and add a brief reason tied to the brief where that is safe to do. If they came close, say so and offer to stay in touch. A graceful no can become a referral or a future hire.
This week, take your last ten Maybe or No CVs and re-read them against your must-haves only. For any with a short stint, a non-commercial title or vague impact language, write one question you would ask on a call. If the answers could change your view, they deserve that call.
At RecruitHer, we judge every search against three outcomes. Here is how this post connects to each one.
A routine of score, call, note and decline moves candidates through quickly, so nobody waits in the pile and the seat is filled sooner.
Asking why now and what they want next, on the screening call, tests motivation before you invest more time.
Scoring against the must-haves means your panel meets fewer, better-matched candidates, so less senior time is spent on people who were never a fit.
Score every CV against your must-haves only, sort into yes, maybe and no with a reason, and run a short, structured call for the yes and maybe groups.
Read for what the person has done, not the job titles. Former teachers, trainers and people from other sectors often have the skills you need without the obvious label.
It is good practice to decline kindly and promptly. It protects your employer brand in a small sector where candidates talk.
If you would like a quick reference to keep beside you, Get your copy of Your next EdTech hire, step by step, our free two-page cheat sheet, sent by email.
RecruitHer is a specialist EdTech recruitment partner. We work with EdTech companies that want to minimise commercial downtime, improve new-hire retention and reduce their cost to hire. We take the legwork off your plate, sifting CVs, screening and running first interviews, so you only meet candidates who fit your brief and fit in general. Every placement is backed by an up to 12-month guarantee.
Get your copy of Your next EdTech hire, step by step, our free cheat sheet.
