What it does
A curated list is a hand-ordered set of candidates a recruiter puts together for a specific purpose, sharing finalists with a hiring manager, presenting a slate to a client. Unlike an automated shortlist, the order is set by the person building it, not purely by a scoring formula.
Once built, the list can be shared through a public link that requires no login for the recipient, and the sender can see whether that link has actually been opened.
How it works
- 1
Start from a shortlist or build from scratch
A weighted shortlist already generated for a job is a natural starting point, or a list can be assembled candidate by candidate from anywhere in the pipeline.
- 2
Order it by hand
Candidates on a curated list are ordered by the recruiter's own judgment, not locked to a scoring formula, so context a score cannot capture still has a place in the final order.
- 3
Generate a public tokenized link
The list gets a unique public link that opens directly with no login required, so a hiring manager or client can view it the moment they receive it, without creating an account first.
- 4
Track whether it was opened
Once sent, the list's send tracking shows whether the recipient actually opened it, so a recruiter following up knows whether a lack of response means the list was ignored or simply not seen yet.
Human order, not just a formula
Where a shortlist is generated purely from weighted interview scores, a curated list can reflect anything a recruiter knows that the scoring system does not, availability, a reference check, a gut read from a follow-up call. The list is theirs to order.
Public, but tokenized
The share link is public in the sense that no account is required to open it, but it is tied to a unique token rather than being a guessable or indexable URL, so the list stays private to whoever holds the specific link.
Send tracking closes the loop
Sharing a list and hearing nothing back leaves a recruiter guessing whether it was reviewed or missed entirely. Send tracking on the link removes that guesswork, showing whether the recipient has opened it at all.
Runs through the same email infrastructure as other outreach
Sharing a curated list uses the same branded email center that handles other employer communications, including engagement tracking and suppression, so a list sent to a hiring manager behaves consistently with everything else going out under the company's name rather than as a separate, disconnected notification.
Who it's for
Who this is for
This is for the moment a recruiter needs to present a specific, final set of candidates to someone outside the pipeline, a hiring manager deciding between finalists, a client reviewing a staffing slate, or an executive who wants the short version without pipeline access.
Frequently asked questions
How is a curated list different from a shortlist?
A shortlist is generated automatically, ranked by weighted interview score. A curated list is hand-ordered by the recruiter, letting context outside the score, availability, references, judgment calls, shape the final order before it is shared.
Does the recipient need an account to view the list?
No. A curated list is shared through a public tokenized link that opens directly with no login required, while still staying private to whoever has the specific link.
Can I tell if someone actually opened the list I sent?
Yes. Send tracking on the shared link shows whether the recipient has opened it, so a recruiter following up knows whether the list was seen or missed.
Can I build a curated list from a shortlist I already generated?
Yes. A weighted shortlist is a natural starting point for a curated list, which can then be reordered by hand before it is shared out.
Does sending a curated list use the same tools as other employer emails?
Yes. Delivery runs through the branded email center used for other employer communications, including engagement tracking and suppression, so a shared list is treated consistently with the rest of a company's outbound email.
Related pages
Build the final candidate list yourself and send it out
Order a set of candidates by hand, generate a public link, and track whether the person you sent it to has opened it.