# Candidate Shortlist > A confidential shortlist a recruiter sends to a hiring manager, comparing final candidates side by side with a fit score, experience, and evidence from interviews. Pre-filled with three product-designer candidates. Source: https://buildpdfs.com/templates/candidate-shortlist Category: Business A confidential shortlist a recruiter sends to a hiring manager, comparing final candidates side by side with a fit score, experience, and evidence from interviews. Pre-filled with three product-designer candidates. ## What's included - Confidential cover page with the role, client, and hiring manager - One profile page per candidate with a fit score out of 100 - Experience, location, and availability at a glance - Quoted evidence pulled from each candidate's interview - Side-by-side comparison of each candidate's strengths - Next-steps page with interview slots and guarantee terms ## Sample content Halden Talent Confidential shortlist Ref. BWH-0417 Candidate shortlist ### Senior Product Designer _shortlist_ Prepared for **Brightwater Health** · Hybrid, Manchester · £68–75k 3 candidates recommended _from 5 screened_ AL TA PR JM SK 92 87 81 — — Every shortlisted candidate has passed a 60-minute competency interview, a portfolio review and a salary and notice check. Client Brightwater HealthHiring manager: Daniel Hughes Role Senior Product DesignerPatient & clinician apps Date 14 Oct 2026Version 1 Consultant Ruth OkaforDigital & Design practice Halden Talent Senior Product Designer · Brightwater Health 02 — Comparison at a glance #### Three strong options, _one clear lead._ Scores come from our structured interview on 6–8 October, a portfolio review and two references per candidate. Fit score / 100 **Weighting** Craft 30% · Design systems 25% · Research 20% · Healthcare 15% · Logistics 10% 92Fit 01 · Recommended first Amara Lindqvist Lead Product Designer, Tessellate Health 87Fit 02 · Systems specialist Tom Achterberg Senior Product Designer, Lumen Payments 81Fit 03 · Research specialist Priya Raman Product Designer, Patchwork Clinical ExperienceYears in product design **9 years**4 as a lead, manages 3 **7 years**Senior IC since 2021 **6 years**Incl. 2 as a UX researcher Design systemsBuilt, owned or scaled Founded “Tide”, 96 components Owns 140-component library + tokens Contributor, not owner ResearchPlans and runs own studies 42 nurse interviews in 2025 Usability testing, works with a researcher Ex-researcher, NHS trust Healthcare domainClinical or patient products 4 yrs, DCB0129 and DTAC evidence 6-month NHS contract only 3 yrs, GP booking for 310 practices Notice period **1 month** **2 months** Longest of the three **4 weeks** Salary expectationBand £68–75k **£74k**Top of band **£72k**Open to £70k + L&D **£68k**Bottom of band Earliest start **17 Nov 2026** **5 Jan 2027** **10 Nov 2026** Strong Solid Limited Best of the three Why not the other twoScreened, not shortlisted JM **Strong visual craft**, but no hands-on research and no work in a regulated sector. Portfolio is mostly marketing sites. SK **Good fit on paper**, but expects £88k and has a 3-month notice period. Not open to 3 office days a week. **Halden Talent** · Confidential — for the Brightwater Health hiring panel 02 / 06 Halden Talent Candidate 01 of 03 01 · Recommended first AL #### Amara Lindqvist Lead Product Designer at Tessellate Health 92Fit score Location Didsbury, Manchester Notice 1 month Salary £74,000 Earliest start 17 Nov 2026 Experience 9 years Strengths Evidence from interview, 6 Oct 1. #### Research with clinicians, not just about them Ran 42 contextual interviews with district nurses for Tessellate’s visit planner. She walked us through the synthesis board and the change it drove. 2. #### Builds design systems that teams adopt Founded “Tide”: 96 components, adopted by 4 squads in 9 months. WCAG 2.2 AA checks are part of every component review. 3. #### Grows designers Line-manages 3 designers; 2 were promoted in 2025\. Started fortnightly crits that the engineering leads now attend. 4. #### Talks to clinicians and to the board Presented DTAC and DCB0129 clinical-safety evidence to an NHS trust panel. Tessellate won the 3-year contract. Consideration She is at the top of your band and in final stage with one other health-tech company. Expect a short decision window — about one week after interviews close. “ Accessibility is not a feature. In healthcare it is the difference between a patient taking their medicine or not. Amara, interview 6 Oct Score breakdown Craft 94 Systems 90 Research 92 Healthcare 95 Logistics 85 Career 1. 2022 — NOW Lead Product Designer Tessellate Health, Manchester 2. 2019 — 2022 Senior Product Designer Kinto Bank, Manchester 3. 2017 — 2019 Product Designer Arlo Travel, Leeds 4. 2015 — 2017 UX Designer Halyard Studio, Leeds Portfolio highlights Reviewed 7 Oct −18%missed visits ###### Visit Planner Scheduling app for district nurses. 2,400 daily users across 3 NHS trusts. 96components ###### Tide design system One token source feeds iOS, Android and web. Adopted by 4 squads. +11%adherence ###### Medication reminders Co-designed with 12 patients aged 70+. Result from a 3-month pilot. **Halden Talent** · Confidential — for the Brightwater Health hiring panel 03 / 06 Halden Talent Candidate 02 of 03 02 · Systems specialist TA #### Tom Achterberg Senior Product Designer at Lumen Payments 87Fit score Location Stockport Notice 2 months Salary £72,000 Earliest start 5 Jan 2027 Experience 7 years Strengths Evidence from interview, 7 Oct 1. #### Deep design-systems ownership Owns Lumen’s 140-component Figma library and token pipeline. His engineering lead says it cut UI build time by about a third. 2. #### The strongest visual craft of the five Dense data screens that stay calm and readable. He was our panel’s top scorer on the 45-minute craft exercise. 3. #### Works close to code Writes Storybook stories and opens his own token pull requests. Our engineer rated the pairing session 5 out of 5. 4. #### Used to regulated sign-off Designed FCA Consumer Duty flows for 3 product lines. He knows how to work with compliance reviews and audit trails. Consideration Healthcare experience is one 6-month NHS contract (2020). With a 2-month notice period, the earliest start is 5 January 2027. “ A design system is a product. If nobody wants to use it, that is my problem, not theirs. Tom, interview 7 Oct Score breakdown Craft 93 Systems 97 Research 84 Healthcare 72 Logistics 70 Career 1. 2021 — NOW Senior Product Designer Lumen Payments, Manchester 2. 2020 · 6 MO Contract Product Designer NHS Digital, Leeds 3. 2018 — 2020 Product Designer Pebble & Co, Manchester 4. 2017 — 2018 Junior Designer Fold Agency, Liverpool Portfolio highlights Reviewed 8 Oct 140components ###### Lumen DS 3.0 Dark mode and one token source for 3 platforms. Used by 9 product teams. −22%support tickets ###### Merchant dashboard Redesign for 30,000 merchants, shipped in 4 phased releases. 40test users ###### Online triage (NHS contract) Symptom-checker flow. Usability tests with 40 patients, 8 with assistive tech. **Halden Talent** · Confidential — for the Brightwater Health hiring panel 04 / 06 Halden Talent Candidate 03 of 03 03 · Research specialist PR #### Priya Raman Product Designer at Patchwork Clinical 81Fit score Location Chorlton, Manchester Notice 4 weeks Salary £68,000 Earliest start 10 Nov 2026 Experience 6 years Strengths Evidence from interview, 8 Oct 1. #### Research is her first language Two years as a UX researcher at an NHS hospital trust before she moved to design. She plans and runs her own studies end to end. 2. #### Knows primary care from the inside Designed Patchwork’s online booking, now live in 310 GP practices. She knows the EMIS and SystmOne limits well. 3. #### Accessibility first Led a WCAG 2.2 AA retrofit of patient forms. She tested with screen-reader users and with patients who have low literacy. 4. #### Clear, plain writer Her case-study write-up was the clearest of the five. She explains trade-offs in words clinicians can act on. Consideration This is a step up in seniority. She has not yet led a design system or managed designers, so she needs a strong design lead in her first 6 months. “ The receptionist is our real user. If she has to explain the screen to a patient on the phone, we have failed. Priya, interview 8 Oct Score breakdown Craft 75 Systems 66 Research 96 Healthcare 88 Logistics 95 Career 1. 2023 — NOW Product Designer Patchwork Clinical, Manchester 2. 2020 — 2023 Product Designer Medibook, Manchester 3. 2018 — 2020 UX Researcher Pennine University Hospitals NHS Trust Portfolio highlights Reviewed 8 Oct −27%phone queue ###### Online GP booking Live in 310 practices. Phone-queue result from the 12 pilot sites. AAWCAG 2.2 ###### Accessible patient forms Retrofit of 38 forms, tested in 9 screen-reader sessions. 14practices ###### Receptionist workspace Research programme with front-desk staff. It set Patchwork’s 2026 roadmap. **Halden Talent** · Confidential — for the Brightwater Health hiring panel 05 / 06 Halden Talent Senior Product Designer · Brightwater Health 06 — Next steps #### One day, three _conversations._ All three candidates have confirmed they can attend. Please confirm the slots by **Thursday 16 October**. Tuesday 21 October 2026 Brightwater Health, 4th floor 2 Hardman Square, Manchester M3 3EB 10:00TO 11:00 AL Amara LindqvistIn person · portfolio and case study 92FIT 11:30TO 12:30 TA Tom AchterbergIn person · portfolio and case study 87FIT 14:00TO 15:00 PR Priya RamanIn person · portfolio and case study 81FIT Process From panel to offer in 10 working days 01 By Thu 16 Oct ###### Confirm slots Reply to Ruth with the panel names. We send candidates the brief and the room details. 02 Tue 21 Oct ###### Panel interview 60 minutes: portfolio walk-through (30), case discussion (20), their questions (10). 03 By Thu 23 Oct ###### Feedback Send scores on our one-page form. We give feedback to each candidate within 48 hours. 04 W/c 27 Oct ###### Offer & references We take two references and manage the offer and the notice period to the start date. RO Your consultant ###### Ruth Okafor Senior Consultant, Digital & Design Direct 0161 496 0738 Mobile 07700 900 412 Email ruth.okafor@haldentalent.co.uk Office 18 King Street, Manchester M2 6AY ###### Terms * **Fee** 18% of first-year base salary, as in our Terms of Business of 3 March 2026. * **Guarantee** Full replacement or a sliding rebate if the hire leaves in the first 12 weeks. * **Introductions** Valid for 6 months from 14 October 2026, for any role. * **Confidential** Do not share candidate details outside the hiring panel. Ruth Okaforfor Halden Talent · 14 October 2026 **Halden Talent** · Confidential — for the Brightwater Health hiring panel 06 / 06 ## Frequently asked questions ### What is a candidate shortlist? A candidate shortlist is the document a recruiter or hiring manager sends once interviews are done, narrowing a role down to the final candidates. It compares them side by side so the client can make the hiring decision. ### What should a candidate shortlist include? Include the role and client, one profile per candidate with a fit score and experience, quoted evidence from each interview, a side-by-side comparison, and the next steps to book final interviews. This template has each section, pre-filled for a product-designer role. ### How many candidates should be on a shortlist? Two to four candidates is typical. Fewer than that does not give the client a real choice, and more makes the decision harder, not easier. ### Is this candidate shortlist template free? Yes. You can customize the candidate shortlist template for free and download it as a print-ready PDF. Describe the role and your candidates to the AI and it fills in every profile. ## Related reading - [How to design a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/how-to-design-a-professional-pdf) - [What "client-ready" means for a client deliverable PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/client-deliverable-pdf-client-ready) - [From Word or Google Docs to a professional PDF](https://buildpdfs.com/guides/word-google-docs-to-professional-pdf) [Use this template](https://buildpdfs.com/signup?templateId=candidate-shortlist) — free, no credit card required.