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The moment it happens

Screen job applications with AI and log them in a sheet

Every application is rated against your job description, logged in a sheet, and both HR and the candidate get an email.

Runs
The moment it happens
Apps
Gmail, Google Sheets
AI
Yes, uses the built-in AI allowance
Access
Sheets read+write; Gmail gmail.send

Send this to your assistant

Create a ClickRuntime automation: when an application arrives on my trigger link, rate the CV against the job description, add a row with the score to my sheet, and email HR and the candidate.

Paste it into your assistant. It tells you what it will send or change before it runs live.

First time? Adding ClickRuntime to your assistant takes about two minutes.

Why use it

Why teams use this automation

A growing cafe chain posts a shift manager role and gets eighty applications in a week. The owner reads them at night, loses track of who she has seen, and some candidates never hear back at all.

Rating each application as it arrives gives her a sorted list in a sheet and a first view of who fits. Every candidate gets a confirmation that their application was received, which protects the business's reputation as an employer.

What you get out of it

  • A shortlist without reading every CV first

    Each application comes with a score and a short reason. You start with the strongest and still have every CV on file.

  • Every candidate hears back

    An acknowledgement goes out as soon as each application arrives. Candidates are not left wondering whether it arrived.

  • One sheet for the whole role

    Names, contact details, scores and reasons sit in one place the hiring team can sort and filter.

  • The same yardstick for everyone

    Every CV is compared with the same job description, so the first applicant and the last get the same consideration.

How it works

What happens, step by step

  1. It starts the moment an application is sent to your trigger link.

  2. AI compares the CV with your job description and gives a score out of 10 with a short reason.

  3. A row with the candidate's name, email, score and reason is added to your applicants sheet.

  4. HR gets an email with the score, and the candidate gets a confirmation that their application arrived.

Before it runs live

  • Connect Google through your own Google app (a one-time, 10-minute setup), so it works with your own Gmail
  • Connect your Google Sheets account and pick the spreadsheets it may use
  • Paste your automation's link into the other app's webhook settings

What you get

RunsThe moment it happens
Screen job applications with AI and log them in a sheetjust nowSucceeded
Email · New applicantNew applicant: Sam Patel (8/10). Four years running a busy cafe floor and holds a current food safety certificate.

Build your own

Need it to work differently?

This template is a starting point. Copy the prompt and change it, or describe a different automation from scratch, with your own conditions, more apps or an AI step. Your assistant writes it, tests it and runs it on ClickRuntime.
  • Your own rules

    Conditions, thresholds, filters and exceptions, written the way you'd explain them to a colleague.

  • Any number of apps

    One automation can read from one app and update several others. Over 248 apps are ready, and anything with an API works too.

  • AI where it helps

    Summaries, classification, extraction and drafts use ClickRuntime's built-in AI, with no extra key.

  • On a schedule or on each event

    Runs as often as every 5 minutes, or the moment an app sends an event, and keeps track of what it already handled.

Changes you can ask for

  • Act only on the items that match your own rules, and skip the rest
  • Change what the AI looks for, or how it writes the result
  • Add another app, for example also send it to Slack
  • Combine it with other Gmail and Google Sheets steps into one automation

Under the hood

The code that runs this automation

This is the Python script that runs each time the automation starts. Your AI assistant writes it for you when you send the prompt, and you allow each step in your assistant. To change how the automation works, describe the change to your assistant and it updates the script for you. For every function it can use, see the script reference.
ai_screen_job_applicants_into_a_sheet.pyexample
import base64
from email.message import EmailMessage
from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
from googleapiclient.discovery import build
from clickruntime import on_event, credentials, ai

SHEET_ID, HR_EMAIL = "your-applicants-sheet-id", "hr@example.com"
JOB = "Shift manager: 2+ years supervising staff, cash handling, food safety certificate."

def send(gmail, to, subject, text):
    msg = EmailMessage()
    msg["To"], msg["Subject"] = to, subject
    msg.set_content(text)
    gmail.users().messages().send(userId="me", body={"raw": base64.urlsafe_b64encode(msg.as_bytes()).decode()}).execute()

@on_event
def handle(event):
    a = event.event
    schema = {"type": "object", "properties": {"score": {"type": "integer"}, "reason": {"type": "string"}}, "required": ["score", "reason"]}
    res = ai.generate(f"Rate this CV 1-10 against the job.\nJob: {JOB}\nCV: {a.get('cv', '')}", json_schema=schema).json
    creds = Credentials(credentials.connection("google", "work"))
    build("sheets", "v4", credentials=creds, cache_discovery=False).spreadsheets().values().append(
        spreadsheetId=SHEET_ID, range="Applicants!A:D", valueInputOption="USER_ENTERED",
        body={"values": [[a.get("name"), a.get("email"), res["score"], res["reason"]]]}).execute()
    gmail = build("gmail", "v1", credentials=creds, cache_discovery=False)
    send(gmail, HR_EMAIL, f"New applicant: {a.get('name')} ({res['score']}/10)", res["reason"])
    send(gmail, a.get("email"), "We received your application", "Thanks for applying. We will be in touch within a week.")
    return {"score": res["score"]}

FAQ

Common questions

Does AI make the hiring decision?
No. It gives a score and a short reason to help you prioritise. Who to interview is always decided by a person on your team.
What does the candidate's email say?
A short confirmation that their application arrived and what happens next. You write the wording, so it matches your tone.
Where do applications come from?
From any careers form or job page that can send each application to the automation's trigger link, including the CV text and the candidate's email address.
What permissions does it need?
Sheets read+write; Gmail gmail.send. Nothing else in your accounts is used.
Does it need AI?
Yes. It uses ClickRuntime's built-in AI, so you don't need an OpenAI or Anthropic key. Every plan includes a monthly AI allowance.
How many runs does it use?
One run for each event the app sends.
Can I change how it works?
Yes. Describe the change to your AI assistant, for example a different schedule, channel or filter. It updates the automation, tests it and tells you what changed.

Set up “Screen job applications with AI and log them in a sheet” from your assistant

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