Screening sits between application and interview. It usually starts with a check of minimum requirements, such as location, availability or a required licence, and then looks at experience and skills in more depth. Methods include CV review, pre-screening questions, phone or voice screening calls and short assessments. The goal is not to find the final hire but to identify who is worth a recruiter's or hiring manager's time.
This is often the stage with the most applicants and the least time per person, so it is where inconsistency and bias most easily creep in. Applying the same job-relevant criteria to everyone, recording the evidence behind each score and keeping the final call with a person makes screening faster without making it careless. Tools can score and rank applicants, but recruiters decide who progresses.