Our workspace uses Google and as part of our hiring process, I have Google Sheet for tracking/comments/feedback and a sub-folder of job applicants in the same root folder. In order to streamline resume review, I wanted to write a script that would generate an alphabetized list of applicants in the first column of my Google Sheet which is linked to each individual's resume & cover letter for review.
To use this script with your own sheet, you will need the following details:
-
Folder ID: The ID of the Google Drive folder containing the job applicant files. You can find this in the URL of the folder. For example, if the URL is
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/rf2x3c4r8i3we
, the folder ID isrf2x3c4r8i3we
. -
Google Sheet ID: The ID of the Google Sheet where you want to import the filenames. This is also found in the URL of the sheet. For example, if the URL is
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/rf2x3c4r8i3we/edit
, the sheet ID isrf2x3c4r8i3we
. -
Sheet Name: The name of the sheet/tab within the Google Sheet where you want to insert the filenames. Google Sheets use
Sheet1
as default. -
Column: The specific column in which you want to start adding the filenames. For me this is Column A, so confirm if that’s correct in your case.
-
Download the script:
- Download
importApplicantNames.gs
and open in a text editor.
- Download
-
Edit the script:
- Replace the placeholders in the code for Folder ID, Google Sheet ID, Sheet Name, and Column before you copy/paste in the next step.
-
Open Google Sheets:
- Go to the Google Sheet you want to use.
-
Open the Script Editor:
- Click on
Extensions
>Apps Script
.
- Click on
-
Add the Script:
- Delete any code in the script editor and replace it with your edited version of the script provided above.
-
Save and Run:
- Save the script with a name like
ImportApplicantNames
. - Run the
importApplicantNames
function by clicking the play (▶️ ) button.
- Save the script with a name like
-
Authorize the Script:
- The first time you run the script, it will ask for authorization. Review the permissions and click "Allow."
-
Check Your Sheet:
- After the script runs, Column A in
Sheet1
will be populated with the filenames in alphabetical order, without the extensions, and linked to the corresponding files in your Google Drive folder.
- After the script runs, Column A in
Note: This script assumes the filenames are in the format 'LastName, FirstName.extension'
.