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Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets

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Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets preview
Open on n8n.io

1. Workflow Overview

Who's it for This template is for HR teams, recruiters, and companies that receive job applications via email and want to automatically screen and evaluate candidates using AI. Ideal for organisati...

Best for

  • HR automation workflows
  • AI Summarization automation workflows
  • advanced n8n builders looking for reusable templates

Tools used

n8n-nodes-base.set, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmchatopenai, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputparserstructured, @n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.informationextractor, n8n-nodes-base.stickynote, n8n-nodes-base.googledrive, n8n-nodes-base.googlesheets

Source and attribution

This workflow is cataloged by N8N Workflows and links back to its original n8n.io source page by Stefan Joulien.

Original n8n.io source

1.1 Workflow description

Title
Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets
Workflow name
Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets

Who's it for

This template is for HR teams, recruiters, and companies that receive job applications via email and want to automatically screen and evaluate candidates using AI. Ideal for organisations processing a high volume of resumes who want to reduce manual screening time.

How it works

When a candidate emails their CV, the workflow triggers automatically:

  • Gmail detects the incoming application and uploads the CV attachment to Google Drive
  • A Switch node identifies the file type (PDF, DOCX, or TXT) and routes it to the appropriate extraction method
  • The full text content of the resume is extracted and standardised into a clean format
  • An AI recruiter agent powered by OpenAI evaluates the candidate's strengths, weaknesses, skills, and potential contribution to the company
  • The candidate is assigned a suitability score from 1 to 10
  • A Structured Output Parser extracts the key evaluation data and saves it to Google Sheets for the hiring team to review

How to set up

  1. Connect your Gmail account to the Gmail Trigger node
  2. Connect your Google Drive account and set the destination folder for incoming CVs
  3. Connect your OpenAI account to the AI model node
  4. Connect your Google Sheets account and configure the candidate tracking sheet
  5. Customise the Recruiter Agent prompt to match your job role and evaluation criteria

Requirements

  • Gmail account
  • Google Drive account
  • OpenAI API key
  • Google Sheets account

1.2 Logical Blocks

This catalog entry is organized from the workflow JSON. The node-level section below shows the executable blocks available for review before importing the template.

2. Block-by-Block Analysis

Block 1 - Standardize

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.set - set
Config choices
Version 3.4

Block 2 - Recruiter Agent

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.agent - agent
Config choices
Version 2

Block 3 - OpenAI Chat Model

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.lmChatOpenAi - lmChatOpenAi
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 4 - Structured Output Parser

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.outputParserStructured - outputParserStructured
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 5 - Information Extractor

Type / Role
@n8n/n8n-nodes-langchain.informationExtractor - informationExtractor
Config choices
Version 1.1

Block 6 - Sticky Note

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 7 - Sticky Note1

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 8 - Sticky Note2

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 9 - Sticky Note3

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 10 - Sticky Note4

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 11 - Sticky Note5

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.stickyNote - stickyNote
Config choices
Version 1

Block 12 - New CV

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices
Version 3

Block 13 - saves CV in folder

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices
Version 3

Block 14 - new candidate created

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleSheets - googleSheets
Config choices
Version 4.6

Block 15 - On New Candidate Email

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.gmailTrigger - gmailTrigger
Config choices
Version 1.2

Block 16 - Extract Text from Docx

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest - httpRequest
Config choices
Version 4.2

Block 17 - Download Word File

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices
Version 3

Block 18 - Download PDF File

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices
Version 3

Block 19 - Download TXT File

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.googleDrive - googleDrive
Config choices
Version 3

Block 20 - Parse Word Content

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.extractFromFile - extractFromFile
Config choices
Version 1

Block 21 - Parse PDF Content

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.extractFromFile - extractFromFile
Config choices
Version 1

Block 22 - Parse Text Content

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.extractFromFile - extractFromFile
Config choices
Version 1

Block 23 - Route by File Type

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.switch - switch
Config choices
Version 3.2

Block 24 - Extract Final Text

Type / Role
n8n-nodes-base.extractFromFile - extractFromFile
Config choices
Version 1

3. Summary Table

Workflow Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets
Complexity advanced
Nodes 24
Categories HR, AI Summarization
Author Stefan Joulien
Published 09 Mar 2026

4. Reproducing the Workflow from Scratch

  1. 1. Download the workflow JSON

    Use the JSON export at /data/workflows/13970/13970.json as the source template for this automation.

  2. 2. Import the template into n8n

    Open n8n, import the downloaded JSON, and review each node before activating the workflow.

  3. 3. Configure credentials and variables

    Replace placeholder credentials, API keys, webhook URLs, account IDs, and environment-specific values with your own settings.

  4. 4. Test with sample data

    Run the workflow manually or in a staging workspace, inspect node output, and confirm downstream systems receive the expected data.

  5. 5. Activate and monitor

    Enable the workflow only after testing, then monitor executions, errors, and rate limits during the first production runs.

5. General Notes & Resources

Review imported nodes carefully before activation. This catalog entry is intended to help you inspect the workflow structure, understand required services, and find related templates faster.

Node names, credentials, schedules, webhook paths, and external service limits may need adjustment for your workspace.

Frequently asked questions

What does Screen CVs and score candidates with Gmail, Google Drive, OpenAI, and Sheets do?

Who's it for This template is for HR teams, recruiters, and companies that receive job applications via email and want to automatically screen and evaluate candidates using AI. Ideal for organisati...

What do I need before importing this workflow?

Review the workflow JSON, configure any required credentials in n8n, and test the automation in a safe workspace before using it in production.

Can I customize this workflow?

Yes. Use the block-by-block analysis and the downloadable JSON to inspect each node, then adjust credentials, prompts, schedules, filters, or destinations for your HR, AI Summarization use case.