The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word SHORTLIST
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
S
H
O
R
T
L
I
S
T
More clues leading to the result SHORTLIST
- Final few candidates drink and heel over
- Little tip for final applicants
- Brief tip for candidates to be interviewed
- Little inclination to select suitable candidates
- Final candidates keel over after strong drink
- Candidates chosen for spirit and inclination
- Li’s preferences?
- . Quick tip for potential winners here
- Lost shirt fabricated
- Final selection of those from whom seven are chosen to appear with Snow White?
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "candidates to be interviewed" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case candidates to be interviewed = shortlist.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does SHORTLIST mean?
SHORTLIST noun- A list of candidates selected from a longer list, and from which one or more successful candidates are in turn selected.
- To place something on a short list