Put Together an Effective Prescreening Questionnaire

Apr 22, 2025
Blog, HR and Recruiting Industry Information, Recruiting Best Practices
Allie Blackham
Scheduling

The hiring process typically involves a lot of steps. And when you’re trying to get the best person in to fill the position, you want to make sure you’re checking all the boxes. One way to weed out candidates who may not fit is to conduct a prescreening questionnaire. This tool can reduce the number of candidates who move on to the interview phase. Learn more about the value of a prescreening questionnaire, as well as what questions to include.

What Is a Prescreening Questionnaire?

A prescreening questionnaire is a set of questions used early in the hiring process to determine whether an individual meets the basic criteria and qualifications for a job. It serves as a quick filter to avoid moving people forward who aren’t good fits for the position. You may use a prescreening questionnaire to verify salary expectations, current responsibilities, or specific skills or certifications.

The Importance of Asking the Right Questions

Implementing a prescreening questionnaire as part of your hiring process can streamline efforts. Considering that the average time to hire across all industries is 44 days, shaving even a couple of days off that number can help keep things moving within your organization.

Hiring is also an expensive undertaking, with the average cost coming in close to $5,000 per new employee. Other estimates suggest that a more accurate cost is up to four times the new hire’s salary when factoring in soft costs, including the time spent by all involved in the recruiting process. Streamlining efforts can only help when it comes to lowering the cost and reducing the hours invested in reviewing applications and conducting interviews.

Asking questions that weed out unqualified candidates also allows your team to focus on those who are a good fit, both in terms of alignment with the culture and skills needed to excel in the role. Interviews become more targeted and productive, further saving time.

From a legal standpoint, a prescreening questionnaire can help your company avoid bias in hiring. Various laws are in effect that restrict against discrimination based on protected characteristics. You can review the laws in your state here. When every applicant faces the same set of questions, the initial filtering phase becomes much more fair and consistent. You can also confirm upfront that each candidate has any required licensure and has legal authorization to work for your company.

Questions to Include on a Prescreening Questionnaire

Now that you understand the value of including a prescreening questionnaire in your hiring process, you may be wondering what to ask. Review these three categories of questions you may want to include.

General prescreening questions

  • Are you legally authorized to work in the U.S.?
  • Will you require sponsorship now or in the future to work in the U.S.?
  • Do you speak [required language] fluently?
  • Can you read and understand [required language]?
  • Are you available to work [shift hours]?
  • Are you willing to undergo a [background check, drug screening] as part of the hiring process?
  • Have you worked for [company name] in the past?
  • Can you start work on or before [specific date]?

Skill-specific prescreening questions

  • Do you have at least [number] of years of experience in customer service?
  • Have you worked in [industry] in the past?
  • Are you proficient in [software or tool]?
  • Have you worked with [programming language]?
  • Do you hold a [necessary license or certification] that is valid and not expired?
  • Can you troubleshoot issues in [technology or system]?

Experience prescreening questions

  • How long have you worked in [industry]?
  • Have you ever earned a certification in [industry]?
  • Do you have experience working as a [job title or role]?
  • Do you have experience in [specific task or responsibility]?

ApplicantStack Simplifies Prescreening

With ApplicantStack, you can easily set up a prescreening questionnaire that ensures you get the answers you need from every applicant. With qualifying and knockout capabilities, you can prevent non-qualified candidates from moving through the hiring process, saving time and effort. Explore how setting up a prescreening questionnaire can benefit your organization.

You can even try the applicant-tracking system for free!

Allie Blackham
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