Job application screening questions that ask about the work
A resume shows where someone has been. A short screen can ask what a hiring manager actually needs before a call: which role, how much relevant experience, an example of the work, and whether the logistics fit. Asked well, it is shorter for the applicant than a long application form.
What should hiring teams ask first?
| Ask | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Which role are you applying for? | Applicants often apply to more than one, and the screen should match the role. |
| How many years of experience do you have in this kind of work? | It decides which questions follow, and keeps a junior applicant’s screen short. |
| Tell us about a piece of work you are proud of that is like this role. | A specific example says more than a list of skills. |
| For senior roles: describe a team or project you have led. | It tests the leadership the role needs before the interview does. |
| Does the location and schedule of this role work for you? | A mismatch here ends the process later anyway, after everyone has spent time on it. |
| Where can we see your work: a portfolio, a profile, or a resume? | It gives the reviewer the evidence that goes with the answers. |
If an answer would not change what you do next, leave the question out. Each extra question is one more reason for someone to stop before they finish.
Ask only about the work, the role’s requirements and the logistics. Leave anything about the applicant as a person, rather than as a candidate for this job, out of the screen, and check the questions with whoever is responsible for hiring practice in your company.
Which answers come back too vague to use, and what do you ask next?
The answers that cause a phone call are rarely missing. They are present and too loose to act on. A narrower follow-up, asked straight away while the person is still there, usually settles them. Offering likely answers shows the person the level of detail you need.
| What comes back | The follow-up that settles it |
|---|---|
| “I’m a team player.” | Can you describe a time you helped a team finish something, and what your part was? |
| “I have lots of experience.” | Doing what, most recently, and for how long? |
| “I’m flexible on location.” | Could you work from our office on the days the role requires, or are you looking for fully remote? |
Follow up once per gap, then move on. If an answer is still unclear after one follow-up, flag it for whoever picks the request up rather than pressing.
When is a call or a visit still the right move?
Nobody should be hired, or rejected, on a screen alone. The screen decides who gets a conversation first and gives the interviewer an example to ask about, so the first call is about the work instead of the resume.
How do you set this up from the Job application screener template?
Acquainto has a Job application screener template to start from. After you sign up, open Browse templates, pick Job application screener, and it lands in the editor as a draft you can change before anything is published.
The template asks for a name, an email, years of relevant experience, the role and a profile or portfolio link, and branches on experience: an applicant with seven or more years is asked to describe a team or project they have led and whether they are open to a leadership-track role. Change the experience bands to match your roles, and add the example-of-work and logistics questions.
Acquainto runs it as a short written conversation instead of a form. It:
- asks a follow-up when an answer is incomplete, and asks for clarification when one is vague;
- uses a structured choice where precision matters and open conversation where detail matters;
- shows the person every answer before it is sent, so they correct their own mistakes;
- hands back one clean value per question, delivered to your own systems by webhook.
The person answering needs no account, and nothing has to be scheduled. Start free trial, see how it works, or compare plans.