38 Screening Interview Questions To Help Select Top Candidates [+ Sample Answers]
Why are the right screening interview questions so important? You need them primarily to weed out unqualified candidates, progress qualified ones, and ultimately save your talent team and hiring managers valuable time.
On average, approximately 118 people apply for any given vacancy, but only 22% move onto the interview stage. That’s why it’s crucial to ask the right screening questions at every stage of the hiring process.
So, what are screening interview questions, what are good examples of such questions, how can you ask them in different situations, and how can you best analyze responses to them?
Contents
What are screening interview questions?
Types of screening interview questions
38 screening interview questions to ask (with sample answers)
How to ask screening interview questions
What are screening interview questions?
As a recruiter, pre-screening and screening interview questions can help you gather information about candidates’ personalities, experiences, knowledge, communication skills, temperament, and career goals. This allows you to better assess candidates’ suitability for the roles they’ve applied for.
You can ask these questions during the application stage, on a quick 10-minute phone screen, or even on an online video screen. Recruiters who receive many responses for each open position use this process to remove unsuitable candidates from the recruitment funnel as quickly as possible and move the most qualified ones to the next stage. This gives them a clear first impression of each candidate on paper without having to conduct an extensive interview with every applicant.
Types of screening interview questions
Different types of screening interview questions reveal different kinds of information about job candidates. These include:
- Basic information questions: Ask basic screening questions at the start of the interview to warm up the candidates and get to know them a little better. These questions are usually about their career aspirations, salary expectations, and why they want to join the company.
- Behavioral interview questions: Help recruiters assess a candidate’s attitude in work settings and better understand their skills and qualities. Questions like this typically start with, “Give me an example of…”
- Situational interview questions: Ask candidates to describe a time (real or hypothetical) when they dealt with a specific challenge at work. The aim is to help recruiters assess a candidate’s soft skills, such as time management, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication.
- Technical or skill-related interview questions: Help assess a candidate’s specific technical skills or knowledge. These include questions on programming, algorithms, software tools, and other industry-specific knowledge.
38 screening interview questions to ask (with sample answers)
1. What are you passionate about?
“I’m passionate about helping my clients reach breakthroughs, improving as a therapist, and constantly educating and developing myself to give my clients the best service possible.”
2. What do you know about our company?
“I’ve been reading your newsletters for years, so I know the organization is passionate about driving change, protecting the planet, and nurturing its employees.”
3. How does your previous work experience relate to this role?
“Over the past five years, I’ve gained knowledge and experience in marketing, sales, client communications, and product knowledge in several MNCs. I believe this gives me the experience needed to thrive in this role.”
4. What was your biggest challenge in your last role, and how did you resolve it?
“The biggest challenge for me was losing a key team member and having to assume their workload while we searched for a replacement. It turned out to be too much responsibility, so I had an honest conversation with my manager, and we worked together to reduce the pressure on me.”
5. Describe what you do in your current role.
“A typical day for me involves communicating with suppliers, looking at new product samples, raising purchase orders for new lines, and managing junior team members.”
6. What are your career aspirations?
“I would love to eventually be in senior management so I can mentor junior team members. Ideally, I’m seeking long-term growth within a company.”
7. How will this position help move you closer to your goals?
“I think this role will help develop my managerial and coaching skills so I can eventually move into a senior management position.”
8. Why did you leave/are you leaving your last/current job?
“I enjoyed the work but am ready for the next step in my career, so I’m looking for an employer in the tech space where I believe I can have a bigger impact.”
9. How do you like to be managed?
“I respect managers who are direct, clear, and realistic in their expectations. Kindness is equally important to me, so I’d like to be managed by someone who shows appreciation for my professional contributions.”
10. What type of work environment helps you to thrive?
“I thrive in work environments with a strong sense of community and collaboration. I also love organizations that encourage innovation and creativity, as I tend to have a lot of ideas.”
11. Describe your ideal workday
“My ideal workday entails being given the space to complete my tasks with minimal distractions and supervision, as well as working on things that challenge me while delivering a sense of purpose.”
12. Talk me through your résumé
“Since graduating, I’ve worked in a junior admin role for a few large organizations, managing supervisors’ schedules and inboxes. Now, I’m looking to take on a senior administrative position with greater responsibility. I want to work for a company whose values align with mine, which is why I’m interested in this position.”
13. Do you prefer working with a team or on your own?
“I enjoy a mix of working solo and on a team. But if I had to choose one, it would be working by myself because I prefer having no distractions while I work.”
14. What role do you usually take on within a team?
“I tend to take on a leadership role in a team as I’m quite confident and vocal. Colleagues often look to me for advice and reassurance, and I’m happy to fill this role in a team.”
15. What do you think makes a team successful?
“I think the most successful teams listen to each member’s ideas, communicate effectively, and strategically plan and execute their tasks and projects.”
16. Describe a problem or challenge you’ve experienced in a team and how you resolved it.
“In my current job, one of my colleagues wasn’t putting in as much effort as the rest of us, and we had an open conversation with them to address it. It turned out they were dealing with some personal issues at the time. After we discussed it, they made an effort to be more active on the team, and we gave them the space they needed to sort things out.”
17. Have you ever had multiple simultaneous deadlines? How did you manage your time effectively?
“Time-blocking my calendar has helped me plan when to work on particular tasks and ensures no one interrupts that time unless truly urgent. Understanding how long a project will take to complete and allowing extra wiggle room has always been my way of managing multiple simultaneous deadlines.”
18. What are/were your responsibilities in your current/last job?
“I am/was responsible for writing copy for clients’ websites, creating social media posts, scheduling their social calendars, editing junior copywriters’ work, and developing relationships with existing and potential clients.”
19. What’s your greatest strength?
“I believe my greatest strength is my resilience — it helps me work well under pressure, bounce back from failure, and can also inspire and motivate those around me.”
20. Did/do you have responsibilities in your previous/current role that were/are not part of your job scope? If so, what were/are they?
“In my current role, I’ve taken on liaising with the press team and being the spokesperson for our product department. This has helped me develop skills essential to a more senior position, like the one I’m applying for.”
21. Do you have any experience with remote or hybrid working?
“Yes, my current company has a hybrid arrangement, which means I usually work at the office three days a week and work from home the other two. I like the balance and flexibility of hybrid working.”
22. What experiences, responsibilities, or challenges are you hoping for in this new role and company?
“I’m excited to take on responsibilities such as managing junior staff members and working with bigger clients. I’m also eager to work in a larger organization like yours, which offers greater growth and development opportunities.”
23. How do you prioritize tasks?
“I prioritize tasks based on how urgent and important they are in relation to the company’s greater goals.”
24. What tools do you use to manage projects and make sure you complete them on time?
“I typically use Google Calendar, Trello, and Asana to create tasks, monitor their progress, and mark them as done.”
25. Are you willing to travel or relocate for work?
“One of the reasons I applied for this role was the travel opportunities. I am open to relocating in the future but would need advance notice, as I have two young children in school.”
26. Why do you want this job?
“I want this job because it requires a mix of HR, business, and marketing skills, which are areas I’m both interested and experienced in.”
27. Why do you want to work at this company?
“As someone who deeply cares about equality and women’s rights, I would love to work for a company like yours, which champions women of all backgrounds and has had such a profound impact on women worldwide.”
28. Where do you see yourself in five years?
“In five years, I see myself in a senior management position in a company like this, leading a sales team to success.”
29. What about this position made you want to apply?
“I’ve been a loyal customer of yours for over a decade, so when I saw this position, I felt compelled to apply. I feel this is a dream job!”
30. How familiar are you with our company and what we do?
“I know you’re one of the leaders in women’s health and wellness, and your primary offerings are online yoga and meditation classes, as well as women’s workout apparel.”
31. What makes you want to work for us instead of our competitors?
“Your company has positively impacted the world, and I’d be delighted to work for such an organization.”
32. What are your salary requirements?
“I’m looking for a salary in the range of $80,000 per annum for this role.”
33. What benefits are important to you?
“I find healthcare, sufficient paid vacation time, and help with childcare to be the most important benefits.”
34. Why should we hire you?
“I have the unique mix of experience and skills required to excel in this role, and my passion for your products will make me the perfect brand ambassador.”
35. When can you start?
“My current job requires me to give four weeks’ notice, so I’m happy to start work with you as soon as I’ve served my notice.”
36. Explain the employment gap in your résumé
“I left my first job at 23 to immigrate to a new country. This gave me time to find my feet in a new country and understand the job market before finding my previous role.”
37. Describe a time when you had to adapt to sudden change.
“Earlier this year, my current company introduced a new software to replace the one we’d been using for the past five years. It took a while to get used to the new system but it turned out to be a positive move for the company.”
38. Do you have any questions for me?
- “What do you love most about working here?”
- “Can you tell me about a project I’d be working on if I got the job?”
- “When can I expect to hear back from you?”
How to ask screening interview questions
How you approach screening interview questions depends on the situation. This includes which questions to ask first, how to order the questions you’ve prepared, and how to pose or phrase those questions. For example, an online application would require a slightly different approach from an in-person meeting.
An online form
If you’re asking screening questions via an online form, make sure you have different forms for different roles and that the standardized questions are relevant to new hires. Opt for as few questions as possible to ensure a high completion rate—the longer a candidate needs to complete an application, the less likely they are to do so.
Via phone or video call
If you’re asking screening interview questions over the phone or via a video call, begin with basic questions to warm each candidate up before moving on to behavioral, situational, or technical questions. Select a range of questions to help you decide who should progress to the next stage.
Pay close attention to each candidate’s responses and take notes on their personality, attitude, and temperament so you can share this information with the hiring manager at the next stage.
HR tip
A phone screening interview should take between 15 and 30 minutes to complete. During this time, you should be able to decide whether a candidate’s application should progress to the next round.
In-person
You would only shortlist the very best candidates for face-to-face interviews. Based on previous screening questions and hiring stages, you’d likely already know they’re qualified for the position. As such, use an in-person interview to ask behavioral and situational questions that help you learn more about how each candidate operates at work and deals with specific situations and challenges.
Tips for analyzing responses to screening questions
- Identify red flags: Some candidates’ responses to screening questions may contain red flags. These include a lack of interest in the position, negative comments about previous employers, excessive focus on compensation and benefits, little knowledge about the company, and hesitation to provide references.
- Spot potential and motivation: Candidates who show a keen interest in learning and growing within the company and motivation to perform will be assets to your organization. They’re showing great potential if they ask questions about training opportunities or career progression.
- Judge the cultural fit: The behaviors and attitudes candidates show in their responses will help you determine whether they’re a good cultural fit for your organization. If the conversation flows smoothly and they display a positive attitude, they will likely be an excellent cultural fit for your organization.
To sum up
The right screening interview questions can help recruiters filter the best candidates through their hiring process, eliminate unsuitable applicants, and save time.
To ensure you thoroughly understand each candidate, prepare various questions and tailor them to suit the situation. Don’t forget to analyze the responses you receive to make the most of your screening questions.
Learn more
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