Table of Contents
Introduction
Both employers and applicants have specific non-negotiables and desirable qualities that can be identified early in the application process. Screening Questions help you assess these criteria from the outset, making it easier to identify suitable applicants and avoid poor matches.
Wondering how? Keep reading to find out. 😉
How Screening Questions Affect the Hiring Pipeline
As applicants answer screening questions during their application process, Indigo Hiring automatically places them into the most appropriate default stage folder in the Hiring Pipeline, ranging from Perfect fit to Not a fit. This sorting relies on the degree to which their answers match the ideal responses predetermined for each question.
The table below shows how applicants are assigned to each stage.
Applicant's Responses | Perfect fit | Maybe | Not a fit |
Meet all ideal answers and qualifying answer criteria. | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
Meet some, but not all, ideal or qualifying answer criteria. | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
Don't meet any ideal or qualifying answer criteria. | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
Don't meet the ideal or qualifying answer criteria for a question marked as a Killer Question. | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
🤔 Remember: screening questions play an important role in sorting applicants, but they are not the only factor considered. The Applicants' Location Preferences can also influence the stage applicants are placed.
The Question Structure
There's a set of fields and options to customise a question to your needs:
Change Type dropdown menu
Question text field
Required checkbox
Qualifying Answer checkbox
Ideal answer field
Killer Question checkbox
Add follow-up question button
Drag handle
Keep reading to learn about each field or option, and how to use them to give life to the perfect questionnaire. 😉
Change Type
From this dropdown menu, pick the response format needed for the question.
To select an answer type that aligns with your needs, click Change type and choose one of the following:
Answer Type | Definition |
Yes/No | Applicants pick either Yes or No as their answer. Use for questions that need a simple response with no elaboration. |
Numeric | Only numerical values are accepted as answers. Define if the value should be More than or Less than a specified number. Use for questions about years of experience, age, salary expectations, or notice periods. |
Open Answer | Applicants can give a free-text response in their own words. Use when you need detailed information, explanations, or examples. |
Attachment | Applicants can upload additional files as part of their application, besides the typical CV. Use to ask for certificates, portfolios, or other supporting documents. |
Multi-select | Applicants can pick more than one option from a predefined list. Use when multiple answers may apply. |
Single-select | Applicants select one option only from a predefined list. Use when applicants must choose a single answer from several options. |
Applicant Source | Applicants can show how they heard about the vacancy. Helps track your recruitment channels' effectiveness. |
Question Text
In this untitled field, word your question carefully to ensure that you're clear about the information you need from the applicant. Click the box and type the text.
Required Checkbox
Tick the Required checkbox to make the question mandatory. To leave the question optional, untick the checkbox.
Qualifying Answers
The Qualifying Answers field is available for Single-select and Multi-select question types. It lets you set one or more preferred answers from the available options.
📋 Note: applicants who do not select a qualifying answer can still progress through the hiring pipeline, unless the question is marked as a Killer Question.
Ideal Answers
The Ideal Answer field is only available for Yes/No and Numeric question types. It lets you set the answer you're looking for when evaluating applicants.
Yes/No: select whether Yes or No is the preferred answer.
Numeric: choose if a response should be More than or Less than a specified value. This is useful for questions about wage expectations or years of experience.
📋 Note: applicants who do not meet the ideal answer can still progress through the hiring pipeline, unless the question is marked as a Killer Question.
Killer Questions
Tick this checkbox to exclude applicants who do not provide the ideal or qualifying answer you've set up for the question. The applicant will automatically be sorted into the 'Not a fit' stage folder.
Follow-up Questions
Add follow-up questions to collect more information based on a specific answer to a question, without making the application form longer for all applicants.
Select Add follow-up question to open the menu choose the type of follow-up question to add. (This is the same list shown when selecting Change type.)
The follow-up question is added under the original question and assigned a sub-number. For example, if the original question is numbered 5, the follow-up question is numbered 5.1.
Use the 'Show this question only if the selected answer for Question [x] is:' field to pick the answer that triggers the follow-up question. The follow-up question shows in the questionnaire only when applicants select that answer in the original question.
Example:
Original question: 'How many live events have you coordinated in the last 12 months?'
Answer triggering follow up question: 'None'.
Possible follow-up question: 'Have you coordinated live events prior to the last 12 months?'
💡 Good-to-know
You can set up a follow up question only for Yes/No, Multi-select and Single-select question types.
You can add follow-up questions to existing follow-up questions, creating multiple levels of conditional questions when needed.
Reorder your Questions
Each question has a drag handle on the left-hand side. Use its arrows to move the question up or down one position in the list. Alternatively, click and hold the handle, then drag the question to the required position.
📋 Note: You can remove an unnecessary question by clicking on its Delete button.
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