Entry Interview Survey Template
An entry interview survey helps you learn how a new hire wants to contribute and what support would make the first weeks easier. Use these seven optional questions before work begins or on day one, then agree on a practical starting plan together.
An entry interview survey helps you learn how a new hire wants to contribute and what support would make the first weeks easier. Use these seven optional questions before work begins or on day one, then agree on a practical starting plan together.
A new colleague arrives with experience you may not have discussed during recruitment. Give them room to describe useful strengths, questions, and learning preferences before filling their calendar with activities. Create the questionnaire in SurveyLegend and use it to prepare a two-way conversation.
When to Use This Template
Use an entry interview after the hiring decision is complete. Its purpose is to prepare support, not reopen selection or rate performance. Once the employee has experienced the first month, use an onboarding questionnaire to review what actually worked. Choose the appropriate stage from SurveyLegend’s employee templates .
7 Entry Interview Survey Questions
Think about the role you are about to start. Every question is optional. Share work-related preferences and questions only; use the separate HR contact for confidential accommodation or personal matters. Your answers will support a conversation with your manager.
A little feedback. A clearer picture.
Explore this 7-question example at your own pace. Every question is optional.
Entry Interview Survey
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How to Adapt the Questionnaire
Name the role, manager, and starting date. Replace communication options with channels the team actually uses. Keep learning preferences flexible: someone may prefer a demonstration for equipment and written instructions for a routine process. Use open-ended questions for strengths and priorities so the form does not force a new hire into preset labels.
When to Ask
Send the form after the person has accepted the role, with enough time to discuss it before the first assignments. Make participation voluntary. If they have not yet seen the job in practice, accept “not sure” and revisit the plan after they have real experience.
How to Use the Responses
Turn each answer into a conversation item. Connect a named strength to a suitable early task, assign an owner to an unclear responsibility, and choose one realistic learning goal. Agree on introductions and a question route together. These are stated preferences, not ability scores or guarantees of future performance; do not rank new hires by the length or confidence of their answers.
What the Research Adds
Bauer and colleagues’ 2007 meta-analysis examined 70 newcomer samples and described adjustment through “role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance.” Read the study . Those dimensions inform this template’s clarification, learning, and connection prompts. The research concerns newcomer adjustment; it did not test this entry interview or establish that completing it improves retention.
Frequently asked questions
Is an entry interview part of candidate selection?
Use this version after the hiring decision. It supports a new employee’s start and should not become an undisclosed selection test.
Should every answer be shared with the whole team?
No. Explain who will read the form and share only the practical details needed for support. Discuss sensitive matters through the appropriate private channel.
Can this replace an onboarding review?
No. Entry questions look forward. An onboarding review asks about support and work the employee has actually experienced.
Printable Entry Interview Survey
Use the printed form during a first-day conversation or let the new hire complete it privately before meeting. Agree who receives the paper and how the starting plan will be recorded. Paper answers need separate review or manual entry; they are not automatically added to online results.
AI Prompt for a Entry Interview Survey
Copy this entry interview survey prompt into an AI assistant to prepare the questionnaire. Review the result, then build and customize it in SurveyLegend. The prompt does not automatically create or transfer a survey.
Entry Interview Survey Prompt
Copy the prompt into an AI assistant to draft the questions, then build your survey in SurveyLegend.
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