Interview Questionnaire: 39 Types of Questions to Ask & Benefits of Using One

Pre-interview questionnaires help streamline the hiring process by gathering critical candidate information—such as job preferences, goals, motivators, and cultural fit—before the interview. This allows HR managers to identify qualified candidates early, reduce time-to-hire, and lower turnover by ensuring better alignment. They also offer structured data, improve interview focus, and help document responses for future reference and decision-making.

Interviewing for a new position can be a time-consuming task for human resources managers and the hiring manager, who is often directly involved in the interview process and decision-making. Using nearly 85,000 interview reviews to come to a conclusion, employment resource Glassdoor reports that the average length of the hiring process, globally, is over 20 days. In some cities and industries, this can be much longer. For example, in New York, the average interview process can take more than 33 days, and for government positions, the process can take nearly 55 days. So, how can recruiters shorten this process in order to fill a position with the right person quicker? Ensuring that candidates are completing the pre-interview questionnaire thoroughly is crucial for an efficient and effective hiring process. The answer is a pre-interview questionnaire. In this blog, we’ll look at how they work and the types of questions to ask on an interview questionnaire.

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What is a Pre-Interview Questionnaire?

Weeding out candidates who aren’t a good fit for a position can be difficult. So, a pre-interview questionnaire asks employee candidates a series of questions that allow companies to learn more about them before the actual in-person (or virtual) interview. It asks them to provide information about their job preferences, career goals, preferred management style, key motivators, and more. It is important to ensure that respondents understand the questions clearly so that the information collected is accurate and useful for decision-making. This information helps human resource managers decide if the candidate is a good fit for the open position within the organization. Candidates who demonstrate knowledge of the company’s mission, values, or unique culture in their answers can further strengthen their application. Additionally, pre-interview questionnaires can reduce turnover by improving the match between candidates and positions, increasing retention rates. Interview questionnaires can also be used during face-to-face interviews to guide the conversation and gain deeper insights from candidates.

Usually, this questionnaire is given only to candidates who are selected for an interview. However, as with other survey questionnaires that use standardized questions and response options to ensure clarity and comparability, it is sometimes used as a quick “first cut” assessment tool to screen out a few candidates from the original interview pool.

Pros and Cons of Using a Pre-Interview Questionnaire in the Hiring Process

There are a number of advantages and some disadvantages when it comes to using a pre-interview questionnaire. Here’s a look at the top three pros and cons of using them.

One disadvantage is that response rates can impact the effectiveness of pre-interview questionnaires, especially if high-demand candidates decline to participate. Response rates can vary from 1% to 95% depending on the type of survey. Low response rates may result in less reliable or representative data, which can affect the overall success of the hiring process.

When it comes to documentation, it is important to verify that all questionnaires are completed before moving forward in the hiring process. Ensuring that each response is fully completed helps maintain accurate records and supports better decision-making. Additionally, collecting feedback from both candidates and hiring teams about the questionnaire process can provide valuable insights to refine and improve future pre-interview questionnaires.

Benefits of a Pre-Interview Questionnaire 

• It can save a lot of time since the candidates answer questions without the HR manager or hiring professional having to be present. Pre-interview questionnaires help collect information efficiently from multiple candidates, allowing for quick comparison and screening. It can also reduce the number of interviews that need to be conducted by screening out some candidates right away. Learn more about screening questions.
• It provides documentation since answers from candidates are written and/or typed and recorded. Responses can be referred to later if necessary. For example, if a candidate is hired but doesn’t seem able, their pre-interview questionnaire can be brought up and used to compare their stated experience to their performance.
• They are completely customizable, requiring candidates to provide additional information and gather additional details that may not be readily available on their resume or portfolio. This is especially true when deciding if a candidate is a fit for a particular work culture.

Challenges with Pre-Interview Questionnaires

Of course, there are some potential challenges when using a pre-interview questionnaire (aside from its initial creation). Some things to keep in mind:

• Some candidates, especially those in high demand, may not have the time or may decline the questionnaire, or may not complete it fully, resulting in missing information and incomplete responses. This can create a challenging situation for recruiters, who must manage the stress of filling positions quickly while ensuring quality hires.
• Candidates may attempt to “guess” what answers you want to hear to be considered, even if they don’t mean it. This can affect the quality and accuracy of the response, as well as the reliability of the data collected.
• An organization’s employees may spread the word to candidates on what might be considered “good answers,” which skews answers and results.

Types of Questions to Ask on a Pre-Interview Questionnaire

Before creating your pre-interview questionnaire, it’s important to consider including common interview questions. These questions help candidates prepare for typical inquiries and allow employers to assess how well applicants might perform in the actual interview. Incorporating common interview questions in your pre-interview process can improve interview performance and increase the chances of finding the right fit.

So you’re ready to create your pre-interview questionnaire. Where to begin? Well, there is no standard format for pre-interview questionnaires. Most organizations focus on identifying information about the candidate that is generally not in their resume or that is usually not discussed during interviews because of time limitations. However, some organizations also include some actual interview questions in order to reduce the time required for formal interviews. Employers may ask candidates about their future career aspirations to see if their goals align with the company’s direction. A standardized questionnaire is needed to ensure meaningful results in a survey, as it helps maintain consistency and comparability across responses. Various methods, such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups, can be used to collect information during the hiring process.

When designing your questionnaire, pay close attention to the construction of your survey questions to ensure they are clear, valid, and reliable. Well-designed survey questions help improve the accuracy and comparability of your data.

Some types of questions you may want to consider asking on your pre-interview questionnaire include the following. Here are some examples of effective questions you might include, depending on the position you’re hiring for. You can also use ranked or scaled questions with standardized response options to ensure comparability, along with your open-ended questions (read more in our free survey guide). Surveys allow you to ask every user the same questions in a structured manner. A response scale provides a standardized way of answering questions and makes it easier to analyze responses, ensuring that the data collected is both reliable and actionable. Additionally, follow-up questions can be valuable for gaining deeper insights from candidates, allowing you to better understand their experiences and perspectives.

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39 Questions to Ask on a Pre-Interview Questionnaire

Below are some of the most common job interview questions. A pre-interview questionnaire can also be considered an interview survey, which is a structured tool for gathering information from candidates. When answering, use your own words and provide relevant examples from your experience. For behavioral questions, we encourage you to use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses. Interviewers frequently inquire about a candidate’s reason for leaving their current job to understand their motivations for seeking a new position.

When responding to open-ended questions, remember that these help collect qualitative data and provide deeper insights into the respondent’s experiences, allowing interviewers to better understand your perspective and background.

Using a mix of different question types—such as multiple choice, rating scales, and open-ended questions—demonstrates the use of varied data collection methods, which can enhance the effectiveness of the questionnaire.

1. What type of professional tasks do you excel at?

2. How can you apply your skills and knowledge to this job?

3. Do you possess any skills or knowledge that might be useful for this position that aren’t listed on your resume?

4. What are your greatest strengths? Please provide specific examples of how you have demonstrated them.

5. Describe your weaknesses, and tell us how you think you can overcome them.

6. What are your professional goals? What would you like to be doing in three years? Five years?

7. In your opinion, what does the perfect manager look like to you?

8. What normally frustrates you most about managers?

9. How are your interpersonal skills? Candidates are often asked to share examples of their communication skills during interviews, emphasizing their interpersonal effectiveness.

10. What has frustrated you about previous jobs?

11. How would you describe your regular work style?

12. What does a normal day at your current or most previous job look like?

13. Tell us something you wish you had done differently at your previous job.

14. What is your greatest accomplishment in your career so far? Please discuss the impact and results.

15. In your opinion, what makes a job fun?

16. Why did you quit your last job? Or, why do you want to leave your current job? (Discussing your reasons positively is important.)

17. Have you applied anywhere else?

18. What are you looking for in a job?

19. Tell us what you want to get out of this job.

20. What are your salary expectations? Questions about a candidate’s salary expectations can arise to determine potential alignment with the company’s budget for the role.

21. How does your experience align with the job description?

22. Please describe your organizational skills and how they have helped you overcome challenges or meet deadlines.

23. Provide an example of when you acted as a team player to support a successful outcome.

24. Can you describe your leadership skills and how you have demonstrated them in previous roles?

25. Do you have experience in a managerial role? If so, discuss your responsibilities and what you learned.

26. Describe your ability to overcome a challenge at work. What was the situation, and how did you handle it?

27. How do you handle stress and stay calm under pressure?

28. How do you support a team member who is struggling or needs help?

29. What is your preferred work environment? (For example, company culture, remote work, collaboration style.)

30. What do you like to do in your free time? Are there any hobbies or activities that help you develop relevant skills?

31. What motivates you to seek a new role at this time? How does this position fit your career growth?

32. What interests you about this company?

33. What do you admire about the company’s culture or values?

34. Please provide relevant examples from your experience that demonstrate your fit for this role.

35. Discuss a time you had to adapt to change in the workplace.

36. Tell us about a time you had to discuss a difficult topic in an interview or at work. How did you approach it?

37. What are your greatest strengths, and how have they contributed to your success?

38. What would be a red flag for you in a job or company?

39. How has self-awareness helped you grow professionally?

Conclusion

In her Forbes article “Pre-Employment Testing: A Helpful Way for Companies to Screen Applicants,” Lisa Quast says that when administered properly, pre-employment testing can “help companies save time and cost in the selection process, decrease turnover, increase productivity, and improve morale.” So, are you ready to start using pre-interview questionnaires? With SurveyLegend, you can start creating your online survey for pre-interview questionnaires, making it easy to collect responses remotely and efficiently. Create professional, secure, and responsive questionnaires and surveys online, and it’s free to sign up. Kranzler and Satchwell recommend testing the questionnaire’s clarity for effective survey administration, ensuring that questions are easily understood and yield meaningful responses.

Create your pre-interview survey or questionnaire now!