Application Pre-Screen Questions

Streamlining Your Recruitment with Firefish Pre-Screening Questions

The Pre-Screening feature in Firefish is a powerful tool designed to make your recruitment process more efficient by allowing you to add specific questions to your job adverts. These questions help you gather extra information that might not be included in a candidate's standard application. By setting up Pre-Screen questions, you can automatically filter out unsuitable candidates, allowing you to focus your time on top-tier applicants who meet your key requirements.

What Are Pre-Screen Questions?

Pre-Screen Questions are additional, customisable questions that you can include in your job advertisements. These questions help you collect crucial information that might not be part of the typical application process, such as certification details, eligibility to work in a specific country, or contract preferences.

For example, if a particular job requires a specific certification or legal right to work, adding these as Pre-Screen Questions can automatically reject candidates who do not meet these non-negotiable criteria. This process is automated and ensures candidates who don’t meet your must-have requirements are politely declined, saving you from manual screening.

The Benefits of Using Pre-Screen Questions

Automated Filtering: By setting up automatic rejection based on Yes/No questions, you can ensure only qualified candidates pass through the initial screening, saving you from reviewing unsuitable applications.
Tailored Candidate Insights: Pre-Screen Questions give you valuable insights into a candidate's fit for the role, such as their leadership style or reasons for wanting to join your industry, providing you with useful discussion points for interviews.
Time-Saving: The ability to auto-reject candidates based on specific criteria drastically cuts down on the time spent reviewing unqualified applicants, allowing recruiters to focus on those most likely to succeed in the role.
Improved Communication: If a candidate fails a Pre-Screen question, Firefish automatically sends a polite rejection email, eliminating the need for manual follow-up and ensuring a consistent candidate experience.

Five Pre-Screen Questions to Consider

Here are examples of common Pre-Screen Questions that could enhance your recruitment process:

1. Do you have the right to Work/Live in the UK? - This Yes/No question helps ensure candidates have the legal right to work, avoiding any sponsorship complexities.
Do you hold a valid CSCS/SIA/(Industry-specific license) card? - Use this to confirm the candidate holds the necessary certifications for the role.
How would you describe your leadership style? - This open-ended question provides insight into a candidate’s management approach, which could be useful for leadership roles.
This is a 12-month Fixed Term Contract – is this contract type suitable for you? - By confirming the candidate is comfortable with a fixed-term arrangement, you avoid any confusion later in the hiring process
Do you have 3+ years of marketing experience?

- This Yes/No question helps confirm the candidate’s experience aligns with the job requirements and filters out those who don’t meet your criteria.

How to Add Pre-Screen Questions

Adding Pre-Screen questions is simple and customizable, allowing you to tailor the screening process to each specific role. Follow these steps to add questions to your job advert:

Navigate to the Pre-Screen Questions Area: In the advert creation workflow, locate the Pre-Screen Questions section and click the "Add Questions" button.
Create Your Questions: Type the questions you’d like to ask. You can choose a Yes/No format or an open-ended text response, depending on the kind of information you need.
Make the Question Mandatory (Optional): To ensure candidates answer the question before submitting their application, tick the "Mandatory Question" box.
Set Auto-Reject Criteria: If you have a Yes/No question and want to automatically reject candidates who answer incorrectly (e.g., "No" to holding a required certification), tick the "Auto-Reject Question" box. This feature is only available for Yes/No questions, not text-based ones.

Managing Candidate Responses

You can review candidate responses to Pre-Screen questions by selecting the PS document icon in the Applications tab. If a candidate fails a Yes/No question marked for auto-rejection, they will automatically receive a "Not Progressed" email 24 hours after applying, with the reason noted in their action history.

Candidates who fail to complete the Pre-Screen questions but still submit the rest of the application will show as "Incomplete." You can review these applications and choose to either move the candidate forward or reach out for further clarification if needed.

Editing Pre-Screen Questions

Pre-Screen questions can be added or edited both at the time of creating an advert and after it has been posted. However, any changes to Pre-Screen questions after posting an advert must be made before any applications are submitted to ensure consistency in the screening process.

Conclusion

Firefish Pre-Screen Questions are a valuable addition to your recruitment strategy, helping you streamline your hiring process by automatically filtering out unsuitable candidates. By incorporating these questions into your job adverts, you can ensure only the most qualified candidates reach your desk, ultimately speeding up the hiring process and improving your chances of making successful placements.