Designing a Pre-Interview Questionnaire: What Essential Questions Should I Include?

Hi, I need to design a questionnaire to be filled out by the candidate before the interview so that we can have a basic idea about the candidate before conducting the interview.

Questionnaire Fields

The questionnaire could include the following fields:
- Name
- Qualifications
- Experience
- Present salary
- Expected salary

Please share your brilliant ideas with me and let me know what else I can add to the questionnaire.

Thank you.

I do not have a format, but I would like to suggest that since you already have the candidate's CV, it's better to ask fewer questions and focus on what you need to know about the candidate.

Hi Neha, the format I would suggest is as follows:

Candidate Information Format

Name:
Qualification:
Experience:
Hobbies:
Present salary:
Expected salary:
Strengths:
Weaknesses:
Readiness to work under pressure:
Is he/she ready to work on a bond? (This will help assess the stability of the candidate.)
Reason for quitting current job, if employed:

"Live today like there is no tomorrow!"

Please review and let me know if any changes are needed.

Just mail this Candidate Information form to the candidate and ask him to revert back to you by the end of the day. Hope it's of some use to you.

Regards,
Babu

If you still need to design the questionnaire, here are the mentioned details. I have the format, but it is in Arabic; hence, I will suggest some points as follows:

Questionnaire Details

- Name:
- Qualification - Educational, Professional, Technical, etc.
- Employment History:
- Current & Expected Salary (CTC):
- Reason for Change:
- Achievements (if any):
- Time Period to Join:
- Marital Status:
- Others (depends on location, industry you are associated with), and especially Overseas:
- Technical Assessment (if position for tech people)
- Passport Details (Number, issue date, expiry date):
- Date of Birth:
- Criminal Record:
- Ready to work shifts (if needed):
- Details about Parents (father & mother - as some country visa processing may require it)
- Contact Details (local and home country)

At the bottom, you can leave space for departmental comments under the headline OFFICIAL USE ONLY and FINAL DECISION / COMMITTEE DECISION.

If you need anything more, please feel free to contact me.

Cheers,
Pokhriyal Shalini

The purpose of interviews is to find out what we want and how a candidate can help the establishment. In other words, we must assess their abilities. Here are some questions that can help you find the best candidate:

1. Ask them about themselves.
2. What are their greatest strengths?
3. What are their greatest weaknesses?
4. Why should I hire you?
5. Where do you see yourself three years from now?
6. Why do you want to work with our company?
7. Why have you been out of work for so long?
8. Tell me about a situation when your work was criticized.
9. Can you work under pressure?
10. What makes you angry?
11. How do you feel about working nights and weekends?

I believe these types of inquiries will be useful for you to assess the candidate.

Regards

Please find the attached format for the Interview Assessment Form. I hope it will be helpful to you. You can modify it as per your requirements. Provide the same format to candidates when they come for the interview and have them fill in their personal details, educational qualifications, strengths, weaknesses, and references. In the same form, you can also write your comments regarding the candidate. If you find the candidate suitable according to your requirements, you can recommend him/her for the second round of the interview with the concerned department.

Regards,
Roopa

Travel and Work Preferences

Would you travel often?

Till what time are you willing to stay back in the office?

Are you open to night shifts?