Template · Recruiting and hiring
Applicant screening form
In short
A candidate screening form is a short, standard record a recruiter completes for each applicant before interviews. It captures knockout requirements, availability, pay expectations, a few scored job-related questions and a clear advance or decline decision. This template gives you a ready-to-use form plus guidance on what to ask, what never to ask and how to score consistently.
Applicant Screening Form template
Applicant Screening Form
Complete one form per applicant per requisition. Ask every applicant for the same job the same questions in the same order. Record answers as stated; write job-related observations only. A screen typically takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Applicant and job details
- Applicant name
- Applicant ID
- Phone
- Position applied for
- Requisition ID
- Location / site
- Screened by
- Screen date
- Screen method
- PhoneVideoText / chatOnline questionnaireIn person
Section 1: Minimum requirements (knockout questions)
- Are you at least [18] years of age? (ask only where the job legally requires a minimum age)
- YesNo
- Are you legally authorized to work in the United States?
- YesNo
- Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status?
- YesNo
- Do you hold [required license or certification, e.g. valid driver's license, CDL Class A, forklift certification]?
- YesNoNot required for this role
- Do you have at least [number] months of experience in [specific work]?
- YesNo
- Can you perform the essential functions of this job, as described, with or without reasonable accommodation?
- YesNo
- All knockout requirements met
- Yes: continue screenNo: decline (record reason below)
Section 2: Availability and logistics
- Earliest available start date
- Shifts the applicant can work
- DaysEveningsNightsWeekendsRotatingAny
- Hours per week wanted
- Able to work the scheduled training dates [Training Dates]
- YesNoPartially
- Able to work on site at [Work Location] / remotely with required equipment and internet
- YesNo
- Pay range shared with applicant: $[Min] to $[Max] per [hour / year]
- Applicant comfortable with the stated pay range
- YesNoWants to discuss
- Notice period with current employer
Section 3: Job-related questions (score each 1 to 5)
- Q1. Walk me through your most recent role. What did a typical day look like? [Score 1-5]
- Q1 notes
- Q2. [Role-specific skill question, e.g. Tell me about a time you handled an upset customer on the phone.] [Score 1-5]
- Q2 notes
- Q3. [Role-specific skill question, e.g. How do you keep accuracy up when you are working to a pick-rate target?] [Score 1-5]
- Q3 notes
- Q4. What interests you about this job, and what are you looking for in your next role? [Score 1-5]
- Q4 notes
- Communication during the screen (clarity, listening, professionalism) [Score 1-5]
- Total score (out of 25)
Section 4: Applicant questions and next steps
- Questions the applicant asked
- Explained next steps and timeline to applicant
- Assessment or interview booked for
Section 5: Screening decision
- Decision
- Advance to assessmentAdvance to interviewHold for another roleDecline
- Decline reason (job-related)
- Did not meet a knockout requirementNot available for required schedulePay expectations outside rangeScore below thresholdApplicant withdrewNo response / no-show to screen
- Other roles to consider applicant for
- Recruiter comments (job-related only)
- Recruiter signature
- Date
How to use this template
- Before screening starts, agree the knockout requirements and the 3 or 4 job-related questions with the hiring manager and write them into Sections 1 and 3.
- Set a written scoring guide for each question that says what a 1, a 3 and a 5 answer sounds like.
- Ask knockout questions first; if an applicant fails one, record the reason and end the screen politely.
- Share the pay range and schedule early so you do not spend 15 minutes with someone who cannot accept the job.
- Score each question right after the applicant answers, not at the end of the call.
- Record a decision and a job-related reason on every form, including declines and no-shows.
- Store completed forms with the requisition records for at least as long as federal and state rules require.
What this applicant screening checklist does
The screen is the step that decides who gets an interview, so it is also the step where inconsistency does the most damage. One recruiter asks about weekend availability, another forgets, and a week later a hiring manager has a finalist who cannot work Saturdays. A standard pre-screening questions template fixes that: every applicant for the same job gets the same questions, scored the same way.
The form is built in the order a good screen runs. Knockout requirements first, because they end the conversation fastest. Then logistics, because schedule and pay mismatches cause more late-stage dropouts than skill gaps. Then a handful of scored questions about the work itself. For background on where screening sits in the hiring process and the methods teams use, see our glossary entry on candidate screening.
Choosing knockout questions
A knockout question should be a true minimum. If the hiring manager would still interview someone who answers no, it is not a knockout. Common legitimate ones: work authorization, a required license (CDL, nursing license, forklift certification), a legally required minimum age, the ability to work the core shift, and the ability to perform essential functions with or without accommodation.
Keep the list short. Five is plenty. Every extra knockout removes people, and some of them would have been good hires. Years-of-experience knockouts are the usual culprit: "2 years in a call center" screens out the retail cashier who has handled more angry customers than most agents. If you can test the skill instead, test it. A short assessment of typing, situational judgment or language level predicts more than a tenure cutoff.
If your application already asks these questions, do not repeat them word for word. Confirm the answers from the employment application form and spend the time on Section 3.
Questions you should not ask in a screen
Federal law (Title VII, the ADA, the ADEA and related rules) bars employment decisions based on protected characteristics, and asking about them invites a claim even if you never use the answer. Leave these out:
- Age or date of birth, unless confirming a legal minimum age.
- Citizenship or national origin. Ask only whether the applicant is authorized to work in the US and whether they will need sponsorship.
- Disability, health conditions, medications or past workers' compensation claims. You may describe the essential functions and ask if the applicant can perform them, with or without accommodation.
- Marital status, pregnancy, children or childcare plans. Ask whether they can work the schedule, and stop there.
- Religion, including which holidays they observe.
- Arrest records. Many states and cities have ban-the-box laws that restrict criminal history questions until after a conditional offer.
- Salary history. A growing list of states and cities ban it. Ask for pay expectations instead.
Rules vary by state and city, and some are stricter than federal law. Check the rules for every location you hire in.
Scoring so screens are comparable
A 1 to 5 score is only useful if "3" means the same thing to every recruiter. Write a one-line anchor for each question. For a customer-handling question, for example: 1 means no specific example; 3 means a real example with what they did but not the result; 5 means a specific example, clear actions, the outcome, and what they would do differently.
Set a pass mark before the first screen, not after you see the scores. A common setup is 15 of 25 to advance, with any single score of 1 triggering a second look. Calibrate once a month: two recruiters score the same recorded screen and compare. If they differ by more than a few points, tighten the anchors.
For a longer, conversational version of Section 3 with more questions and probing prompts, use our phone screen template.
Screening at high volume
A distribution center hiring 60 associates for peak season might get 900 applications in three weeks. At 15 minutes per call, screening all of them would take one recruiter 225 hours. Nobody does that. What experienced teams do instead is move Sections 1 and 2 online or into text, so knockouts and availability are answered before a human gets involved, then phone-screen only the applicants who pass.
The next step many teams take is having an AI agent such as Sera run the structured screen itself over chat, phone or video, ask the same questions in the same order and score against the same anchors, with recruiters reviewing results rather than dialing. Whatever tool you use, keep the logic of this form: fixed knockouts, scored job-related questions, a recorded decision and reason for every applicant. If you use automated scoring, check the selection rates by group regularly, and be aware that laws such as New York City Local Law 144 require bias audits and notices for automated employment decision tools used on candidates in the city.
Frequently asked questions
What should a candidate screening form include?
Applicant and job details, knockout requirements, availability and pay expectations, three or four scored job-related questions, space for the applicant's questions, and a final decision with a job-related reason and the screener's signature.
What are good pre-screening questions?
Ones tied to real job requirements: work authorization, required licenses, ability to work the shift, comfort with the pay range, and one or two questions about doing the actual work, such as handling an upset customer or keeping accuracy under a rate target.
How long should a phone screen take?
10 to 15 minutes for most hourly roles and 20 to 30 minutes for salaried or specialist roles. If screens regularly run longer, you are probably interviewing rather than screening.
Can I ask about criminal history on a screening form?
It depends on where you hire. Many states and cities have ban-the-box laws that delay criminal history questions until after a conditional offer. Where it is allowed, any later background check must follow FCRA disclosure and adverse action rules.
Do I need to keep screening forms for rejected applicants?
Yes. Federal rules require keeping application and selection records, including for applicants not hired, for at least one year. Federal contractors and some states require longer.
What is the difference between an applicant screening checklist and a phone screen template?
The screening form is a compact record with knockouts, logistics and a decision. A phone screen template is a fuller interview guide with more questions and follow-up prompts. Many teams use the form for hourly roles and the phone screen guide for salaried roles.