Screening questions for job applicants: examples, and the ones that cost you good people

Good screening questions ask for facts a resume doesn’t reliably show and the job genuinely requires: a licence the law demands, the right to work where the job is, a location or schedule the role can’t change. Ask two to five of them, make a question a knockout only when a “no” truly ends the application, and leave judgement about skills to the people reading. Every question you add costs applicants time, and every knockout you add can remove someone who could do the job.

Employers value them. In iHire’s 2026 survey of 318 U.S. employers, prescreening questions “to filter out unqualified applicants” were the second most valued job board feature (40.9%), after messaging candidates. This guide covers what to ask, how to word it, and where the line is.

Screening questions and knockout questions

A screening question is any question on the application form beyond the resume. A knockout question is a screening question with an answer that removes the applicant from consideration automatically.

Most screening questions shouldn’t be knockouts. “Which of these accounting systems have you used?” is useful context for a reader. It shouldn’t remove anyone on its own, because a capable accountant can learn a new ledger.

Questions worth asking

These are examples. Use only those that match a real requirement of your job, and word them for your location.

Question	Type	Knockout?
Are you legally entitled to work in [country]?	Yes / no	Usually, if you can’t sponsor
Do you hold [licence or designation the law requires for this work]?	Yes / no	Yes, if it’s legally required on day one
This role is based at [address], in the office [days]. Is that workable for you?	Yes / no	Often
Driving is an essential part of this role. Do you hold a valid driver’s licence?	Yes / no	Only if driving really is essential
The pay for this role is [range]. Does that work for you?	Yes / no	No: ask, don’t remove
Which of these [systems, tools] have you used in a job?	Multiple choice	No
When could you start?	Date	No
In two or three sentences, tell us about a time you [did the core task of the job].	Short text	No

The last one is worth more than it looks. A short, specific question about the core work gives you evidence a resume rarely contains, and it’s hard to answer well without having done the work. Keep it to one question. In the same iHire survey, 41.3% of 1,054 job seekers said an application that takes more than ten minutes would put them off applying.

Questions that cost you good people

These look like efficient filters. They remove people who could do the job.

• “Do you have 5+ years of experience in this role?” Years are a proxy. In a 2022 re-analysis of selection research, job experience in years barely predicted later performance. Ask about the work instead.
• “Do you have a bachelor’s degree?” as a knockout, unless a degree is a legal or licensing requirement. Our article on skills-based hiring covers why dropping the requirement is only a start.
• “Have you used [our specific software]?” as a knockout. If it can be learned in a few weeks, it’s a nice-to-have.
• Questions with a trap answer. “Are you comfortable working in a fast-paced environment?” Everyone says yes, so it tells you nothing and costs everyone a click.
• Ambiguous wording. “Do you have your CPA?” Does a candidate who is enrolled in the program answer yes? Write the answer you need into the question: “Do you currently hold the CPA designation?”

These are not small losses. In a survey of 2,275 employers, Harvard Business School and Accenture (2021) found that 88% of those using software to filter or rank applicants said it screened out qualified high-skills candidates at least some of the time, because they didn’t match the exact criteria in the job description. A knockout question applies your criteria exactly, so a badly chosen one does this to every applicant.

Questions you shouldn’t ask

The general rule from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is that pre-employment questions should be limited “to those essential for determining if a person is qualified for the job”. It adds: “Employers are explicitly prohibited from making pre-offer inquiries about disability”, and employers should not ask for a photograph.

In Ontario, the Human Rights Code prohibits any application form or inquiry that directly or indirectly classifies an applicant by a protected ground, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s guidance spells out what that means on an application form. Among its points:

• Age: no questions other than whether the applicant is 18 or over. No date of birth.
• Citizenship and origin: you can ask “Are you legally entitled to work in Canada?” but not about permanent residency, refugee status or a Social Insurance Number before a conditional offer.
• Education: ask about the level of education or credential, not the names of schools, which may indicate place of origin or religion.
• Family status: no questions about family responsibilities, including whether they limit availability.
• Driver’s licence: you may ask whether the applicant holds one if driving is an essential duty, but not for a copy until after a conditional offer.

Ontario’s Employment Standards Act also prohibits any requirement related to Canadian experience in a publicly advertised job posting or “any associated application form”. Our article on what a job posting must disclose covers the rest of the Ontario rules.

These are examples, not legal advice. Other provinces, states and cities have their own rules, so check the ones where you hire.

A note on availability

Asking whether someone can work the schedule the job requires seems like the safest knockout of all. In Ontario it needs care. The OHRC lists willingness to work on a day that is usually a Sabbath or religious day of rest, “such as Friday afternoons, Saturdays or Sundays”, among the questions not to ask at the application stage. Where scheduling is a concern, it advises waiting until a conditional offer before discussing how a person’s religious needs can be met, and remembering the duty to accommodate.

A practical approach: state the schedule plainly in the posting, so applicants can decide for themselves, and discuss specific days after a conditional offer.

Making knockouts fair

When you do use a knockout:

1. Ask it the same way of everyone, on the form, not in some phone calls and not others.
2. Test the wording on someone who should pass. If a qualified colleague hesitates over the answer, applicants will too.
3. Read a sample of the knocked-out applications once the job has had a week of applicants. If anyone in that group could clearly do the job, the question is wrong. Our guide to auditing your resume screening has a simple method.
4. Keep the answers with the application, so you can explain any decision later.

How many questions?

Two to five is a reasonable range for most roles: one or two knockouts for the hard facts, one question about the core work, and perhaps one for practical details such as start date. If you find yourself writing more, check whether the posting is doing its job; our article on too many unqualified applicants covers that side.

Where SortTheStack fits

SortTheStack lets you add screening questions to a job: yes/no, multiple choice, short text, number, date or an acknowledgment. Any of them can be a Knockout rule, set as an answer that equals, doesn’t equal or is less than a value you choose. The rule is applied exactly as you set it, with no AI involved, and applicants aren’t shown which answer excludes them. A knocked-out applicant shows as Requirements not met, with the rule as the reason, and you can override it. No rejection email is sent unless someone on your team sends one. See how the screening works.

Sources

• Fuller, J. B., Raman, M., Sage-Gavin, E., & Hines, K. (2021). Hidden workers: Untapped talent. Harvard Business School Project on Managing the Future of Work and Accenture.
• iHire (2026). 2026 State of Online Recruiting Report. Survey of 318 employers and 1,054 job seekers in the United States, July and August 2026. Accessed 26 October 2026.
• Ontario Human Rights Commission, Designing application forms, Human rights at work. Accessed 26 October 2026.
• Ontario Ministry of Labour, Requirements related to publicly advertised job postings, Your guide to the Employment Standards Act. Accessed 26 October 2026.
• U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Prohibited employment policies/practices. Accessed 26 October 2026.