Pre Interview Questionnaire Template

A pre-interview questionnaire template is a short written form you send candidates after they apply and before you book an interview. It asks every applicant the same five to eight questions on availability, pay, qualifications, motivation and role-specific skills. That lets you shortlist quickly and fairly.

For a practice hiring around a full patient schedule, it replaces a round of phone calls with answers you can compare side by side. This guide covers what to ask for each role, how to score the answers, a phone-screen script and which questions to avoid before an offer.

Key takeaways

A pre-interview questionnaire collects the same five to eight answers from every candidate, so you shortlist on job-related facts rather than first impressions.

Cover availability, salary expectations, licenses, motivation and role-specific skills. Drop any question that doesn’t filter for the job.

Leave out protected-characteristic questions. Check salary-history rules too, because some US states ban or restrict them, while UK EHRC guidance only discourages them.

Pabau, the practice management platform we build, collects questionnaire responses through digital forms and sends reminders and follow-ups through automated workflows.

What a pre-interview questionnaire does

The questionnaire sits between the job application and the formal interview. It works as a lightweight screening tool that gives every applicant the same early-stage questions.

A full application asks for a resume, employment history and a cover letter. A pre-interview questionnaire narrows that down to five to eight key questions that tell you who’s worth meeting in person. For practices hiring alongside a full patient schedule, that saves hours spent on unsuitable candidates.

Common questions cover availability, salary expectations, relevant qualifications, motivation for the role and logistics, such as “Can you work weekends?” for spa or front-desk roles. Some practices add role-specific technical questions.

Why practices screen candidates in writing first

A written screen standardizes hiring and saves time at every stage:

• Saves screening time. Reading written answers is faster than phoning every applicant. You spot deal-breakers, like a salary mismatch or unavailable shifts, before the interview stage.
• Standardizes decisions. Every candidate answers the same questions. That makes your scoring consistent and easier to defend if a hiring decision is challenged.
• Reduces bias. Written answers keep attention on job-relevant criteria rather than first impressions from a resume or a voice on the phone.
• Improves candidate experience. Candidates know what to expect, and a clear process makes your practice look organized.
• Cuts the retyping. Digital questionnaire forms collect answers online, so nobody copies responses out of email attachments.

Five question areas to cover

A strong questionnaire covers five areas. Here’s what to ask in each, and why:

Keep the total form to five to eight questions. Longer questionnaires lower response rates and feel like a burden before the interview stage.

How to run it in your hiring process

A six-step workflow gets the most out of the questionnaire:

1. Send the form soon after the application. Aim for within one business day, with a clear deadline such as 48 hours. Strong candidates are often applying elsewhere, so speed matters.
2. Score responses against set criteria. Give full marks for ideal answers, partial marks for acceptable ones and zero for deal-breakers. For example, +2 for your target start date, +1 for a flexible start and 0 for unavailable dates.
3. Rank candidates by score. Shortlist the top scorers, typically the top third to half. That’s your interview invite list.
4. Tailor each interview to the answers. If a candidate wrote “No formal aesthetics training but eager to learn,” focus the interview on learning ability and their existing clinical foundation.
5. Keep responses on file. Stored answers show your process was fair and consistent if a hiring decision is disputed.
6. Automate the reminders. Automated workflows can email candidates who haven’t responded by the deadline, so nobody chases them by hand.

Screening questions by role

Below is a ready-to-use set of screening questions for common practice roles. Adapt the wording to your practice’s culture and legal jurisdiction.

Once a nurse candidate clears this screen, our list of LPN interview questions covers what to ask in the formal interview.

A 10-minute phone screen script

Some practices prefer a short phone screen before sending the written questionnaire, or after the answers are in. Here’s a script you can follow:

Opening (1 minute): “Hi [Name], thanks for taking the call. I’m [Manager Name] from [Practice]. I want to walk through your background for the [Role] position. Does this time still work for you?”

Core questions (8 minutes): “What attracted you to this role?” / “What’s your experience with [key requirement]?” / “What’s your ideal salary range?” / “When could you start?” / “Do you have any questions for me?”

Closing (1 minute): “Thanks [Name]. We’ll be in touch by [date] with next steps.” (Document notes: tone, engagement, clarity, answers to key questions.)

Keep phone screens to about 10 minutes, and score the call against the same criteria as the written form.

Legal rules to check before you send it

Before you use any pre-interview questionnaire, review the hiring rules that apply to you. Several depend on where you hire:

• Protected characteristics (EEOC, UK Equality Act). Don’t ask about age, race, religion, disability status, national origin, gender, sexual orientation or pregnancy. In the US, these pre-employment inquiries are prohibited or strongly discouraged and create discrimination-claim risk. Pre-offer disability and medical questions are barred under the ADA. These characteristics are protected in the US (see the EEOC pre-employment inquiry rules) and the UK (Equality Act 2010).
• Salary-history bans (US state law). California, New York, Illinois and other states ban asking candidates about previous pay. Check your state’s rules before including this question, since some allow it only if the candidate volunteers the information. The UK has no statutory ban, but EHRC guidance discourages the question.
• Right-to-work verification. You may ask whether a candidate is legally authorized to work and whether they will need sponsorship. Complete formal document checks (Form I-9 in the US, right-to-work checks in the UK) after the offer, before the start date. If you sponsor overseas hires, UK sponsor licence rules also apply.
• Data privacy (GDPR, CCPA). Questionnaire responses contain personal data. Store them securely, delete them once hiring decisions are final or your retention period ends, and tell candidates how you’ll use their data.

The panel below sorts the most common questions by how safe they are to ask before an offer.

If your practice hires across several states or countries, ask an employment lawyer to review the form for each jurisdiction. A form that’s compliant in California may break UK rules, and vice versa.

Writing questions that get useful answers

Strong questions produce answers you can score. Weak ones waste everyone’s time. Use these guidelines:

• Avoid leading questions. Bad: “You have experience with Botox, right?” Good: “Describe your experience with injectables.” The second lets candidates answer honestly without steering their response.
• Keep questions concise. One sentence per question. Candidates should understand what you’re asking in five seconds.
• Align questions to job requirements. If the role requires weekend availability, ask about it. If it doesn’t, skip it. Every question should filter for job fit, not general interest.
• Ask open-ended, not yes/no. “Do you have healthcare experience?” tells you very little. “Describe your healthcare experience” reveals depth, communication skill and relevance.
• Avoid opinion questions. “What do you think about our practice?” is vague and often draws flattery. “What appeals to you about this role?” is concrete and revealing.

Test the questionnaire on a trusted colleague first. If they find questions confusing, awkwardly phrased or too numerous, revise it before sending it to candidates.

How Pabau handles questionnaire delivery and new-hire records

Screening by hand means opening emails, copying answers into a spreadsheet and chasing people who haven’t replied. Those hours usually come out of time a small practice team would spend with patients.

Pabau moves that paperwork online. Its digital forms collect questionnaire responses, and automated workflows send the reminders and follow-ups your team would otherwise send by hand.

Once you hire, Pabau’s team management tools store the new team member’s qualifications and contracts. They also build shifts and set role-based permissions for what each person can see. It all runs in the same practice management app you use for scheduling and patient records.

Take the admin out of candidate screening

Collect questionnaire responses with Pabau’s digital forms and let automated workflows send reminders and follow-ups. Then keep new hires’ qualifications and contracts in one place.

Book a demo

Conclusion

A pre-interview questionnaire earns its place when every question filters for the job. Five to eight well-chosen questions, scored the same way for every candidate, give you a shortlist you can defend.

Start by sorting your draft questions against the legal panel above. Then run the form on your next opening and compare the scores with who performed best at interview. After a round or two, you’ll know which questions predict a good hire and which ones to cut.

The trade-off is effort up front, because scoring criteria take time to build. In return, you skip a round of phone calls on every hire. Book a demo to see how Pabau’s digital forms and automated reminders cut the admin around candidate screening.

Continue your research

Moving a nurse candidate to interview? 11 interview questions to hire your next LPN covers what to ask once they clear the screen.

Planning your first review with a new hire? Annual review template for healthcare practices gives you a repeatable format for performance conversations.

Need a plan when a hire falls short? Performance improvement plan template for healthcare staff sets out goals, support and timelines.

Documenting a conduct conversation? Employee counseling form records the discussion and the next steps you agreed.

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