The Pre-Interview Questionnaire

Many of you have completed pre-interview questionnaires. What are they? They are questions a hiring company may have you complete after sending in your resume and before landing a phone or live interview. I know they can seem hard. I know it reminds you of writing papers for school. But just like writing those papers, once you sit down and do it, it isn’t as bad as it seems.

Pre-interview questionnaires are one of many resources or tools that companies use to screen candidates. They can be an effective way to determine a person’s skills and experience. They can also be very telling about a person’s written communication skills and style.

From a candidate’s perspective, pre-interview questionnaires are an additional way to highlight achievements. Your resume lists your accomplishments, competencies, and experience. The questionnaire allows you to elaborate and explain your actual job-oriented accomplishments. Use the pre-interview questionnaire to demonstrate your successes. This can help you stand out in today’s sea of job applicants.

Here are a few tips for completing the pre-interview questionnaire:

• Be thorough but not too lengthy
• Be straightforward and give specific examples
• Take this part of the process seriously – it could land you the interview
• Spell check your responses before turning the questionnaire into the company
• Have another set of eyes (perhaps a career coach) look at your responses

You may find that many of these pre-employment questionnaires ask similar questions. Over time you can build from previous answers when completing new questionnaires. Remember, just as this is a tool that employers use to screen, it is also a tool for you to showcase yourself.