Send Screening Questions to Candidates

Collect your job's screening answers from candidates already in your pipeline, without sending the whole application form.

Overview

Screening questions used to reach candidates in only two ways: when they applied through Indeed or ZipRecruiter, or as part of the job's Application Form. If a candidate came in from another source, the only way to get their answers was to send the full form.

The Send screening questions automation fixes that. Add it to any status on the Processing tab, and every candidate who enters that status is asked to answer the job's screening questions. Candidates answer on a short Application Questions page, and their answers go straight into their profile.

With this automation, you can:

Ask candidates from any source the same screening questions
Send a link to the questions in the status's email or text message
See at a glance who still owes answers, who has answered, and who picked a dealbreaker
Move candidates forward automatically once they finish the questions

The automation uses the questions already set up on the job, so there's only one list to keep up to date. See Set Screening Questions.

Note: Screening questions require the Job Boards service on your Discovered plan. Without it, the automation shows a Find out more icon instead of a plus, and the Screening questions token isn't offered in your messages.

Before You Start

Make sure that:

You have Admin or Editor permissions. Users with Viewer permissions can see the automation and the answers, but can't add, edit or remove it.
The job has a status set up for this step on the Processing tab. See Set Candidate Statuses & Defaults.
(Recommended) The job already has screening questions. If it doesn't, Discovered takes you to the questions editor first.

How to Send Screening Questions:

1. Open a Status on the Processing Tab

Open your job posting and go to the Processing tab.
Select the status where candidates should answer the questions (for example, New Candidate or a "Pre-Screen" status).

2. Add the Send Screening Questions Automation

Under Additional automation options, click Send screening questions.
If the job already has questions, the automation is added right away. Its card shows Uses the screening questions set up on this job, the number of questions and the list of questions.
If the job has no questions yet, the screening questions editor opens. Add your questions and click Save. Discovered saves the questions, adds the automation and brings you back to the same status.

3. Add a Message with the Screening Questions Link

The automation itself doesn't send anything. It assigns the questions to the candidate, and the candidate can find them on their to-do list. To let candidates know, add a message to the status that includes the link:

Add or edit the status's automatic email or text message.
Click Token in the message toolbar and choose Screening questions. It's inserted as Application questions link, and each candidate gets their own link.
Save the message.

Discovered reminds you if this step is missing:

Status doesn't contain message appears when the status has no message. Click Create message to add one.
Message doesn't contain application questions link appears when the message has no link. Click Update message to add the token.

For help writing the message, see Automated Candidate Emails.

4. Edit or Remove the Automation (Optional)

Click Edit questions on the automation card to change the job's questions. You return to the same status after you save.
Click the trash icon on the card to remove the automation. Candidates who were already asked keep their request.

Important: The questions are shared by the whole job. Editing them here also changes what candidates see on Indeed, ZipRecruiter and in the Application Form.

5. Move Candidates into the Status

When a candidate enters the status, by any route, they're asked to answer the questions.
When you move a candidate by hand, the email step opens with Application questions link shown above the editor. If your message doesn't include the token yet, you'll see a reminder to add it.
Click Do not send to move the candidate without a message. They're still asked to answer, and the questions appear on their to-do list.

Note: If the candidate already answered the job's screening questions (for example, when applying through Indeed), they aren't asked again. Their request is marked as complete straight away.

Move Candidates Automatically When They Finish (Optional)

You can move candidates to the next status as soon as they submit their answers:

On the same status, add Move Candidate to Another Status (Conditional).
Choose the Tasks Completed rule type and select Screening questions. This option only appears on a status that has the Send screening questions automation.
Choose the status the candidate should move to.

See Conditional Candidate Status Rules.

If you follow up with a sequence, add the Screening questions token to the sequence message. Discovered adds the stopping criterion Candidate completes the screening questions for you, so reminders stop once the candidate answers. See Use Candidate Sequences.

Dealbreakers: If Automatically Move Dealbreakers to Rejected is turned on, a candidate who picks a dealbreaker response is moved to Rejected when they submit. Otherwise they're only flagged in red. See Assessment Configuration.

What Candidates See

The link in your message opens the Application Questions page with the job title and location, a progress counter and a short intro.
Every question is required. The Submit answers button stays disabled until each question has an answer.
A text-message consent question may appear at the end of the list if your company collects consent to text candidates. Discovered adds it automatically.
After submitting, the candidate sees Application Questions finished! Candidates can submit their answers only once. Opening the link again shows the same confirmation.
The to-do list shows an Application Questions card with the number of questions. After the candidate answers, the card shows Completed and the date.
The Application Form: if you later send the Application Form, a candidate who already answered sees their answers locked with the date they answered. They fill in the rest of the form as usual.

Why This Matters

Screening questions are the fastest way to spot whether a candidate meets your must-haves. Now you can ask them at any point in your pipeline, not just when someone applies through a job board.

Ask the same questions of every candidate, whatever their source.
Avoid sending a full application form when you only need a few answers.
Spot outstanding, completed and dealbreaker answers right from the candidate list.
Keep candidates moving with conditional moves and sequences that stop on their own.

Use Cases

Sourced or imported candidates: Ask the screening questions that job board applicants already answered.
High-volume hiring: Add the automation to New Candidate and move candidates who answer straight to review.
Hiring managers: Confirm availability, licenses or location before booking an interview.
Agencies: Collect consistent answers across candidates from many sources.

Best Practices

Always add a message with the Screening questions token, so candidates know the questions are waiting.
Keep the list short. Every question is required, and long lists cause drop-off.
Mark dealbreaker responses only for true must-haves.
Test the flow with a test candidate before using it on a live job.

What Happens Next

Candidates who enter the status are asked to answer, and the job's candidate list shows an orange icon until they do.
When they submit, the icon turns green, or red if they picked a dealbreaker, and their answers appear on their profile.
See Review Screening Question Answers to read answers and track who has responded.

With the Send screening questions automation, you can collect the answers you need from every candidate, right when you need them.