Pre screening form: short questions before the first interview

A phone screen goes badly when I spend its first part on basics: where the person lives, when they can start, what pay they expect. I would rather have those facts in front of me. A short form before the call gives me them, so the call is for the real conversation.

What should a pre-screen ask?

Only what decides whether to talk further: place, working pattern, start date, pay hope, years in the field, and one piece of work they are proud of. That last answer, in the person's own words, tells me more than a line on a CV.

How do I keep it fair?

Everyone gets the same questions in the same order. I leave out age, family plans, health and anything else that does not change the job. Check your local hiring rules too.

How would a candidate's AI help?

It asks: "Which role did you apply for?" Then "When could you start?" Then "What is one project you are proud of?" It shows the answers and sends them only after a yes. See agent-fillable forms.

Using it as a phone screen form

Read the rows, pick the people to call, and keep the answers beside you during the call. Candidates who only want to be kept on file belong in a candidate registration form. Someone who must travel to meet you can use a travel request. More ideas are in HR and recruiting forms.

Questions

How do I pick who gets a call?

Sort the CSV by `start_availability` and `work_arrangement` to remove clear mismatches. Then read the `proud_project` answers of the people who are left.

Can candidates book the call inside the form?

No. The form cannot book slots or run a calendar. It asks which times suit them, and you pick one and write back yourself.

Is the pay question a good idea?

That is your call. The question is optional in this template, and you can remove it before you publish. Some teams prefer to ask on the call.

Or paste the JSON

Give this to your AI. It needs the AI Form API MCP server or an API key. It makes the form and sends you the link.

text

Create this form with the AI Form API create_form tool (or POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms with my API key). Then reply with the public_url.

{
  "title": "A few quick questions before we talk",
  "description": "This helps us decide the next step. Short answers are fine.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "candidate_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "candidate_email",
      "label": "Your email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "role_applied",
      "label": "Role you applied for",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "current_city",
      "label": "City where you live",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "work_arrangement",
      "label": "How do you want to work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "On site only",
        "Hybrid is fine",
        "Remote only",
        "Open to any"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start_availability",
      "label": "When could you start?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Right away",
        "Within a month",
        "One to three months",
        "More than three months"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salary_expectation",
      "label": "Pay you expect for this role",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "years_in_field",
      "label": "Years of experience in this kind of work",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 50
    },
    {
      "id": "proud_project",
      "label": "Tell us about one piece of work you are proud of",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 1000
    },
    {
      "id": "call_windows",
      "label": "When are you free for a call?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Weekday mornings",
        "Weekday afternoons",
        "Weekday evenings",
        "Weekends"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heard_about_role",
      "label": "How did you hear about the role?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Job board",
        "Our website",
        "Someone referred me",
        "Social media",
        "A recruiter message",
        "Other"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your_questions",
      "label": "What would you like to ask us?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 800
    },
    {
      "id": "ok_to_contact",
      "label": "You may call or message me about this role",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

Or call the API

bash

curl -X POST https://aiformapi.com/v1/forms \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AIFORMAPI_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"title":"A few quick questions before we talk","description":"This helps us decide the next step. Short answers are fine.","fields":[{"id":"candidate_name","label":"Your name","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"candidate_email","label":"Your email","type":"email","required":true},{"id":"role_applied","label":"Role you applied for","type":"short_text","required":true,"max_length":150},{"id":"current_city","label":"City where you live","type":"short_text","max_length":100},{"id":"work_arrangement","label":"How do you want to work?","type":"single_choice","required":true,"options":["On site only","Hybrid is fine","Remote only","Open to any"]},{"id":"start_availability","label":"When could you start?","type":"single_choice","options":["Right away","Within a month","One to three months","More than three months"]},{"id":"salary_expectation","label":"Pay you expect for this role","type":"short_text","max_length":100},{"id":"years_in_field","label":"Years of experience in this kind of work","type":"number","min":0,"max":50},{"id":"proud_project","label":"Tell us about one piece of work you are proud of","type":"long_text","required":true,"max_length":1000},{"id":"call_windows","label":"When are you free for a call?","type":"multi_choice","options":["Weekday mornings","Weekday afternoons","Weekday evenings","Weekends"]},{"id":"heard_about_role","label":"How did you hear about the role?","type":"single_choice","options":["Job board","Our website","Someone referred me","Social media","A recruiter message","Other"]},{"id":"your_questions","label":"What would you like to ask us?","type":"long_text","max_length":800},{"id":"ok_to_contact","label":"You may call or message me about this role","type":"checkbox","required":true}]}'

JSON definition

json

{
  "title": "A few quick questions before we talk",
  "description": "This helps us decide the next step. Short answers are fine.",
  "fields": [
    {
      "id": "candidate_name",
      "label": "Your name",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "candidate_email",
      "label": "Your email",
      "type": "email",
      "required": true
    },
    {
      "id": "role_applied",
      "label": "Role you applied for",
      "type": "short_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "current_city",
      "label": "City where you live",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "work_arrangement",
      "label": "How do you want to work?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "required": true,
      "options": [
        "On site only",
        "Hybrid is fine",
        "Remote only",
        "Open to any"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start_availability",
      "label": "When could you start?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Right away",
        "Within a month",
        "One to three months",
        "More than three months"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salary_expectation",
      "label": "Pay you expect for this role",
      "type": "short_text",
      "max_length": 100
    },
    {
      "id": "years_in_field",
      "label": "Years of experience in this kind of work",
      "type": "number",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 50
    },
    {
      "id": "proud_project",
      "label": "Tell us about one piece of work you are proud of",
      "type": "long_text",
      "required": true,
      "max_length": 1000
    },
    {
      "id": "call_windows",
      "label": "When are you free for a call?",
      "type": "multi_choice",
      "options": [
        "Weekday mornings",
        "Weekday afternoons",
        "Weekday evenings",
        "Weekends"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heard_about_role",
      "label": "How did you hear about the role?",
      "type": "single_choice",
      "options": [
        "Job board",
        "Our website",
        "Someone referred me",
        "Social media",
        "A recruiter message",
        "Other"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your_questions",
      "label": "What would you like to ask us?",
      "type": "long_text",
      "max_length": 800
    },
    {
      "id": "ok_to_contact",
      "label": "You may call or message me about this role",
      "type": "checkbox",
      "required": true
    }
  ]
}

A pre screening form before the first call