Pre-Interview Questionnaire

Interview panels that meet candidates without structured pre-interview information spend the early part of every interview gathering context that could have been collected beforehand. Motivation for the role is not documented before the conversation begins. Work experience and technical familiarity are described verbally rather than recorded in a consistent format. Compensation expectations surface late in the process. Without a structured pre-interview intake, assessing and comparing candidates consistently requires more time from the interviewing team than it should.

The Pre-Interview Questionnaire template for SharePoint, built with Infowise Ultimate Forms, gives candidates a structured form to complete before their interview, capturing contact details, position applied for, motivation, experience, work style preferences, strengths and weaknesses, career goals, systems familiarity, compensation expectations, and additional context. Every completed questionnaire is stored as a searchable, comparable record in SharePoint.

How it works

Contact details and position applied for

The form captures the candidate's first and last name, email address, and phone number alongside the position they are applying for. Linking every questionnaire to a specific role at the point of submission allows HR to filter responses by position and ensures that the interview panel is reviewing the candidate's answers in the correct role context.

Motivation and fit

The form asks the candidate what attracted them to the position and why they want to work for the organization. Capturing motivation in writing before the interview gives the panel a documented starting point for assessing cultural and organizational fit, and ensures that every candidate addresses this question consistently rather than only those asked it directly in the interview room.

Experience and relevant background

The form captures the number of years of experience the candidate has in the field or industry, along with open-ended fields for describing relevant work experience and educational background. A separate field invites the candidate to describe the duties they would most enjoy fulfilling in the role, giving the panel insight into how the candidate perceives their own fit with the specific responsibilities of the position.

Systems familiarity

A structured systems selection field captures which tools and platforms the candidate is familiar with and confident in using. Capturing this information in a structured format at the pre-interview stage allows the panel to prepare technical questions relevant to the candidate's stated experience and to identify any training requirements before the offer stage.

Work style, frustrations, and motivation

The form asks the candidate to describe their ideal work environment and what motivates them to perform well. A follow-up question asks what they have found frustrating about work in the past. These two questions together give the panel a structured view of the candidate's working preferences and resilience, without relying on the interview setting alone to surface this information.

Strengths, weaknesses, and career goals

A combined strengths and weaknesses field asks the candidate to share an example of how each has influenced their career. A career goals field invites the candidate to describe their long-term ambitions and how the role fits into their plans. Capturing both in writing before the interview gives the panel time to prepare meaningful follow-up questions rather than processing the candidate's answers in real time.

Compensation expectations and additional context

A compensation expectations field captures the candidate's hourly rate expectations, giving the organization the information needed to assess alignment with the available budget before the interview proceeds. A final open-ended field gives the candidate the opportunity to share anything else they want the panel to know about their qualifications.

What you get

• A comprehensive pre-interview questionnaire capturing contact details, position applied for, motivation, experience, and education
• Systems familiarity selection for structured technical background capture
• Work style, work environment preference, and past frustrations providing insight into candidate fit and resilience
• Strengths, weaknesses, and career goals captured in writing for considered pre-interview review
• Compensation expectations captured at the pre-interview stage for early budget alignment
• Every questionnaire stored as a searchable, comparable record in a standard SharePoint list
• Filterable by position, experience level, or systems familiarity for structured candidate comparison
• Free for all Ultimate Forms customers, installed automatically with a single click

Built on standard SharePoint lists

The Pre-Interview Questionnaire system is built entirely on standard SharePoint lists. There is no external data storage and no custom interface. All questionnaire records stay inside your SharePoint environment, governed by your existing permissions and data policies. The system can be extended or adapted at any time. It is done in the browser by the administrator who manages the site.