How do I use the Forms tool to create pre-screening questions with knockout (or knock in) capabilities?

We believe that pre-screening forms provide a highly effective way of saving your recruiting team time and effort in reviewing resumes for baseline qualifications. 

To learn more about how to use this feature, please read the scoring information included in this article.

Highlights of Pre-Screening Forms

• Scoring Candidates:  Jobvite’s screening questions can be used to score candidate responses and apply weighting to give recruiters an overall form score.
• Workflow Options:  Based on individual question responses, candidates can be moved to a different workflow step.

About Forms

The screening forms can be used in two places:

• Career site application process: Candidates complete the form when they apply to a job. To enable this feature, go to Admin > Configurations > Custom Fields > Requisition and make sure you have the field Pre-Interview Form your Active Fields list.  If this is missing, expand the Details section and drag Pre-Interview Form into the list.  Once this is enabled, select the form to add or edit a requisition.
• Pre-Interview form: Forms may be in the interview invitation sent to candidates.  To enable this feature, go to Admin>Hire>View Interview Types and select the interview type where you want to include the form.  Select the evaluation name and select Candidate Invitation Email and select Add Form.  Select the form from the list that you want to include in the email.

​NOTE: When using Knockout or Knock In question scoring - which results in a status change for the respondent - be sure that you do not send the form to the applicant in later steps of the hiring process, after their status has already been changed any number of times. For example, if they have been advanced to the Interview step, then sent the form that contains a question with a knock in response that changes their status to Submit to Manager, they could actually be moved backward in the workflow.  Typically, forms with knockout or knock in questions should only be used in the application process or as a pre-interview form prior to the very first interview a candidate would be invited to. 

Creating a Form

To create a form, visit to Admin > Hire > View Screening Forms and select Add Form or Copy Form. 

1. Give the form a name by clicking on Form Title Text and editing the name.
2. Drag and drop form elements into the form from the list on the right side of the screen.
3. Edit form elements by clicking the edit properties icon.
4. Click Preview button to see how the form will appear to candidates.
5. When you are finished, click the Save button. 

Adding Scoring

Jobvite Screening Questions supports scoring for three form elements: Check-boxes, Radio Buttons and Pull-down Menus. To enable scoring, click 'P' (for 'Properties'), then select Add Scoring.

Check-boxes: Enter a score between 0 and 10 points for each answer. The total for all answers must be 10 points. For example, if you have three choices, the answers could be worth 3, 3, and 4 points or 2, 3, and 5 points.

Radio Buttons: Enter a score between 0 and 10 points for each answer.  At least one answer must be 10 points.  For example, if you have three choices, the answers could be worth 0, 5 and 10 points or 7, 8, and 10 points.

Pull-down Menu allowing multi-select: If Allow Multi-select is selected,the pull-down menu scoring works the same like the check-boxes. Enter a score between 0 and 10 points for each answer. The total for all answers must be 10 points. For example, if you have three choices, the answers could be worth 3, 3, and 4 points or 2, 3, and 5 points.

Pull-down Menu not allowing multi-select: If you have not selected Allow Multi-select,the pull-down menu scoring works like the radio buttons. Enter a score between 0 and 10 points for each answer.  At least one answer must be 10 points.  For example, if you have three choices, the answers could be worth 0, 5 and 10 points or 7, 8, and 10 points.

Editing Weighting

If scoring is enabled, every question is automatically given a weight.  The weighting is distributed equally across all scored questions (i.e. if you have four scored questions, each will have a weight equal to 25%). the weight for each question can be changed so that the questions that are most important are scored higher than questions of lesser importance.  To change the weight, select the weight in the form.  The value must be between 0 and 100; the sum of all weights must be 100. 

When the candidate completes the form, the score is calculated according to your scoring for each answer, and your weighting for each question.  This score will be between 0 and 100 points.

Advanced Options

Another feature in forms is the ability to change a candidate’s workflow based on their response to an individual question or based on their score for the form.  Both methods are outlined below.

Individual Question Workflow Options: Once you enable scoring for a question you will have the option to add advanced workflow options for the question. 

1. Select Add Advanced Workflow Options. 
2. Select the workflow state you want to move the candidate to from the dropdown menu (note: this dropdown menu will only contain workflow states shared by all of your workflows, excludingPending Approval and Offer Accepted). 
3. Select the range, between 0 and 10, where you want this to apply (i.e. score between 0 and 4 or scores between 5 and 5).

To add another workflow option to the question, select Add Screening Criteria and follow the steps above.

Question Ordering: If you have enabled workflow options for more than one question, you have the option to choose the order in which we apply the rules.  The order, by default, is the order that the questions appear on the form.  To change order, click on the link Advanced Options and reorder the questions by dragging and dropping into the order you prefer. 

Form Level Workflow Options: To enable workflow changes based on the candidate’s score for the entire form:

1. Select Advanced Options at the top of the form then check the box Add Advanced Workflow Options.
2. Select the workflow state you want to move the candidate to from the drop-down menu (note: this drop-down menu will only contain workflow states shared by all of your workflows, excludingPending Approval and Offer Accepted). 
3. Select the range, between 0 and 100, where you want this to apply (i.e. score between 0 and 40 or scores between 50 and 50). 

To add another workflow option to the question, select Add Screening Criteria and follow the steps above. 

Note: Question level workflow options are always applied before form level options.  For example, if a candidate’s response to a question resulting in changing the candidate’s status to ‘Screened’ and the candidates form score results in moving the candidate to ‘Rejected’, the system will move the candidate to ‘Screened’ and not apply the second rule.

* If a candidate is automatically 'Rejected' based on their answer, a rejection email will not be sent to them.  Further, their Disposition will not be changed.  For this reason, many of our customers add a Reject Later status that is assigned for Knockout scenarios.  This way, recruiters can view those candidates in the Reject Later status and use the Actions menu (ideally) to assign Rejected status, send a rejection email, and assign a disposition to the candidates.  This can be done on a regular basis (perhaps weekly), on a per-requisition basis.    

** If candidate is moved automatically to 'Submit to Hiring Manager' the 'Requesting Candidate Approval (Triggered by Form)' template will be sent to Hiring Manager. (Admin> Email Text> Notes & Messages)