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How to add knockout questions to screen candidates
A one-minute walkthrough of adding knockout questions in Truffle, where they're called qualification checks: describe the role's must-haves, let Truffle draft the checks from your job description, and mark the true dealbreakers Required so candidates who fail are blocked before they record anything. Qualification checks cost no credits.
Key takeaways
- Knockout questions are called qualification checks in Truffle. They run before the interview, and they're the only screening component with no credit cost.
- Truffle drafts the checks from your job description. Each one gets a type and a passing answer: Yes/No, a numeric threshold, a fixed list, or free text.
- Marking a check Required makes it a hard stop. A candidate who fails is blocked from completing the interview, so they never record answers you were never going to accept.
- Leave a check informational and a failing answer is flagged instead. The candidate carries on and you decide whether it matters.
- Qualification checks run in front of a screening rather than replacing one, so a position also needs a resume screen, a video interview, or an assessment switched on.
Frequently asked questions
- What are knockout questions?
- Knockout questions are pre-interview filter questions for the things a role can't do without — a licence, work authorization, a minimum number of years. In Truffle they're called qualification checks. Candidates answer them before the interview, and you decide which ones are hard requirements.
- Do knockout questions reject candidates automatically?
- A check you mark Required blocks a candidate from completing the interview — but that's a rule you set, not a judgement Truffle makes. Checks you leave informational simply flag the answer and the candidate continues. Truffle never decides who's worth hiring; it applies the requirements you defined and shows you the rest.
- Do qualification checks cost credits?
- No. Qualification checks are the only screening component with no credit cost. Resume screening is 1 credit per resume, a video interview is 5 credits per screening, and assessments are 2 credits per candidate.
- What types of knockout questions can I ask?
- Four: Yes/No for binary requirements like a licence, Numeric for anything countable with a threshold, Select for a fixed list of acceptable answers, and Free-form for short text you want to read. Free-form can't be marked Required, because open text can't be graded automatically.
See it in Truffle
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