You’ll recognise the problem: just one vacancy goes live and your inbox is flooded. Yet you end up with too many interviews that yield little of value. A short, consistent pre-screen with clear ‘must-haves’ filters out the noise, speeds up your process and ensures you only interview candidates who are genuine contenders.
What are the “must-haves” in a pre-screen?
Must-haves are essential requirements that a person needs to fulfil in order to carry out the role safely, legally and realistically. They are non-negotiable in the short term. If a candidate does not meet them, it is fairer to say ‘no’ straight away rather than rejecting them only after two further rounds of interviews.
Think of “must-haves” as deal-breakers: objective, pre-determined and the same for everyone. Examples include mandatory qualifications, minimum availability, language proficiency or a maximum travel distance. What you should not include in your “must-haves”: ‘good vibe’, ‘fits into the team’ or a list of desirable experience that someone could also learn.
The 10 essential items on the pre-screening checklist
The checklist below is suitable for many blue-collar roles – in production, engineering and logistics – as well as for commercial positions. Adapt the wording for each vacancy, but keep the structure the same.
Would you like to find out more about data-driven recruitment?
- Recruitment using AI and data
- Takes an average of 3–8 weeks to complete
1) Right to work and right of residence
Is the candidate legally entitled to work in the Netherlands (and, if necessary, able to provide proof of this)? This is a deal-breaker if it isn’t the case or cannot be sorted out in time.
2) Availability and start date
Is the candidate available within the timeframe you require? Set this out clearly: “start within 3 weeks” or “notice period of no more than 1 month”.
3) Work schedule: shift work, weekends, on-call duty
A lot of absences aren’t down to a lack of skills, but to the timetable. Ask straight away if someone can do this on a regular basis, not just “now and then”.
- 2-, 3- or 5-shift systems
- night shifts
- weekend availability
- consignment service
4) Travel distance and mobility
Make this quantifiable: maximum journey time in minutes or kilometres, and how someone travels. For early services, “public transport is an option” sometimes translates in practice to “public transport is not an option”.
5) Language proficiency for safety and quality
Not as an abstract label (“good Dutch”), but linked to the job. Does someone need to understand safety instructions, write reports, or speak to customers on the phone?
For evidence supporting the view that language is a safety and working requirement, you can refer to health and safety principles concerning clear instructions via Arboportaal (Central Government) on safe and healthy working conditions.
6) Compulsory certificates and driving licences
Make a note of what is absolutely essential on day 1, and what is achievable within X weeks. Examples:
- VCA (basic/full)
- forklift/reach truck
- NEN 3140
- Category B driving licence (or C/CE)
7) Minimum experience (only if it is genuinely a requirement)
Only specify experience as a “must-have” requirement if induction training is not realistic given your time constraints and risk tolerance. Be specific: “at least 6 months” experience of TIG welding” or “at least 1 year’s experience in B2B sales involving cold calling”.
8) Physical capacity and working environment
Be transparent about conditions that often lead to a mismatch: lifting, standing work, cold/heat, dust, PPE, noise. Ask whether anyone has worked in such conditions before and what that meant in practice.
Please note: this is not about medical screening, but about providing an honest description of the job. Keep it job-focused and avoid diagnoses or detailed questions about health.
9) Salary range and fixed terms and conditions
A pre-screen that doesn’t discuss salary until after two rounds will waste your time. Share a salary range and check whether their expectations fall within that range.
- basic salary (range)
- shift allowance or commission
- travel expenses scheme
- type of contract (permanent/fixed-term/self-employed)
10) Integrity and compliance checks (where relevant)
Consider a Certificate of Good Conduct (VOG), references, or whether the candidate is permitted to work at a site with access restrictions (port/industrial site). Decide in advance when these would be deal-breakers.
The official explanation of the VOG can be found at Justis (Certificate of Good Conduct).
How to get the checklist up and running quickly and fairly
The benefit lies not in an even longer list, but in the way you conduct the pre-screen. Keep it brief (10–15 minutes), consistent and predictable. Candidates appreciate clarity, even if the answer is ‘no’.
Work in a set order and use short, direct questions
Start with the criteria that are most often overlooked and save the most time. For shift-based roles, these are usually the rota, travel distance and start date.
- “Which services can you run on a regular basis?”
- “How do you get to location X for a 06:00 start?”
- “What is your notice period, and when could you realistically start?”
Use three possible outcomes: rejection, uncertainty, perseverance
Not everything has to be black and white. Define what “doubt” means: a single point that can be verified (certificate has expired, route unclear, salary range just outside the target). Then schedule a brief follow-up or ask for proof, rather than arranging a full interview straight away.
Link the must-haves to your scorecard
Must-haves determine who is even eligible to join your shortlist. The scorecard determines which candidates from that group best meet the success criteria. If you do not yet have a standard scorecard, this ties in directly with Create a selection scorecard for hiring managers.
Example: a ‘must-haves’ table that you can copy straight away
This table helps to finalise agreements with hiring managers. It prevents the bar from being raised retrospectively simply because someone “comes across well anyway”.
| Must-have | Knockout if | How do you check this during the pre-screening? |
|---|---|---|
| Shift work | Day shifts only available | Enquire about regular availability and previous experience |
| Travel distance | > 45 mins one way (by arrangement) | Please specify the proposed route and departure time |
| Certificate (e.g. VCA) | Not in stock and cannot be supplied within two weeks | Please provide the date and proof (photo/PDF) if necessary |
| Language proficiency for safety | Instructions are unclear | Brief follow-up question on a safety example in Dutch |
| Salary range | Forecast consistently above the range | Share the range and ask, ‘Is this right for you?’ |
Common mistakes in pre-screening (and how to avoid them)
Confusing ‘must-haves’ with ‘nice-to-haves’
If you have 15 “must-haves”, they’re no longer must-haves. You’ll miss out on good candidates who are quick learners. Stick to requirements that really can’t be got round.
Unable to explain the grounds for rejection
A ‘must-have’ is only useful if you can back it up. Stick to the facts: timetable, distance, certificate, start date. That also makes it easier for hiring managers.
Using the pre-screen as a mini-interview
The pre-screen is not an assessment of charisma or “fit”. Save the in-depth discussion for the structured interview. If you want to refine that process, then also How to conduct a structured interview in 8 steps in addition.
Practical next step
If you refine and document this pre-screening checklist of ‘must-haves’ once for each job category, you’ll be able to filter through a large number of applications very quickly and without any arbitrariness. Would you like to combine this with a data-driven approach where you only interview the top 2–4 candidates per month and handle the rest efficiently and promptly? If so, it would be beneficial to work together to review your ‘must-haves’, ‘knock-outs’ and scorecards, ensuring that speed and quality do not get in each other’s way.