Guide

Screening questions for job applicants in Ireland: what to ask and what not to

Last updated 11 October 2026

Screening is the first sort of a pile of applicants. This guide shows how to do it, which questions are reasonable, and which touch the nine grounds of Irish equality law.

How do you screen job applicants?

To screen job applicants, write down the must-haves for the role, ask every applicant the same short questions about them, compare the answers with the must-haves, and have a person make the decision on who goes forward.

Write the must-haves first. List what the job needs: a licence, a certificate, the shifts, the location, the skills. Keep nice-to-haves in a separate list.
Use the same questions for everyone. Put the same questions, in the same words and the same order, to each applicant.
Check the CV against the must-haves. Mark each must-have as met, not met or unclear. Ask about the unclear ones rather than guessing.
Ask a few short questions. A call, a form or a recorded interview all work. Keep to the job.
Write down the answers. A short record of what was asked and answered lets you explain a decision later.
Let a person decide. Use the screen to sort applicants, and have a named person make the call.

What are good screening questions for job applicants?

Good screening questions test a genuine requirement of the job and are put to every applicant in the same words. Examples are availability for the stated shifts, a licence or certificate the role requires, and whether the applicant can legally work in Ireland.

Right to work. Ask it as one neutral question of everyone, such as “Are you legally able to work in Ireland for this role?” Do not ask where someone is from or what nationality they are.
Availability. Ask whether the applicant can work the shifts and days the job states. Ask only about hours the job does require. A blanket availability rule that is not needed can disadvantage people on the family status or religion grounds.
A required licence or certificate. Ask whether they hold the licence or certificate the role needs, only where the job does need it.
Garda vetting. Where the role requires vetting, ask whether the applicant is willing to undergo it. Ask about willingness, and leave the vetting process itself for later.
Location and travel. Ask whether they can reach the workplace at the start time, if that is a real part of the job.

What is an example of a screening question?

A screening question is a short, job-related question put to every applicant, such as “Do you hold a full category B driving licence?” for a driver role. Here are examples, each with the reason it is commonly used. None is a legal assurance; whether a question is fair depends on the job.

“Are you legally able to work in Ireland for this role?” It asks about a work requirement, not about background, and every applicant gets it in the same words.
“This role works rotating shifts, including weekends. Can you work these?” It tests a stated feature of the job.
“The role needs a valid forklift licence. Do you hold one?” It tests a requirement of the job. Use it only where the job needs the licence.
“Are you willing to undergo Garda vetting for this role?” Use it only where the role requires vetting. It asks about willingness, and it is the same question for all.
“This job involves lifting and carrying stock during a shift. Can you carry out these tasks, with or without adjustments?” It asks about the tasks of the job, not about health or a condition. If the answer is no, or yes with adjustments, do not reject on that answer. Section 16(3) of the Act says an employer shall take appropriate measures, where needed, to enable a person who has a disability to have access to employment, unless the measures would impose a disproportionate burden.
“Tell me about the last time you worked in a customer-facing role.” It asks about work experience that the role needs.
“What notice period do you have?” It is a plain planning question about start date.

What should you not ask job applicants in Ireland?

The Employment Equality Acts 1998 to 2015 do not list banned questions. They prohibit discrimination on nine grounds: gender, civil status, family status, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, race and membership of the Traveller community. A question about one of these grounds can be used as evidence that the answer affected the decision, so the common practice is not to ask.

Section 6 of the Employment Equality Act 1998 says discrimination occurs where, on one of the grounds, one person is treated less favourably than another is, has been or would be treated. Section 8(5)(a) says an employer is taken to discriminate against a prospective employee in access to employment if it discriminates in any arrangements it makes for the purpose of deciding to whom employment should be offered. The Act does not mention interview questions. In practice, a question about one of the grounds is treated as part of those arrangements, and it can be relied on as evidence of discrimination. The race ground covers race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins. Family status, broadly, means responsibility as a parent or as a resident primary carer.

“Are you married, or do you have a partner?” Touches the civil status ground. The Act defines civil status to include being single, married, separated, divorced, widowed or in a civil partnership.
“Do you have children, or are you planning to?” Touches the family status and gender ground. Parenting is within the family status ground. Pregnancy-related treatment is treated as gender discrimination, according to Citizens Information.
“Are you pregnant?” Touches the gender ground. Citizens Information says pregnancy-related discrimination is discrimination on the ground of gender and includes recruitment.
“How old are you, or what year were you born?” Touches the age ground. Section 6(3)(b) lets an employer set a minimum age, not exceeding 18 years, for recruitment to a post.
“Do you have any health problems, or a disability?” Touches the disability ground. The Act defines disability widely, including conditions that may exist in the future. Ask about the tasks of the job instead.
“What religion are you, or do you go to church?” Touches the religion ground. The ground covers having a different belief, or having none.
“Where are you from originally, or what is your nationality?” Touches the race ground. The race ground covers race, colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins. Ask about the right to work instead.
“Are you a member of the Traveller community?” Touches the Traveller community ground. The Act lists membership of the Traveller community as a ground.
“Are you gay, or do you have a husband or a wife?” Touches the sexual orientation and civil status ground. The Act lists sexual orientation as a ground.

The Act also deals with advertising. Section 10(1) says a person shall not publish or display an advertisement relating to employment that indicates, or might reasonably be understood as indicating, an intention to discriminate. If a point is unclear, ask a solicitor, or read the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission's information for employers, before you rely on this page.

What red flags do you look for when screening candidates?

The useful red flags are job-related: a gap between a stated requirement and the applicant's answer, or details that do not match. A gap is something to ask about, not a reason to reject an applicant unseen.

A must-have that is missing. The role needs a licence, and the CV does not mention one. Ask before you decide.
Answers that do not match the CV. Dates, job titles or responsibilities that differ between the CV and the answers. Ask for an explanation.
No answer to the question asked. If the answer talks about something else, ask the question again in other words.
Availability that does not fit. An applicant who cannot work the stated shifts may still suit another role. Say so.

A break in work history is not a red flag. If you ask about it, ask every applicant, and do not press for a personal reason. Age, children, health and background are not red flags for a screen.

Can AI do the first screen?

Yes, software can do parts of the first screen, such as reading and ranking CVs, setting a short test and running a first interview. It is good practice for a person to decide who goes forward. Section 8(5)(a) refers to "any arrangements the employer makes" and does not distinguish between a person and software. We read that as meaning the same care is needed for questions put by software.

If you use such a tool, the EU AI Act lists AI systems used for the recruitment or selection of people in Annex III, point 4. Our guide AI interview software for high-volume hiring explains what these tools do, and The EU AI Act and hiring in Ireland explains the rules and lists questions to ask a vendor. For the practices the Act bans outright, read what the EU AI Act bans in hiring.

How Fios AI approaches this

Fios AI is an Irish product in private build. Seamus finds candidates, Cara delivers a test and Aoibheann runs a first interview by video. Candidates are told they are talking to an AI. For each candidate who completes the interview, a recruiter reads the report and decides whether to proceed, hold or decline. Because it ranks and interviews candidates, we treat Fios AI as a high-risk system under Annex III. See how it works.

Sources

This page is general information, not legal advice.