Recruitment screener

Back to glossary

Recruitment screener

A recruitment screener is a series of qualifying questions used by market researchers to identify if the selection of participants accurately reflects the target population. They are also used to assess if a candidate fits the criteria for a particular research study. While most of the questions will be closed questions to illicit specific answers from the participant, the recruitment screener should also include some open questions as to help better understand the candidate.

To save time, screeners will be conducted over the phone or online; therefore, if the participant isn’t selected, they haven’t had to travel anywhere. Most recruitment screeners will find out the occupation of the participant as they could work for the company being researched or for a market research company themselves, meaning their answers may be biased.

Furthermore, eliciting the participant’s age, along with where they work and live are often key points when conducting market research. Setting parameters for the study will help eliminate possible candidates to ensure the selection of participants reflects the target population accurately. Once the candidates have all been given the recruitment screener, the market researchers will select the participants who they think will make up the most accurate representation of the target population, or who they think will be most insightful. 

Recruitment screeners are useful in making a research study more valid and tailored better for the individual study. 

Why partner with DJS Research?

Senior-led sector experts icon

We build small, director-led, teams of sector experts who are with you from brief to debrief. As an employee-owned company, every one of us is invested in delivering quality, value, and long-term impact.

Research design icon

From agile testing to deep-dive strategic studies, we design research to meet your specific objectives. The agility of our in-house operations team and strength of our UK-wide recruiter network enable seamless execution at scale.

Customer understanding icon

Our sector-focused teams have decades of experience understanding audiences and the complexities of the markets in which our clients operate. Working collaboratively we deliver actionable insight which drives positive change.

We are small enough. We are big enough. We are DJS Research

We'd love to talk...

Contact us today to discuss your next market research project and discover how we could become a valuable extension of your team.

Contact us

Contact us today to discuss your next market research project and discover how we could become a valuable extension of your team.

Contact us