Questions on the application form can help you find promising candidates for the job interview. In this article, you can learn how to create questionnaires and custom questions and adapt them to your requirements.

1. Obtain additional information with custom questions

Create and manage custom questions under "Settings" (1) > "Applications" (2) > "Custom questions" (3). The following questions are available by default: 

• Abschlusszeugnis (graduation certificate)
• Arbeitserlaubnis (work permit)
• Arbeitszeugnis (employment reference letter)
• Bewerbungsschreiben (letter of application)
• Früherster Eintrittstermin (earliest start date)
• Führerschein (driver license)
• Gehaltsvorstellung (salary expectations)
• Motivationsschreiben (cover letter)

1.1. Create custom questions

You can create a question by clicking on "Create new question" (1). In the next step, fill in the corresponding fields depending on the type of question.

(2) "Settings"

(3) "Title" 

(4) "Answer type" 

(5) "Language" 

(6) "Question"

(7) "Placeholder"

A detailed explanation of the individual points can be found later in this article. In the last step, save the changes (8).

Settings

You can find the settings to adjust the question’s properties behind the gear icon (1).

(2) "Visible for candidate": Specify whether the question should only be visible internally to you and your team or also to candidates. This function is activated by default. Please note that this setting can no longer be changed once the question has been created. 

(3) "Mandatory question": Activate this field if the question should be a mandatory field. This setting can be changed at any time.

(4) "Standard question": Decide whether the question should appear in every application form by default. This setting can be changed at any time.

(5) "Filter in candidate & applicants lists": This function determines whether the question should be used as a filter in the candidate & applicant lists in onlyfy. This setting can be changed at any time.

(6) "Available as placeholder for messages": Questions can also be defined as placeholders; as such, you can also conveniently insert them into your messages.

Title

Give your question a meaningful title. Only you and your team will see it. For example: expected salary.

Answer type

Select the desired type of answers from the drop-down menu.

• Selection: This field makes it possible to add predefined answers, from which the candidate can select the appropriate response. 
• Freetext: This is a free text field. The candidate can answer the question without any specifications.
• Number: The answer is a number.
• Date: The answer is a date. 
• Video: The candidate is requested to upload the answer in video format (up to a maximum size of 200 MB). Read additional helpful tips on videos and video interviews in our article “Remote hiring with video interviews”.
• File: This field allows you to request certain documents from candidates, such as certificates or copies of driving licences.

How do I specify different possible answers?

To be able to easily evaluate and compare certain parameters, we recommend using closed questions with predefined answers. Under „Type of answer“ > „Dropdown“, you can choose from the following options:

• Answer type: Single selection > Dropdown
  Description: The applicant chooses an answer from a list.
  This type of question in the application form from your candidates' point of view:
  
  
  
  
• Answer type: Single selection > Radio button
  Description: The applicant marks an answer in a list of options.
  This type of question in the application form from your candidates' point of view:
  
  
  
  
• Answer type: Multiple selection > Tag
  Description: The applicant chooses multiple answers individually from a list. The selection is displayed as a tag.
  This type of question in the application form from your candidates' point of view:
  
  
  
  
• Answer type: Multiple selection > Checkbox 
  Description: The applicant marks multiple answers in a list.
  This type of question in the application form from your candidates' point of view:
  
  

As soon as you have made your choice, the field "Answer Options" (1) will be activated. You can enter your answer options into the following two fields:

(2) "Answer" (optional)

(3) "Short answer" (mandatory field)

If you don’t complete the "Answer" field, the candidate will see the possible answers that you defined under "Short answer". Once you also fill in the "Answer" field, the application form will only show these values. 

Use the "Add answer" button (4) to add more alternative answers to your list.

Language

If you are preparing your job application process in multiple languages, onlyfy will automatically translate the standard questions. However, you must translate the custom questions. 

You can see the languages (1) available to you in the editing window. The first language, which is marked with an asterisk, is the standard language of your account. The entries must always be completed in this language. If you need additional languages that are not listed, please contact our Customer Service Team.

Write the custom question in the standard language first and then click on the desired language. Enter the translation here (2). You can see the information in your standard language for reference on the right (3). You don’t have to translate all languages, but we recommend that you make sure the translations are complete. 

The application form in different languages from your candidates' point of view:

Please note the following information when creating the translations:

• The display language is determined by the candidates’ browser settings or the language settings in the Candidate center.
• As a recruiter, you can see the questions and answers in the onlyfy candidate profile in the standard language of the account.
• If you don’t translate the custom questions, the candidates will always see the questions in the standard language.
• If the translations are not complete, the non-translated sections will be displayed in the standard language.

Question

Phrase your question, which will subsequently appear on the form during the job application process. For example: What are your salary expectations?

Placeholder

Define a placeholder text to appear if the applicant has not yet answered the question. For example: € XX,XXX.XX gross per year.

1.2. Managing custom questions

You can manage your questions in the custom question overview under "Settings" (1) > "Applications" (2) > "Custom questions" (3):

• "Edit" (4): Click on the button to change the question. With the exception of the answer type, you can change all values.
• "Delete" (5): Click on this button to permanently delete the custom question.

2. Structuring additional questions in questionnaires

You can manage questionnaires under "Settings" (1) > "Applications" (2) > "Questionnaires" (3). We provide you with two predefined questionnaires by default:

• Bewerbungsfragebogen / Application questionnaire (4)
• Zusätzliche Dateien / Additional files (5)

The "Add a questionnaire" (1) button allows you to create your own questionnaire. Now enter a meaningful title (2) and optionally add a short description (3) so that other users can recognize the content at first glance.

After creating the questionnaire, you can add your questions via the button "Add a question" (1). In the drop-down menu "Select question" (2) you will find all custom questions that were created in advance. Select a question and confirm your selection with "Add" (3).

You can change the sequence of the questions in a questionnaire via drag and drop or delete a question from the questionnaire by clicking on "Remove".

The questionnaire from your candidate's perspective:

If you would like to permanently delete a questionnaire, click on "Remove". If the questionnaire still contains questions at the time of erasure, the questions themselves won’t be erased.

3. Custom questions and questionnaires in the application process

Add your custom questions or questionnaires to your application process to request important information and documents as part of the application.

Standardized application processes

To add questionnaires to your standard processes, go to the "Settings" (1) > "Applications" (2) > "Application process" (3). Select the desired process and click on "Edit" (4).

If you have not yet activated the questionnaires, move it from the "Inactive Steps" column to the "Active Steps" column and select the desired questionnaire from the drop-down list.

Job-specific application processes

Do you want to change the application process for a single job? This is possible directly within the job creation. Open an existing job (1) using the "Edit" button (2) or create a new one with "Add" (3).

Go to the "Job Settings" (1) and check whether the "Questions" step (2) is activated. If not, drag and drop the step from the "Inactive steps" column to the "Active steps".

Now you have two options:

• "New question" (3): Create a new question and add it directly to the application process. 
• "Add questions" (4): Click on the three dots and then on the button "Add questions". In the next step you will find all your custom questions (5) and questionnaires (6) spread over two tabs. Click on the "Add" button to add the question or questionnaire to your job-specific application process.