Chat screen best practices
When to use Max’s chat screen, what questions to ask, and other tips
AI pre-screening tools, like chat screens, are most valuable when they reduce noise, not make final decisions, especially in high-volume, early-stage, well-defined hiring funnels. Used correctly, they buy back precious recruiter time and improve consistency without sacrificing human oversight.
Max’s chat-based candidate screens are therefore most useful when you want a fast, standardized, low-friction way to assess baseline fit and intent before investing human time.
When to use the chat screen
1️⃣ High applicant volume + low recruiter bandwidth
- Hundreds/thousands of applicants per role
- Recruiters need to quickly surface serious, qualified, available candidates
- Chat screens replace manual phone screens
Why it works: Chat handles repetitive, structured questions instantly and consistently.
2️⃣ Early funnel “intent + readiness” checks
Chat screens are ideal when you need to confirm:
- Is the candidate actually interested?
- Do they understand the role?
- Are they available, authorized, and aligned on basics (pay, schedule, location)?
Why it works: These are binary or semi-structured checks that humans don’t add much extra signal to.
3️⃣ Replace outdated application forms
Chat screens are:
- Mobile-friendly
- Async (no scheduling friction)
- Conversational vs. form-based
Why it works: Completion rates are often higher than long application forms.
4️⃣ Roles with clear success criteria
Chat screens perform best when:
- The role’s requirements are concrete
- “Good enough to proceed” is easy to define
- You are not asking for deep portfolio or creative review yet
Examples of roles where Max’s chat screen is most useful
⭐ Excellent fit (attach to every role)
Customer-facing / operational
- Customer support
- Call center / BPO
- Retail & hospitality
- Field services
- Healthcare support roles (non-clinical)
Early-career & high-volume
- SDR / BDR
- Junior analysts
- Entry-level engineers (pre-technical screen)
- Interns / apprentices
Standardized skill roles
- QA testers
- Data entry / operations
- Moderation / trust & safety
- Content reviewers
⚠️ Moderate fit (use carefully)
- Mid-level engineers
- Product managers
- Designers
Max’s chat screen can validate baseline competence and motivation, but won’t replace deeper screens.
🚫 Poor fit (not recommended)
- Executive leadership
- Highly creative or research roles
- Roles requiring complex situational judgment or storytelling
- Roles where relationship-building is the primary signal
How to design an effective chat screen
- Aim for a chat screen that candidates can complete in 10–15 minutes maximum
- Use a mix of question types:
- Yes/no
- Short text
- 1–2 scenario responses
- On your Careers page, explicitly tell candidates:
- How responses are used
- That people review next stages and make all candidate decisions. Max will only make a recommendation on whether or not to advance a candidate.
As part of chat screen setup, you should also provide Max with role and company context. Max uses this information to contextually answer any questions the candidate might ask at the end of the chat screen, politely deferring back to the hiring team in cases where it doesn’t have enough context to answer the candidate’s question.
Example questions
Chat screens are strongest when questions are specific, bounded, and explainable. Effective chat screen questions often fall into one of four buckets:
1️⃣ Knockout and eligibility questions (very strong fit)
Best use of chat screens.
Examples:
- Are you legally authorized to work in [country]?
- Are you able to work [shift/hours]?
- When could you start?
- Are you comfortable with [pay range / contract type]? (Or what are your salary requirements?)
- Do you have experience with [required tool/system]?
Why they work: Clear answers, no interpretation required.
2️⃣ Role understanding and intent (strong fit)
These surface seriousness and alignment.
Examples:
- What interests you about this role?
- What do you think success looks like in the first 90 days?
- Why are you looking for a new role right now?
What to evaluate:
- Specificity vs. generic responses
- Alignment with the actual job (not just company brand)
- Basic communication clarity
3️⃣ Lightweight skills and scenario questions (good fit)
Keep these simple and realistic, not trick questions.
Examples:
- A customer is upset about a delayed order. What would you do first?
- You receive unclear instructions from a manager—how do you proceed?
- How have you used [tool/process] in a previous role?
Best practices:
- One scenario per skill
- No “gotchas”
- Score on structure and reasoning, not perfection
4️⃣ Availability, constraints, and preferences (excellent fit)
Often overlooked, but high ROI.
Examples:
- What hours are you available to work?
- Are you open to weekend or evening shifts?
- Do you have any upcoming commitments we should be aware of?
Why they work: Prevents late-stage drop-off.
What not to ask in AI chat screens
Avoid:
- Deep technical questions
- Complex multi-step case studies
- Culture-fit “vibes” questions
- Highly subjective leadership or conflict narratives
- Questions requiring long storytelling or portfolio review
Why? These kinds of questions take a lot of typing and time, so they decrease the completion rate. They can also introduce confusion rather than clarity for candidates and hiring managers alike.