In this guide
ATS and application systems
How to answer screening and knockout questions honestly
How to read screening questions precisely, count experience honestly, handle requirements you nearly meet and act if a decision seems wrong.
What screening questions are for
Screening questions sit before or after the resume upload. Typical examples ask whether you have the right to work in the country, hold a driving licence, can work weekends, have a particular qualification or have a certain number of years in a role. Employers use them to narrow a large pool quickly.
Some employers configure rules so that certain answers end an application automatically; others have a recruiter review every answer. You cannot see which from outside, so treat every answer as if it will be relied on.
Read the question, not what you expect it to say
| Question | What it is usually asking | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have the right to work in the UK? | Whether you can legally work here now, not whether you would need sponsorship later | Answering about future sponsorship in this box |
| Do you require sponsorship? | Whether the employer would need to sponsor a visa | Answering 'no' because you have a visa that will expire |
| Do you hold a full driving licence? | A licence for the stated country and category | Counting a provisional or foreign licence without checking it is valid |
| How many years of experience do you have in X? | Time spent actually doing X | Counting your whole time at an employer where X was occasional |
Counting years of experience honestly
Illustrative example
Working out experience in project coordination
- Two years as a full-time project coordinator: two years.
- Three years as an office manager, where coordinating projects took about a third of the role: roughly one further year, and it is reasonable to say so in a free-text answer.
- Six months of volunteer event planning: relevant, but count it only if the question allows any experience rather than paid experience.
A total of 'about three years' is defensible. Claiming five because you were employed for five is not.
If a form forces a number and you are between two values, choose the lower one and use the free-text field, cover letter or resume to show the fuller picture.
When you nearly meet a requirement
A qualification in progress, a licence due next month or experience gained under a different title is common. Tick only what is true today. Then explain the near-match where the form allows it, with a date: 'Final exam booked for March; I will hold the qualification before the advertised start date.'
If a decision seems wrong
In the UK, the Information Commissioner's Office says that when a decision about your application is made without a person involved, you have the right to be told automated decision-making is being used, to ask how the decision was reached and to request a human review. Other countries have different rules.
Before you submit the screening section
- I have read every question to the end, including any qualifier such as 'currently' or 'full'.
- Every yes or no is true today.
- Experience figures match what my resume shows.
- I have explained any near-match in a free-text field where one exists.
- I have saved or noted my answers, because many portals do not show them again.
Common questions
Will rounding up my years of experience help?
It may pass a filter, but the figure has to survive the resume review and the interview. An inconsistency between your answers and your resume is a quicker way to lose an application than a lower number.
Can Luceria see an employer's screening rules?
No. Luceria's ATS check compares your resume with the job description you supply. Screening rules live inside each employer's system and are not visible to anyone outside it.
Sources
- ICO: what jobseekers need to know about automated recruitment decisionsInformation Commissioner's Office · UK · checked 3 October 2026
- GOV.UK: prove your right to work to an employerGOV.UK · UK · checked 3 October 2026
Put it into practice
See how Luceria helps with thisDrafted with AI assistance and checked against Luceria’s editorial standards. Examples are illustrative, not real people’s results. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.