Research screener questions: the three that beat a job title

The best research screener questions for a B2B interview ask three things: what the person personally does, when they last did it and where. A job title leaves too much unanswered. Together they tell you whether the interview is worth having.

Ask these three questions

1. What part of [task] do you personally handle?
2. When did you last do that?
3. What kind of business or team was that in?

Replace [task] with the activity you want to understand. First decide what experience the interview needs: someone who performs a task, someone who manages the team and someone who buys its software can answer different questions. GOV.UK recommends defining recruitment criteria around the people and experience relevant to your research.

Keep it short; the detailed story belongs in the interview. Don't ask whether the person dislikes their current process or wants your product. UserTesting's screener guidance explains why leading questions and long screeners get in the way.

"We" is where the screener earns its keep

Here is a made-up example. Suppose you want to understand how rental staff inspect returned equipment and record its condition. You find a branch supervisor and ask what part of returns they personally handle.

"We check everything when it comes back, log any damage, and decide whether it can go out again."

That describes the team's work, not the supervisor's. Ask one clarification:

"On the most recent return, which of those steps did you do yourself?"

They answer:

"I compared the item with its checkout photos and put a cracked casing on the repair list. The technician decides whether it can be rented again."

Now you know this person can discuss inspecting and recording damage. For the final decision about renting the item again, you also need the technician.

The second question establishes that the supervisor last did this on Tuesday. The third places it at one branch of a tool-rental chain. That is a recent example in a specific setting. If you are researching independent shops, you still need someone who works in one.

Your first interview question can then be concrete: "Take me through what happened from the moment that item came back."

Two other answers change the plan. If the supervisor stopped handling returns before the current software arrived, they can explain the old process, and you need someone doing the work now for the new one. If they only negotiate rental contracts, look for someone who receives the equipment.

Let the answers pick your next step

When the experience matches, arrange the interview. When "we" leaves their role unclear, clarify that one point. A short or awkward answer means you should ask more clearly, not guess from their title.

If someone else recruits for you, give them the same criteria. Check their questions for missing requirements and extra exclusions, as GOV.UK's recruitment-brief guidance recommends.

If you already have a way to reach someone, ask these questions before you arrange a conversation. For an Instant Expert call, describe the work you want to discuss in the invitation and use the three questions at the start of the paid call. If their experience turns out to differ from what you expected, keep to the agreed payment terms.