Whenever I have screened applicants in the past, I usually had a list of questions that either my manager compiled or that I had a hand in creating. A simply disqualification is if an employee simply does not have the skills or experience required of the position, but I also try to gauge the personality of the person over the phone. If the interview is for a sales job, for example, I would be inclined not to continue with a candidate who had poor phone and interpersonal skills. On the other hand, if a candidate seemed genuinely excited about the job, that might make it more likely that he or she moved on to the next round of the hiring process.