Interviews · 5 min read
The phone screen: what it is for and how to pass it
The phone screen is usually your first real contact with an employer: fifteen to thirty minutes with a recruiter or hiring manager, before any proper interview.
It is worth understanding what it is for, because candidates routinely prepare for it as though it were a full interview and then find it is over in twenty minutes with no deep questions asked. That is not a bad sign. It is the format.
What they are actually checking
Three things, and essentially nothing else.
Do you meet the basic requirements? Do you actually have the experience the advert asked for, are you eligible to work there, can you do the hours, are you in a workable location.
Are your expectations compatible? Salary, primarily. Also notice period, start date and working arrangements. Discovering a salary mismatch after three interview rounds wastes everyone's time, so it is checked early.
Can you hold a coherent conversation about your own experience? Not depth. Just whether you can explain what you do clearly and whether you seem genuinely interested in this role rather than applying to everything.
That is the whole exercise. Passing means progressing to a real interview.
The three questions you will be asked
Almost every phone screen contains these.
"Tell me about yourself." Not your life story. Two minutes: what you do now, relevant experience, and why this role. See your two-minute introduction.
"Why are you interested in this role?" They are checking whether you have read the advert and whether you have a reason beyond needing a job. One specific thing about the role and one about the company is enough. Specific beats enthusiastic.
"What are your salary expectations?" The one people dread. Give a range, based on what you have researched for the role and market, and say it is a range. If you would rather not go first, "I would be guided by the range for the role, do you have one" is a reasonable response, and in a growing number of jurisdictions they are required to have published it anyway. The salary conversation covers this properly.
You may also get: notice period, why you are leaving, and whether you are interviewing elsewhere. Answer all three straightforwardly. On the last one, saying yes is normal and slightly helpful.
Preparing in fifteen minutes
Re-read the advert. You applied some time ago and may have applied to several. Know which role this is.
Have the advert and your resume in front of you. You may be asked about something specific on it.
Write your two-minute answer. Actually write it, then say it out loud once.
Decide your salary range. Before the call, not during it.
Write down two questions. One about the role, one about the team or how they work.
Check the practicalities. Somewhere quiet, decent signal, phone charged.
During the call
Take it somewhere you can concentrate. Not walking down a street. If they call unexpectedly and it is a bad moment, say so and ask to arrange a time. That is entirely normal and better than a distracted conversation.
Stand up if it helps. It changes your voice, which is the only thing they have to go on.
Keep answers to a couple of minutes. On a phone call with no visual feedback, people over-talk. Answer, then stop, and let them lead.
Have your notes visible. They cannot see you.
Ask what happens next before you finish.
The thing worth doing that almost nobody does
Recruiters run these calls repeatedly and are frequently the best-informed person you will speak to about the process. They know what the hiring manager actually cares about, and most will tell you if you ask.
"What is the hiring manager most focused on for this role?" or "What has made previous candidates unsuccessful at the next stage?"
The answers are genuinely useful preparation for the interview that follows, and asking marks you out as someone taking the process seriously.
Common questions
How long is a phone screen?
Usually fifteen to thirty minutes. It is short by design and a short call is not a bad sign.
What is the difference between a phone screen and an interview?
A screen checks requirements, expectations and basic communication. An interview assesses whether you can do the job. Different purposes and different depths.
Should I give a salary figure in a phone screen?
Give a researched range and say it is a range, or ask for theirs first. In an increasing number of jurisdictions the range must be published anyway.
What should I ask in a phone screen?
What the hiring manager is most focused on, and what has tripped candidates up at the next stage. Both produce genuinely useful preparation.
The short version
The screen checks three things: requirements, expectations and whether you can talk about your work clearly. Prepare a two-minute introduction, decide your salary range beforehand, keep answers short, and ask the recruiter what the hiring manager actually cares about.