The 8 Questions Every Candidate Should Ask a Recruiter in a Phone Screen
What you should ask in this first call to make sure it’s a good fit.
For a modern tech company, a phone screen is often the first step in the interview process. It’s typically a 30 minute phone or video chat with a recruiter or a person in HR. They ask you logistical questions (such as your immigration status), you give a brief elevator pitch about yourself, and they explain the role. Finally, they always ask this:
What questions do you have for me?
I’ve been on hundreds of these calls over the years (is that a good thing?) and over time I’ve developed a sense of what’s a good question ask. Specifically, what you can ask to help decide: “Is this the right role for me?”
So, I’ll be sharing those questions with you here so you can ask them in your next phone screen. In essence, I’ll be riffing off of my previous article and applying those criteria to the recruiter screen.
Remember that your questions should satisfy these key goals:
- Discover what makes this company different
- Learn what’s not on the job description
- Communicate your non-negotiables
(1) What’s the salary range for this role? (ask over email)
Before you even schedule the call, ask this over the email. If it’s not in your range, don’t even bother. It would be a waste of time for you and for them. Most recruiters are willing to give you a range over email if you just ask.
(2) Do you offer 401k matching? Signing bonus?
401k matching (not just a plan) is a critical benefit for your long term financial success. No one can doubt the power of compound interest. So it’s a big win if your company offers this.
Signing bonuses are rare, but they are good to bring up now and negotiate for later. They are helpful to reduce the sting of anything that is keeping you in your current job. For example, any unvested options or bonuses you give up by leaving early.
(3) What UNIQUE benefits do you offer?
Everyone has health, vision, dental, and unlimited PTO. So don’t bother discussing them. What does the company offer that’s really unique? Dogs at work and nice snacks are good, but are they really that valuable?
Looking at it another way, what benefits do you need? For example, flexible hours to pick up children from school. Now is the time to be clear about what you want and ask for it.
(4) Is this a remote, hybrid, or in-person role? (ask over email)
Similar to pay, ask this over email. If you don’t like the answer, don’t waste anyone’s time with the call. Most job postings says this, but not all. It’s always good to confirm on the call anyway.
In general, for anything you think is non-negotiable, ask them over email. If you don’t like the answer, then politely decline the call.
(5) How often are the off-sites? Where are they? Other travel?
Even with a remote role, you’ll have required or optional off-sites to meet your coworkers. Depending on your role you may have to visit operational sites (test labs, warehouses, etc) or visit customers in person. Depending on your personality, travel can either be a stressful or a desirable thing.
(6) How many people are in the company? In the department or this specific office? Target hiring goal?
Employee count is rarely public, but is actually easily accessible to recruiters. You may be surprised at how many people are in the company or in your specific department.
Target hiring goals are similarly easily accessible. Strong hiring is a sign that a company is in a good financial position and will eventually go public or get acquired. However, that’s is not a perfect measure. Especially with recent news in late 2022 about layoffs or hiring freezes in the tech industry as a result of recession fears or poor bets from executives.
You can ask about the company’s runway and their general financial health. But aside from funding rounds that are publicly available on Crunchbase, recruiters are unlikely to share anything specific. You’re likely to hear just the basic message of “Yes, of course our company is financially stable and has a large potential market” that doesn’t really tell you anything.
(7) Where are you in the interviewing process with other candidates?
Many recruiters ask you this question in reverse: “Where are you in the interview process with other companies ? Are there any offers we should know about?”
I don’t like this question. It’s a sideways attempt to see how ‘desirable’ you are and basically make a hiring decision based on peer pressure —what other people think of you. Not how well you can actually do the job nor how well is your culture fit with future coworkers.
Recruiters may respond “Oh, well we can speed up the process if necessary.” But why wouldn’t they do that anyway? Both the recruiter and the hiring manager are motivated to fill the role. So if they like you, then why wouldn’t they move as fast they could?
So instead I always dodge this question and respond with:
“If I had an offer in hand, would I really be starting the process all over again with you?”
It’s always good to defuse a tough situation with humor.
If I had a marriage proposal, would I really go on a first date with someone new?
If I’m feeling irritated that day, I will mirror this question back to them later and ask about other candidates. It doesn’t get me much information (ie doesn’t meet those key goals), but I do feel better after asking it.
In general, you can reflect most questions that you don’t like. But most of the time I will just let it go. I have better things to do than be petty.
(8) You must have a lot of applicants for this role. What stood out on my resume that made you want to talk to me?
This is blatantly fishing for compliments. It’s forcing them to say something nice about you. So it’s a nice way to end an interview :D
But it’s also a unique learning opportunity. Consider this: For every interview, it’s always uncouth to ask “How did I do on this interview? Did I move on to the next stage?”
Sometimes you can tell if you did well, especially during a recruiter screen. But for the other phases (hiring manager and virtual on-sites), it’s difficult or impossible to tell how you did.
But the resume review is different. Recruiters already saw your resume, said yes, and invited you to a call. So you’re asking about a previous phase where you already succeeded — not the current phase. And recruiters really do sift through thousands of resumes. So you can phrase it this way:
Thanks for reviewing my resume and inviting me for a call. I’m sure you have a lot of applicants. What did I do well or poorly on my resume and cover letter, so I can improve for next time?
So it’s a learning opportunity and a chance to improve for next time. Always good to know!
Wrap Up!
Here’s a quick list so you don’t have to scroll:
- What’s the salary range for this role? (ask over email)
- Do you offer 401k matching? Signing bonus?
- What UNIQUE benefits do you have?
- Is this a remote, hybrid, or in-person role? (ask over email)
- How often are the off-sites? Where are they? Other travel?
- How many people are in the company? In the department or this specific office? Target hiring goal?
- Where are you in the interviewing process with other candidates?
- You must have a lot of applicants for this role. What stood out on my resume that made you want to talk to me?
Don’t forget that these questions, and your entire discussion from the phone screen should meet these three goals:
- Discover what makes this company different
- Learn what’s not on the job description
- Communicate your non-negotiables
Finally, I hope these questions and my commentary has helped. I’ve tried to be general, but it’s inevitably biased on my own personal experience. Of course, feel free to modify to fit your specific needs.
Good luck in your interviews and keep your head up!
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