Question for recruiters (and anyone else who’d like to share their thoughts)

What do you usually look for during a phone screen to decide whether a candidate should move to the next round?

Sometimes I feel like the conversation went well, but I still don’t progress further. I’m genuinely curious to understand what factors or signals make a difference during that initial call.

Your insights would be incredibly helpful — for everyone actively job searching.

Thank you so much in advance!

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That initial phone screen is intended to look for some pretty basic stuff:

1. Is this person aligned with the role at a basic level?
- Skillset
- Location
- Compensation

2. Do they understand what they’re applying for?
You’d be surprised how often this is the deciding factor.
You’re listening for:
- Can they clearly explain what they do?
- Do they connect their experience to this role?
- Have they done even light homework on the company?
- this last one is trips people up surprising often. You don't need to be an expert on the company but you should have a basic understanding of what they do. It's the first question I ask in a phone screen and I'm surprised by how many people jump in saying they did their research then describe the company completely wrong. Again, don't need to be an expert, just know that if you apply to a job at a bank, you shouldn't tell the recruiter you're impressed by the work the hospital does.

3. Communication and presence

4. Motivation and intent
We're simply trying to avoid a mismatch:
- Why are you looking?
- Why does this role appeal to you?
- Why this company?

Put simply, we're looking to understand if you can do the job, if you want the job and if the parameters of the job from skillset to comp to office expectations aligns.

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