The first 90 seconds of a phone screen
A recruiter decides whether to keep the call in the opening. Here is what to say before you tell your history.
They are matching, not bonding
A phone screen is a filter: location, notice, salary band, and whether your last job sounds like this one. Charm helps. Clarity decides.
Have the posting open. Have your CV open. Have a pen.
Answer who you are in one breath
“I am a communications lead in Beirut. I write the client updates for a retail team, and I applied because this role owns that work.” Then stop and let them steer.
Do not start with your degree, your childhood, or a tour of every employer. They will ask if they need it.
Have the logistics ready
Know the date you can start, whether you can work their hours, and the city you are in. Stumbling on “when can you start?” makes the rest of the call feel unprepared.
If they ask for a salary number and you are not ready, say the range you saw on the posting and that you are flexible inside it. Do not invent a figure to sound decisive.
- Where you are.
- When you can start.
- The one result that matches the role.
Ask one question before you hang up
Ask what the person in the seat does in a normal week, or what the next step is. One question shows you are choosing them too.
Write their answer down. You will need it if you reach the hiring manager.
End with the next step
Repeat what they said will happen next and when. “So I should hear about a second call by Friday” is better than “sounds good.”
Send nothing unless they asked for a file. A thank-you novel after a 12-minute screen is extra noise.
