Questions for phone screens and recruiter calls
A phone screen is short, and the person on the line may be a recruiter or HR screener rather than your future manager. These sets are for candidates on that first call: why the role is open, the pay range, the rounds ahead. Some are written for the person running the screen instead.
A few to start with
What happened with the last person in this seat?
Promotion, a move sideways, or a departure after a year each mean something different. Vagueness usually means it ended badly, which is worth knowing before you invest four rounds.
Have you managed people directly? How many, and for how long?
Only for roles with a team to run. 'Managed' covers everything from mentoring a graduate to hiring, reviewing and setting pay for ten people, so ask which of those they did themselves. Leading a project team with no formal reports still counts for something, as long as your notes call it that.
Where do you think this job would stretch you?
Most people will name something, and what they name shows how accurately they read themselves. An answer of 'nowhere' is worth one more push, since it can mean they are overqualified or that the posting got a quick skim.
Is this role remote, hybrid, or in-office, and how many days are expected?
Flexible often turns out to mean three fixed days once you meet the manager. Ask whether the arrangement is written into the offer, because an unwritten one lasts only as long as your manager does.
What do people say on the way out of this team?
Exit conversations are the one place employers hear the truth, and interviewers remember them. A claim that nobody leaves is itself an answer.
I am talking to other employers: how fast can this process move if it needs to?
Say it only if it is true. A recruiter who knows you have a deadline can sometimes group several rounds into one day, and if nothing can move, you have learned how much give there is before you were counting on it.