Not an Affirm recruiter, but I'm in tech recruiting and I've prepped candidates for Affirm phone screens. Here's what comes up, based on feedback from people who've been through it.
First: Affirm's recruiter screen is not a formality. I've seen candidates get screened out here for things they could have easily addressed if they'd prepped.
What the recruiter actually covers: Your background, quickly. 3-5 minutes. They want to confirm you match the role and level on paper. Motivation. "Why Affirm?" This is not a warmup question. If you say "I like fintech" or "Affirm seems like a good company," you're going to feel the silence. Be specific: their BNPL model, the mission around fair financial products, the tech scale, the particular team or product area. Do your 15 minutes of research. Comp expectations. They ask early. Have a number. "Competitive with market" is a non-answer and wastes both of your time. Know what L5 SF/remote looks like in 2026 before you pick up the phone. Logistics. Role location (some roles are remote-first, some have an SF preference). Visa status if applicable. Timeline. Sometimes: one high-level experience question. Not deep behavioral, more like "what's the largest-scale system you've built?" or "what are you best at technically?" to see if it matches the job description.
What gets people screened out: Vague motivation, unclear TC expectations that are way off, or mismatch between resume and what they're actually hiring for. I've also seen candidates get dinged for not asking any questions. You've got 5 minutes at the end. Use them.
Screen is usually 20-30 minutes. Moves fast. Outcome typically comes within a week.