Had my amex recruiter phone screen a few weeks ago. It was 30 minutes and went exactly as advertised. Here's the real breakdown.
What the recruiter covered: Quick summary of the role and team (generic, read from a document, I could tell) "Walk me through your background" -- standard, have a 2-minute version ready Why amex, why now Current role/situation, and what I'm looking for Comp expectations. They asked early and directly. I gave a range and they said it was workable. Don't low-ball yourself here thinking you need to. Location/remote expectations. For my role it was hybrid 3 days/week NYC required. Non-negotiable. Timeline: are you talking to other companies, when could you start
What they did NOT ask: Zero technical questions. No coding, no system design, no "tell me about a technical challenge." That comes in the HackerRank OA and subsequent rounds. The recruiter screen really is just a logistics/fit filter.
What I asked them (and got useful answers): How large is the team and how long has this position been open? (Team of 12, open for about 6 weeks, previously filled role that backfilled.) What does a typical week look like for someone in this role? How do I progress from this screen? (They described the OA -> phone screen -> final loop pipeline.) Who makes the hiring decision? Is it the team or a hiring committee? (It's the hiring manager with input from panelists, no debrief committee like big tech.)
The recruiter was responsive and replied to my follow-up emails within 24 hours. That surprised me honestly. The overall amex recruiter experience has been more organized than the banks I've dealt with before.