I'm a recruiter who has worked adjacent to Block's talent org and have placed a few candidates there. Here's a realistic picture of what the recruiter phone screen looks like, since candidates always ask me 'what should I expect in that first call.'
The Block recruiter phone screen is typically 30 minutes. The recruiter's goals are: (1) confirm you're actually interested and not just spraying applications, (2) check for basic qualification alignment, (3) set expectations for the process.
Common questions in the screen:
On your background. 'Walk me through your most recent role and why you're looking.' They're listening for coherence and whether you can explain your experience clearly. If you ramble here you've already signaled something.
On Block specifically. 'Why Block, and why now?' They're screening for people who have done zero research vs. people who have a real answer. A good answer mentions something specific, like Cash App's position in peer-to-peer payments, or Square's hardware + software integration, or TIDAL. A bad answer is 'it seems like a great company with a lot of growth.' They hear that 20 times a day.
On logistics. Role, level, timeline, visa if applicable, remote/hybrid expectations, comp range. The recruiter usually gives a ballpark range and asks if you're aligned. Don't dodge this. If the range is 220-280k base for L5 in SF and you're expecting 350k you're both wasting time.
Timeline. They usually tell you the full loop is 4-6 weeks. It can stretch longer.
One thing I always tell candidates before a Block screen: look up the specific org you're applying to (Square vs. Cash App vs. TIDAL vs. Block Core). They're culturally and technically distinct. Showing you understand the difference puts you ahead of 80% of applicants.