Helped three candidates prep for Figma recruiter screens this year. Here's what the Figma recruiter phone screen actually looks like based on consistent feedback.
It's 30 minutes. Standard calendar invite. The recruiter is not technical but they are evaluating more than you might expect.
What gets covered: Walk me through your background. They want the narrative arc, not a resume readout. Where you've been, what you're optimizing for now, why Figma. Why Figma specifically. This matters more here than at most companies. They've heard "I love the product" a thousand times. The candidates who move forward give a more specific answer: something they noticed about Figma's technical direction, a feature they've thought about, why collaborative-first tools are the space they want to be in. "I use Figma every day" is a floor, not a ceiling. Comp expectations. They ask early. Have a number ready. Being vague here just slows things down. If you're coming from a FAANG-level comp and they ask, you can say "I'm currently at X TC and would need to be in that range to make a move." Timeline and competing offers. Honest answer helps everyone. If you have something expiring, say so professionally. Logistics: location expectations (they have SF HQ, some hybrid flexibility), start date, sponsorship if applicable.
They will NOT ask you technical questions. If you get a curve ball that feels technical, they're checking how you explain your work to a non-technical audience, not evaluating your algorithms.
Tone I tell candidates to bring: direct, curious, not overselling. Figma culture values people who are confident without being performative. The recruiter is also a culture signal themselves. If they're warm and substantive, that usually means the team is too.