I've been on both sides of the table for recruiting conversations lately and I want to write up what the HF recruiter screen is actually doing because people treat it as a formality and then get caught off guard.
I went through this for a manager-track role a couple months ago. The screen was 30 minutes, not 20.
What actually happened:
About 10 minutes in: The recruiter asked me to walk through the last two roles on my resume. Not surface-level, they asked why I left each one. Specifically. Not "new opportunities" but "what was the actual thing that made you start looking?"
Be honest here. They're checking if you'll fit the HF environment. If you left because you wanted more ownership and faster pace, say that and explain how HF would be different for you. If you left because of a bad manager, you can be truthful without being a grievance-collector.
The open-source question: Even in my manager-track screen, they asked what my relationship to open-source was. Do I use open tools? Have I contributed to anything? Do I care about open access to models?
This is not a gotcha, they're just trying to see if you've engaged with the space at all.
Team fit: They shared a lot about the specific team: who was on it, how work gets prioritized, what the pace looks like. It was more genuine than most recruiter screens I've had. Ask questions. They expect you to.
Comp: They asked my expectations early, first 10 minutes. Have a range ready. Don't say "open to market rate" unless you actually mean it and won't be surprised by the number they come back with.
The biggest mistake I see from the other side of recruiting conversations: treating the recruiter screen as something to get through. It's a two-way filtering call. They want to know you're the right fit as much as you do.