I recruited at a bulge-bracket bank for three years before moving agency-side, and the Morgan Stanley recruiter phone screen is pretty representative of the format.
Here's what actually happens in that 30-minute call, so you can stop treating it like a warm-up.
What the recruiter is evaluating: Compensation alignment. They will ask your current comp and/or expectations. Be ready with a number or range. "I'm flexible" is not an answer. They need to know early if there's a mismatch because MS has defined bands per level and they cannot magic a number above the band's ceiling. Ballpark for NYC senior SWE in 2026: total comp in the $250k-$350k range depending on level, but confirm this with other data points. Work authorization / visa status. If you're on an H1B they need to know immediately. MS does sponsor but the process takes longer and some teams have constraints. Location flexibility. NYC, Baltimore, Alpharetta, and Budapest are the main tech hubs. Remote is rare and usually limited to very senior ICs. Timeline. "How quickly can you start?" They want to know if they're wasting their time if you have a long notice period or are just casually looking.
What they will NOT do: Deep technical questions. Some recruiters at smaller companies do a quick technical probe; MS tech recruiters typically do not. Don't prep for algo questions at this stage.
What you should do: Come with 2-3 sentences about why you're interested in MS specifically. Not a generic answer. Something about the scale of the technology, the intersection of engineering and finance, the institutional stability. Vague enthusiasm does not signal fit.
If the call goes well you get the coding assessment within 3-5 business days. The recruiter will tell you the expected timeline. Hold them to it but be gracious about follow-ups.