I'm agency-side but I've worked with a few Sony divisions and had candidates go through their recruiting process. Here's what the Sony recruiter phone screen actually looks like, and what signals they're sending back to the hiring team.
The call is usually 30-45 minutes and it's more thorough than the average big company phone screen. They're not just doing a vibe check.
Logistics first: Role expectations, comp range alignment, start date, visa status (they do sponsor H1B but ask early), willingness to come onsite (varies by division and role).
Then: A lot of background questions. Not just walk-me-through-your-resume. They'll ask about specific transitions. Why did you leave X. What were you working on in the last 3 months at Y. What size teams have you been on.
Sometimes: A lightweight screen on technical fit. Not a full coding question, but things like "are you comfortable with Java and Spring Boot, because this team is 90% Java." If there's a skills mismatch they'll surface it here rather than wasting everyone's time.
What they're actually scoring: Communication clarity (can you explain your own work without jargon spiraling) Enthusiasm signal (they do track this, teams ask about it in debrief) Red flags: gaps you can't explain coherently, salary expectations way above band, job-hopping without narrative
One thing candidates often miss: the recruiter screens for whether your comp expectation is in range BEFORE you get to the hiring manager. Sony's bands are fairly defined. If you're targeting $220k+ TC for a mid-level role in Santa Monica vs San Mateo, know that those are different markets even within Sony.