TLDR at bottom.
I'm not actively looking for jobs but my updated resume is out there and my city is having an “engineer shortage,” so I get contacted at least twice a week. Most of the time I don't have any interest in the position but sometimes I do so I'll follow their process and see where it leads. This phone screen was pretty standard. They asked if I knew about certain engineering practices, what kind of work I enjoy and am good at, etc.
When we get to the benefits and compensation portion I'm asked what salary I'm looking for so I reply with my standard response. “What number will get me in trouble?” Usually they laugh and give me the top of their range and either it ends there or we keep talking. The position's range was acceptable so I asked about benefits. They started with PTO and I literally laughed out loud. They wanted to give me a 1 week of PTO. A SINGLE WEEK. I live in the US and am by no means a junior engineer. I know what competitive benefits are, and that ain't it. Here is the complete list of benefits the recruiter gave me:
PTO: 1 week (no additional sick time)
Holidays: 6 federal holidays
401k: 1% contribution if I put in 4% (5% total) but only after a year at the company
Health Insurance: $550 per month (looked up the specific plan and it's got like a $5k deductible)
I told the recruiter that I was no longer interested in the position after hearing the benefits, and that they would find it very difficult to find ANY engineer let alone a good one. The kicker is the recruiter had the same benefits. We talked a bit about how they understood and the role has been particularly hard to fill as a result. I thought it was so funny I wasn't even mad that I had wasted 30 minutes of my day talking to this person.
TLDR: standard phone screen ended in me laughing at the recruiter because they only offered 1 week of PTO with no sick time, 6 federal holidays, and an insultingly low 401k match that didn't take effect until 1 year at the company.