It’s only May 2015 and already the Republican field vying for the 2016 presidential nomination feels awfully crowded. In anticipation of this very crowded field, various outlets that host the presidential debates are already taking steps to limit the number of candidates who will be able to participate in the nationally televised debates. Given the notoriety and celebrity status required to win the nomination in this day and age, this could sink some candidates’ campaigns before they even really begin.

In terms of candidates who have already declared, we have Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Marco Rubio. There’s also former Governor Mike Huckabee, Dr. Ben Carson, and former HP CEO Carly Fiorina. It’s also speculated that some combination of former Governor Jeb Bush, former Governor Rick Perry, former Senator Rick Santorum, Governor Scott Walker, Senator Lindsey Graham, Governor Chris Christie, Governor Bobby Jindal, Governor John Kasich, and business mogul Donald Trump will declare at some point relatively soon. At my count that could be well over a dozen candidates, and I’m sure there are at least a few I’m missing or who will come out of the woodwork to declare.

In light of this potentially huge field, both Fox News and CNN, who are hosting debates in August and September, respectively, have declared that they’re only going to allow the top ten candidates on stage to duke it out for the GOP nomination.

Those announcements, of course, raised plenty of questions, because there’s no good way to determine who the “top ten” candidates are before a single vote is even cast. According to Fox News, the candidates have to “place in the top ten of an average of the five most recent national polls, as recognized by Fox News.” CNN has announced that it will be using a slightly different metric:

The first ten candidates—ranked from highest to lowest in polling order from an average of all qualifying polls released between July 16 and September 10 who satisfy the criteria requirements … will be invited to participate in ‘Segment B’ of the September 16, 2015 Republican Presidential Primary Debate.

Either way, Fox and CNN are both taking steps to ensure that the candidates that they allow on stage for the debates are ones who have a fighting chance–although when considering the crowdedness of the field, this may come down to a few percentage points between candidates who make the cut and those who don’t.

With that in mind, apparently CNN has also announced that it’ll give candidates who don’t make the cut for the main debate but who are polling about 1 percent in three national polls the opportunity to speak in a different segment of the September debate.

Given the sheer craziness that was trying to watch the Republican debates in 2012 and the Democratic debates in 2008, both of which had plenty of candidates (although less than 10), it makes sense that the news outlets want to limit the amount of candidates speaking. If they were to go above ten, there would be hardly enough time for each candidate to be able to say anything useful about his or her platform. That being said, missing out on national exposure will end up hurting the lesser-known candidates, and could end up culling the field on the earlier side than past election cycles.

Anneliese Mahoney

Anneliese Mahoney is Managing Editor at Law Street and a Connecticut transplant to Washington D.C. She has a Bachelor’s degree in International Affairs from the George Washington University, and a passion for law, politics, and social issues. Contact Anneliese at amahoney@LawStreetMedia.com.

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As any recent job hunter knows, you usually have to go through several rounds and jump through even more hoops before you even get the interview. This is the screening process. Logically, it’s a great idea. It wastes less time on both sides of the interview. Employers don’t have to bring waste time on unqualified applicants, and stressed out job hunters don’t have to go through a series of dead-end interviews.

Businesses might have a recruiter or a company representative call an applicant prior to offering an interview just to get a few initial questions out of the way. Lucky for all of us, Monster recently released recruiters’ most popular phone screening questions. Below are a few sample questions and the best responses. Spoiler: honesty is still the best policy.

Are you currently working? One of the most uncomfortable situations is job hunting when you’re currently unemployed. What do you say? It’s so much harder to find a job if you don’t already have one to use as a stepping stone. If you’re not working at the moment, be honest about it and highlight the things that you’re working on instead. Let the recruiter know how you’re capitalizing on this time by taking a class or doing freelance or contract work.

Why are you leaving/did you leave your job? This is always awkward. While honesty is the best policy with this kind of call, it’s still important not to throw your current employer under the bus. Try to spin the reason for your search into a positive attribute. You’re hoping for a place with more growth potential, you’re looking to take the next step in your career, etc.

What hours do you expect to keep? Some positions require late nights while others need early mornings. When you first apply for the job it’s good to have some sense of the required schedule if it’s not your typical 9-5 situation. Let the recruiter know your expectations before you take a job that will occupy your life and put you right back where you started when the hours become too much.

Are you willing to relocate? We’ve all been there. It’s the heat of the moment and you really want this job. You might be tempted to speak before you think and say anything that will get your foot in the door. But guess what? If you’re not actually willing to relocate, they’re going to find out when you don’t get on the plane. Better to speak up now. They might even have some local options for you, so it won’t necessarily hurt.

What is your salary range? When switching jobs, most people hope for a salary bump. This might be another one of those times when you’re feeling a bit like groveling…don’t. If you say a number a lot lower that your actual salary range, you’ll be more stressed out than if you’re honest about it. You’ve done the research for what that position should make, you know your worth and skill set, and you know your budget. This is a good time to let the company know your needs.

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Alexandra Saville (@CapitalistaBlog) is a PR & Media Outreach Manager. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college.

Alexandra Saville

Alexandra Saville is the Media and Writing Specialist at Law Street Media. She has experience in the publishing and marketing worlds and started her own publishing company right out of college. Her blogs, The Capitalista and Capitalista Careers, focus on the young and the entrepreneurial.

The post Passing the “Big Screen” and Landing the Interview appeared first on Law Street.