Initial Application & Recruiter Call I applied to this position in early January 2026 and received a call around mid‑April from the company recruiter. She described the role, the type of work, the 9/80 schedule, the 100% office‑based environment, and the compensation range — which aligned with my expectations. She asked me a few questions about my current and previous experience and said that if everything aligned, I would receive a second‑round interview with the team. Later, I received an email confirming that the team wanted to speak with me. Second Round – Team Interview (Virtual) The team members I spoke with were very nice and professional. They briefly described their projects, asked relevant questions about my past experience, and asked how I would handle certain situations. They explained the next step: a 3–4 hour in‑person interview at their office, starting with a 30–40 minute presentation on projects I am proud of. The call ended on a positive note, and shortly after, I received an email to schedule the next round. Third Round – Onsite Interview I took a half‑day off for this interview and arrived 25 minutes early. However, when I reached the location, security told me that this was not the correct office — the interview was at another building 10 minutes further down the same road. I checked the invitation and confirmed I was at the address they provided. I followed security’s directions and rushed to the other office. When I arrived, the main entrance was locked, and I had to call security again. They guided me through a back walkway that I would never have found on my own. When I finally reached the entrance, one of the senior team members was waiting for me. They apologized and said there had been confusion with the person who scheduled the meeting. I was taken to the meeting room for the presentation and saw around 10 people, including those from the previous round. I gave my presentation, and it seemed they liked it. Some people from other groups asked questions about my work. I answered most of them, but when they asked additional robotics theory questions, I could not answer due to lack of preparation. After that, I had a one‑on‑one session with another team member. Then we went to the first office I originally visited, as that is where the team normally sits and where the projects are located (the office is under renovation). They showed me some of the main projects, how things work, and possible projects I would work on if selected. During the tour, I had good conversations with multiple team members. We then returned to the other office. The experience was still positive at this point. During the conversation, one of the engineers told me there would be another interview with a senior leader from the organization — a short meeting mainly for formalities. They also indirectly prepared me on how to speak with him (basic etiquette). Since he was not present that day, they said they would arrange a virtual interview. Fourth Round – Senior Leadership Interview (Virtual) Within a few days, the recruiter emailed me to schedule the call. I prepared and joined the meeting. He introduced himself and asked me to tell him about myself. After that, he immediately shifted into a confrontational tone and asked what I did after my BSc since I did not include those roles on my resume. I explained that my resume was already two pages long and I did not want to add non‑relevant information. I told him what companies I worked for in my home country and that those roles were unrelated to robotics. He then questioned why I worked at each company for no more than three years. I explained that one company closed due to budget issues during COVID, and if it were still operating, we would not be having this conversation today. He continued pushing and asked why I wanted to join his organization and leave my current one. I explained that I originally joined my current employer as a robotics engineer, but due to market changes, that project was closed. I was moved to another project that does not align with my interests. I also mentioned that when I applied in January, I was unsure whether my employer would move me to another project or let me go. When this company finally contacted me, I was interested because of the robotics work and the compensation range mentioned earlier. Then the conversation took a strange turn. He asked why, if I valued robotics, I was applying to an oil and gas company instead of companies like Boston Dynamics. I was shocked but kept my composure. He repeated the question multiple times. I told him I valued stability in the oil and gas sector. He responded, “Are you sure?” in a challenging tone. At that moment, I felt uncomfortable and realized why the engineer had warned me about etiquette and how management expects interactions. I also understood why the company lacked diversity and had only one nationality in leadership. After the call, I was frustrated with myself for applying and wasting time, but I was still interested in the robotics work itself. Waiting Period I waited one week with no update and did not contact the recruiter. At the end of the second week, she reached out and asked if I was still interested. She said I was still the top candidate, but the senior leader had gone on vacation for a few weeks and had not provided feedback. I told her I was still interested and waiting for a yes or no. On the third week, I emailed her for an update — still nothing. On the fourth week, I emailed again asking for a final answer so I could move on. She replied the next day saying there was good news: the team wanted to extend an offer and she wanted to discuss it. Offer Call I was excited despite everything. During the call, she apologized for the delay and said the team and HR had gone back and forth with the core team overseas. Then she presented the offer: X salary + Y signing bonus. I asked her to repeat the salary because I thought I misheard. She repeated it, and I told her it was 25% lower than what she mentioned in the first call. She said they placed me in a mid‑level position. I told her this was not acceptable and reminded her of the original range she shared. She said she remembered but that the company wanted to offer this amount. I told her again that the offer was unacceptable and that they were lowballing me after everything I went through. She became irritated and asked how much I currently make. I told her I make 15% more than their offer, so there was no point in accepting it. She said she would inform the team and get back to me. This was the moment I realized the company was a major red flag.