Overall, the process was easy and pretty standard; however, I am very disappointed and frustrated with the recruiter and the hiring manager. I applied for the position online and then received an email from a recruiter a few days later asking for a phone screening. This was a typical screening. We discussed my resume, previous experience, my current salary and salary requirements for taking a new position, keep this in mind because it is important later. A few days after the phone screening, I was invited to participate in an in person interview. They wanted about four or five hours for interviews with several different managers. They also asked that I complete a personality assessment and online references. My references were sent a questionnaire electronically that they needed to complete. It was kind of involved (35 1-5 scale questions and several free form fields), but I didn’t submit references until after the interviews. I had previously been required to submit references before even meeting with the hiring manager on the phone and this back-fired. The interviews, in general, went very well. I didn’t feel like I quite clicked with the hiring manager. At one point, he asked me about how I think I could adapt to a completely different role. I sort of corrected him and said that the differences between my previous roles and the role I was interviewing for were actually very similar and I explained why. He kind of shut down after that and I am not sure if it was because he disagreed or if I embarrassed him by calling out his clear lack of industry knowledge. I said, “I think that is a common misconception. I find that the two roles are actually very similar (I have actually held both). The only difference is…” Everything I said was 100% true and the final manager I interviewed with, unsolicited, actually confirmed this by stating the two roles were very similar and “essentially the same thing.” The interviews were very focused on my previous experience and how I interact with business partners and communicated in general. They also asked me why I was looking to leave my current role. Each manager ended the interview by describing their role, what they did, where they came from and then the company as a whole. After the interviews, I followed up with the recruiter the following week and said I really enjoyed meeting the team and had submitted the references and the background check forms as they had required. About a week later, I received a call from the recruiter telling me that I was not selected. Essentially, they couldn’t meet my pay requirements. This really ticks me off because during the phone screening I was specifically asked about my current salary and salary requirements for moving to a new role and stated them directly. I sensed hesitation with the recruiter on the phone and then asked, point blank, “Are my salary requirements a concern for you?” She hesitated again and said something like, “It’s very high, but I think we can work something out. I wouldn’t continue talking to you if I didn’t think it was doable.” I did some additional research on the company after being turned down and the most common complaint about them is pay. They tend to be low compared to industry. I looked up the specific position I had interviewed for, and the maximum salary range is about 25% less than what I currently make. I also found the job posting and it’s pretty clear that I was overqualified for the position. They were looking for someone with less than half the years of experience I have. I get really frustrated and, frankly, ticked off, when I ask direct and specific questions and I am lied to. There was no way at all that they would have been able to meet my salary requirements. In my current role, I make almost as much as the hiring manager and they were looking for a mid-level sort of contributor not a senior-level contributor with diverse background with 10+ years of experience.