I applied to the position and didn't hear back for about a month and a half. I was reached out to by HR to do a screening interview. It was very pleasant. They said I'd hear back in a week. After about 2 weeks of no response, I assumed I wasn't selected to continue, until I got an email inviting me to interview with one of the team members. It was a pleasant interview with the team member. It wasn't too technical, but they asked how I'd work under pressure. The interview was conducted over Microsoft Teams. I was selected to interview with the hiring manager of the position, who was the Research Director. This is where things got interesting. He's very accomplished and smart, but their swearing during the interview was a bit off-putting. They mentioned they want to convert the position to full-time with higher pay and benefits if they find the right person for the contract position. I said I was interested, but asked if they could put this all in writing, to which they were very hesitant. I wasn't a fan of this, as it would give false hope for a contract position where they could easily cut the role before the contract ended. Regardless, the interview went well, and I was offered the position. The salary they offered was low, so I gave them a counteroffer. I haven't heard back from them since. I think they felt they could nickel and dime me since it was a contract role. I think the assumptions I had from my interview with the Research Director were right. Tread carefully.