I spoke to the HR recruiter and we talked extensively about my career goals and the role. The salary for the position was less than what I wanted, but I was still interested in the position because I really liked the role. I made it clear to the recruiter that I was fine with the lesser salary. She agreed and arranged for an interview.

I first had a phone interview with the hiring manager. I did well and passed. Then, an in-person interview was scheduled, where I took a day off my regular job just for the interview. I was interviewed by many people and thought I did well.

At the end of the in-person interview, the recruiter asked me again about my salary requirements and for some reason thought I was looking for a much higher salary. I did ask her if there was any way to get an increase in the salary to cover my public transportation costs to and from the job. She said no.

I was OK with that and I told her that if an offer was made to me, I would look at the total compensation package, including benefits, and not only the salary. Again, I was fine with the lesser salary.

A few days later, I got a call from the same recruiter. She told me that I didn't get the job because my salary expectation was too high. I was surprised and disappointed. I really thought the recruiter was aware of the fact that I wasn't looking for or expecting a higher salary. What a waste of my time.