In short

Pros:

• Everyone I had a call with was very kind.
• Those who were from the department I've been interviewing for knew everything about the position and were able to answer all of my questions.
• People outside of that department were kind and honest about the company.

Overall, the "technical" part of the interview was perfect, and they gave me enough time to "interview them" properly and get all the information I needed to make a decision.

• The recruiter on their side was nice and open about most things; they should be an example for others.

Cons:

• No one really knew how many interview rounds were left.
• People from HR weren't rude at all, but the overall experience with them wasn't that pleasant. People often say they feel like a "number on a paper," and this was exactly like that.

Longer description: Initially, on the first call with the recruiter, we discussed the requirements on both sides before moving forward. I gave an interval for my salary expectation. He said that if I were willing to go down ~5-10% on it, then it would work. I said sure, let's keep the discussion open during the process, but I also stated that a certain salary level is a hard requirement on my side.

I moved forward and had a few calls. After each call, I received an invite for the next one. I had about 1-2 calls a week for 3 weeks. On the fourth call, I asked how many rounds there usually are. The answer was, "It really depends, and the company usually tries to make these rounds different with an opportunity to have a call with many different people from different departments, so the candidate will be able to see how the firm works on a wider level, not just in the smaller circle of the actual role."

The next – the 5th – round was with HR. This was more of a formal thing to get my official details and discuss salary expectations. As I was very happy and motivated to take the role, I lowered my salary interval a bit to fit the numbers I initially discussed with the recruiter. They wrote it down, but there wasn't any response on it. They also asked for my current salary, but I said it shouldn't be relevant.

After a week, they called to discuss two questions. First, they asked me to tell them honestly what the lowest offer would be where I would still take the job. Since I was motivated to fill the role, I told them a slightly smaller number than before, as that was really the bottom limit for me. I wasn't really running from my current position, but when I saw a great opportunity, I thought, why not? They asked again for my current salary. I thought, "Why not? It doesn't really matter," so I told it to them. The lady said they would prepare the offer, which I should expect in a few days.

After a few days, someone called again to verbally walk me through the offer and then send it out officially. The final offer was below my "last price" by ~10%. If I summed up the complete package in that offer and the one I have at my current position, the difference barely gets me anywhere.

I was a bit upset, as I spent time on interviews from November and ended up with an offer in January which was well below what we discussed on the initial call. If they had said that this position wouldn't be able to provide what I was asking for, I would have turned it down at that point (as I did with other positions they offered before) and saved a lot of time for them and for me as well.

Why are you looking for a new position?