Applied for a Sales Engineer role. The initial conversations were great and I came away impressed by the product vision. They moved fast, which I really appreciated. I read the reviews beforehand and I was willing to give it a shot anyway.
Then it fell apart.
I explained my salary expectations to the recruiter early in the process. The offer came in well below what I'd already communicated, like the conversation never happened. I had to renegotiate from scratch. We got to an agreement, and the negotiation itself was fine. But not knowing industry standards for the role you're hiring for isn't a great look. It was their first SE hire so I gave them a pass, but I noted it. After we agreed on updated comp, I was asked to sign the original offer letter that still reflected the old numbers. I had to ask them to update it before I'd sign. Read what you sign for this company.
The offer letter was signed two weeks before my start date. In that entire window, no employment agreement was sent. It arrived on a Thursday, two business days before my Monday start. It was the most one-sided, employer-favored employment agreement I've ever seen. Read what you sign for this company.
When I told them I needed my attorney to review it, I was given two options. Sign by Sunday or wait over five weeks for the next "cohort" start date. There was no middle ground. They had two weeks to send this document and chose to wait until the last possible moment. The agreement itself contains a clause where the employee acknowledges they were given "reasonable time to consult with counsel." Two business days is not reasonable time. Read what you sign for this company.
The Chief of Staff responded that they didn't know I would want counsel to review the agreement and that they "usually send it out a couple days before start date." The person responsible for onboarding candidates doesn't know what's in the document they're asking people to sign.
I withdrew.
I've told you three times now. If you're considering this company, read everything carefully before you sign anything.