Recruiter outreach and process were professional overall.
Interview process consisted of 4 rounds over about 2 weeks:
Recruiter screen
Hiring manager interview
Quality team conversation
Onsite with 3 rounds
There was no CEO interview; the CEO was not on the panel and never discussed my skills directly.
At the offer stage, a verbal offer was extended and I countered with a 10% increase in base salary. The recruiter confirmed verbally the next day that the 10% increase had been approved. However, the CEO later retracted that approval and countered with the original base salary. I accepted the original base salary and was told the offer was still going through final approval.
On the next call, I was told the CEO had decided I was “not the right fit for the role,” despite never evaluating me directly.
Overall feedback: the process was professional until the CEO overruled the offer after negotiations. Verbal approvals followed by a last-minute reversal felt risky and disappointing from a candidate perspective.