PayPal Manager Level Position interview questions

*specific commentary on salary discussion* During a conversation about salary expectations with the recruiter, I was provided a median salary for my locale. In response, I mentioned that my expectations were higher (but still within the published pay band in the posting) and the recruiter shut down the conversation. He responded with "the median is the median" and that he was unaware of how much flexibility the team had in the budget. He also mentioned that the pay is based on the value of the position to the company, rather than the value of the individual to the company. *One would think that the published band is what the team budgeted for so if that is not the case then... are the bands fictional data points? If the company is very rigid with basing salary on location then it seems like a good idea to specify the bands and locations rather than a 100k range or to mention that bands are different for locations. *If the salary isn't negotiable or the band is very narrow, wouldn't it be easier to just say that if we are trying to be transparent? Telling candidates the value of the role determines the salary is basically broadcasting to everyone that there is no room for diversity and individual, experiences, talents, and skills are not appreciated or valued. If that is the approach then the location of the candidate shouldn't be considered because the value of the position doesn't change based on where candidates are located.