Interview consisted of 4-5 conversations: Phone screen, hiring manager, panel w/presentation, follow up question from hiring manger via email, HR interview, hiring manager mini questioning (again) and notice of offer. It was long and can be draining. My recruiter was not helpful in preparing me as some others have for friends of mine.
I put a lot into each discussion and ended up receiving an offer, which I was really excited about. I was lowballed initially, and I provided a high range for tech roles to level set. They came back with a slightly higher number in a follow up conversation, but still pretty low, and lower than friends' offers in the same position with similar experience. The recruiter did not provide a salary range when asked for it, which is required in California. Friends in other locations were given the range upfront before even interviewing with the team. I told them I was excited for the role, though it was lower comp than expected, but would take time to think about it; it was a big decision for me to make and would require a move. I took some time to think about the offer and requested to set time with the recruiter again. No response for 4 days. Followed up again, and they responded. It wasn't until our phone call that they said they had decided to move on (rescind the offer)....they weren't going to tell me, had I not reached out. I didn't even get to come back with a comp number that was more in line with their proposal, which was really disappointing.
Honestly, I enjoyed the conversations and the people I spoke with, but the process by the end was extremely unprofessional and shady. No transparency to range or how I was being placed in a band (they literally said 'there's no range for this role', then switched to 'there are bands', then 'well honestly, the range is so big that it's almost pointless to provide'), they didn't note a timeline for decision making, the high level offer wasn't even sent over with basic benefits laid out or noted in phone conversation, etc. It's very unfair to have someone go through a long process, provide an offer, and not give them time to consider your offer when it's quite low (or at least note a timeline if there is a constraint). Even if the offer is considered fair, a timeline should be discussed or provided.
All to say - before you interview, in addition to the questions you'd typically ask to show your interest in the company, be sure to ask them what you'd like to know about the comp upfront, if you were to be offered. Otherwise, they might waste your time. A good recruiter would want you to know everything the company offers to incentivize you to join, not have you put in extra time to discover it. I've never had the process go so far with a large company to be so disappointed in the end. Maybe I've had good recruiters in the past, and this time around it was just 'standard', but that's a surprise for a company that has been said to poach top talent.
