"A well-structured hiring process, but ended with unprofessional behavior"
I participated in a hiring process structured into three stages:
First interview: I spoke with the recruiting manager, and we agreed on the expected salary for the two positions (70K€) before moving forward with the process.
Second interview: I met with the Product Managers, the Agile Coach, and a team representative to better understand the role and team dynamics.
Third interview: I was given a project and led a workshop with engineers and system administrators to showcase my skills and working methods.
Three days later, the recruiting manager called me to inform me that I had successfully passed the hiring process. However, they told me the salary offer would be lower than what we had agreed upon at the beginning because an external company managing remote hires for them deemed the amount "too high" for the Italian market.
Since, unlike them, I don't like wasting people's time, I immediately told them they could skip sending the formal proposal because I would refuse it, as it didn’t match the original agreement.
I have never experienced such unprofessional behavior before. It's a real pity, considering the time and effort I dedicated to the process.