I want every job seeker to read this before they invest a single hour in SKIDATA's hiring process. After keeping me waiting for a week with no communication, Sunil called me one morning and immediately asked for my current and expected CTC — no context, no budget range shared from their end. When I professionally asked for their budget to give a fair and informed number, he refused outright. So I shared my expected figure. He then demanded I justify it and insisted on capping any increase at 30% of my current CTC. When I asked if there was any room to negotiate, his response was: "Don't waste my time. Either take this offer or I have five backup candidates for this role." I asked for a little time to think. He gave me a two-hour ultimatum and asked me to send proof of my last working day — which I did, immediately, professionally, with full cooperation. Here's the part that exposes exactly what kind of person Sunil is: before the interviews even started, I had clearly told SkiData I was based in North India, far from their office location. He knew this. He still demanded I relocate to South India within five days of receiving the offer letter, with zero relocation support, zero travel allowance, zero accommodation assistance. And I agreed. I accepted his CTC figure with no negotiation. I accepted the five-day joining condition. I shared every document he asked for. I accepted every single term he put on the table. He still rejected me. By end of day, he called back and said the team "didn't believe" I would actually join in five days — despite me agreeing everything — and that I was "not a culturally fit." I had already cleared a dedicated cultural fit round with HR the week before. He could not point to a single instance or explain what specifically made me unfit. Because there was none. He rejected me because I had the audacity to ask a salary negotiation before agreeing to everything he demanded. This was not a recruitment process. This was one person's ego on full display. Sunil did not want a qualified candidate. He wanted someone who would accept whatever was put in front of them without a single question. The moment I engaged like a professional — asking reasonable questions, providing honest numbers — I became a problem to be eliminated. Negotiation is a normal, healthy part of every hiring process. It is not disrespect. It is not a red flag. What is a RED FLAG is a hiring manager who uses phrases like "I have five backup candidates, take it or leave it, dont waste my time" as a threat, sets two-hour ultimatums, demands you relocate across the country in five days with no support, and then rejects you the moment you dare to engage like a professional. What makes this worse is the timing. All of this happened at the end of the process — after four rounds of interviews, after days and nights of preparation, after giving everything to clear each stage. That is the weakest point for any candidate. You've invested so much that walking away feels like losing something you genuinely earned. They know this. And they use it. I had shared everything upfront — my location, my current CTC, my expected CTC — on the very first call, before a single interview was scheduled. They had all of it. They said nothing. No objection, no misalignment flagged, nothing. They let me go through the entire process in good faith, and only after I was fully invested did they start with the pressure tactics and ultimatums. They don't filter candidates early. They bring you to your most vulnerable point and then play with your mind and your emotions. That is not a flawed process. That is a deliberate one. SKIDATA, sort out your recruitment process. Hold Sunil to a basic standard of professional conduct. Candidates who clear four rounds of your process and cooperate fully with your terms deserve better than a petty, ego-driven rejection with no explanation. Avoid this company. Avoid this process. Your time is worth more than this.
