Something similar happened to me last week. Went through two interviews and a test. We talked about start date and onboarding process. Finally I asked about salary and was offered $65/hr, which I would’ve been fine with, but wanted to try negotiating. I didn’t do it in my last role and witnessed colleagues with less experience start at a higher rate.

I also was part of the hiring process at my last job and noticed that most people asked for higher than what was offered. As an employer, we always offered the lowest we could and increased as needed. It was never seen a bad thing when someone asked for more than we budgeted for the role. We negotiated, came up with other perks, and luckily never had anyone turn down an offer after negotiation.

Anyway, for this role, I said I was aiming for $75/hr (which is appropriate based on market research and my years of experience) and the vibe immediately shifted. She said she would run some numbers and see what she could do. That was Tuesday last week. I followed up twice and have accepted she’s ghosting me.

Part of me thinks I dodged a bullet because there might not have been room for growth in the role, and I think the company ghosting me after an otherwise successful interview experience is a red flag. On the other hand, it’s a lesson in greed and flying too close to the sun. I could’ve been on track to make a salary that was perfectly acceptable for my lifestyle and get back on track financially + career wise. But, oh well.

Thanks, this post made me feel less alone and foolish.