Got a call from a recruiter who didn’t sound like she was calling from a professional setting at all — casual tone, zero structure, felt more like a friend calling about a favor than an actual recruiter screening for a serious role. The most “difficult” question she asked was how much salary I was expecting. I gave her my number, and she immediately hit me with what they were offering — about 20% below my absolute minimum. She asked if I’d be open to it because “there’s potential to make commissions.” In this market? I said yes to a number I wouldn’t have even glanced at twice before, just to keep the door open. Next up was an interview with their sales director — an older woman, solid conversation, but again, for a position way beneath my level. She mentioned they were hiring three account executives and that she’d move me to the next step with the hiring manager. They weren’t planning to start until mid-May — six weeks away — which made me wonder if they were clearing out a chunk of their team, replacing people about to be fired, or just panic-stacking the bench in case folks start quitting. Either way, the whole thing had that “just in case” energy. Then came radio silence. Two weeks later, I got a generic one-line rejection email. No feedback. No explanation. Bottom line: it felt like I interviewed for a backup role they weren’t even sure they needed — and if I’d seen the salary or job description upfront, I wouldn’t have even bothered clicking “apply.” Next time, just let me know if you’re hiring replacements or just collecting resumes for a rainy day.