I applied after seeing a posting on a developer's job board and was surprised by the response email I received. Essentially, they listed out a handful of questions regarding my history, past work and desired salary, along with the compensation package they were willing to offer. It felt like a phone screen and offer all in one single email. Having been in the industry for a few years, I had never experienced anything like this before. Usually there is at least an initial phone call, but the design shop must be really understaffed to not even have enough time to reach out and chat for thirty minutes. I responded in a timely manner, trying my best not to write so much detail as to end up with a many page essay and yet also wanting to make sure my strengths and history was represented accurately. At this point I should have listened to the red flags going off in my head. When I reached the salary question, I paused. It was difficult, considering I still had yet to learn anything about this company and the type of work they were offering and yet I didn't want to be too vague. Let's be real, everyone hates the salary negotiation game. I gave them a fair salary range with the caveat that I would take a few other variables into mind.