I recently received a job offer from a company I was really excited about, thanks to a referral from a colleague. I had a couple of interviews, one with my potential boss and another with the CEO. After a 10-day wait, I finally got the offer, but it was $25,000 below my current salary. The offer letter mentioned a base salary plus a potential bonus, but it didn’t provide any details on how the bonus would be structured or what metrics I would need to hit. I reached out to the recruiter to ask about the bonus structure, and they replied that they didn’t have the specifics but that the bonus could be as high as a certain amount. Even if I received the full bonus, I would still be facing a 12% pay cut. I thanked the recruiter and asked for 24 hours to consider the offer, which they agreed to. The next day, I inquired if the salary was negotiable. The recruiter responded that they could only increase the potential bonus to 20% of the salary. I pressed again for details on how the bonus works and when it gets triggered. They mentioned that the CEO would call me to explain it all. That was the last I heard from them, and my potential start date was set for November 2nd. I’ve been waiting for that call, but it hasn’t come in yet. I’m starting to wonder if I did something wrong in this process.