I recently went through an exhausting process for a senior analyst position that was advertised with a salary range of $85,000 to $95,000. After five rounds of interviews, including a four-hour technical assessment and a presentation to three directors, I was informed by the recruiter that I was their unanimous first choice. I felt hopeful as I awaited the formal offer. However, when the DocuSign package arrived, I was shocked to see the base salary listed at only $62,000. The recruiter explained that the higher salary was reserved for a so-called 'unicorn' candidate who exceeded every metric, which I certainly did not expect after all the effort I put in. They claimed that $62,000 was competitive for my background, despite the clear salary range in the job listing. Feeling frustrated and undervalued, I immediately rejected the offer and withdrew from consideration. I can't believe they wasted so much of my time and even took 15 hours of my PTO for this. Honestly, I'm done with this kind of treatment in the job market.