Went through an initial phone screening and was really excited by the position and was told that my asking salary with 4+ years experience should not be a problem.
They set up a second phone interview where the department manager tells me that the role would require 50-60 hour work weeks. Ok, not the end of the world. I usually work that much anyway. Then I’m told that the pay would be around $5k less than what was listed and communicated as the starting salary.
I decided to explore other options at that time, but was contacted by their recruiter a second time a few months later saying that they actually could match my asking salary. Went through the whole initial interview process again, and then spent a considerable amount of time on the project they asked me to prepare. No problems there at all.
I was extremely excited thinking I could make a livable wage at a growing start up, only to be told a second time that the highest salary they would be willing to pay was actually around 10k less that the INITIAL offer they gave me and may require working weekends.
I have no problem putting in effort and time for interviews, working longer hours, and even working weekends, but please be more transparent with what you are able to offer to your potential employees. I felt like my time was wasted twice because basic and important details about the position were inconsistent with what was previously advertised/communicated/discussed on multiple occasions.