I had an initial exploratory screen with a technical recruiter who reached out to me. When I transparently stated my boundaries regarding senior IC leveling to ensure we were aligned, the recruiter became visibly defensive. Instead of navigating the leveling discussion professionally, they expressed frustration, accused me of cutting them off, and suggested I needed to do more homework on the company.
I chose to be transparent to avoid wasting either of our time. It’s disappointing to see a recruiting process that penalizes clear, efficient communication from senior talent, especially when other top-tier tech firms handle these exact boundaries seamlessly.