I went through a grueling 7-round interview process, during which the company assured me that they were comfortable with my expected salary. After the final HR round, they suddenly decided to conduct two additional technical interviews, claiming they were considering me for another role. I completed both at 9 PM, and by 10:30 PM, Shruti Jha (HR at the time) called to inform me that they had received negative feedback about my skills and that my compensation expectations were now an issue.
I had several questions:
How did it take them nine rounds to realize I supposedly "lacked the skills"?
Why did they encourage me to start looking for housing in Mumbai after the seventh round?
How did my salary expectations, which were previously acceptable, suddenly become a problem?
Unfortunately, I never got any answers. But in hindsight, I'm relieved it didn't work out. This experience was a clear indicator of the company’s toxic work culture. It was a terrible process, and I truly hope companies like this improve and stop exploiting job seekers, especially in a market with fewer opportunities.