# Posted at $90k, Offered $62k — “The Top Band Is for a Unicorn”

**[TRUE STORY]** — by Candidate · via r/jobs

Four weeks of hoops for a senior analyst role: an uncompensated four-hour technical assessment, a slide deck presented to a panel of three directors, and a final culture-fit chat with the regional VP. The listing had shown a transparent band of eighty-five to ninety-five thousand.

The recruiter called, delighted: unanimous first choice. Twenty minutes later the paperwork arrived, and the base was sixty-two thousand, with a vague nod to “performance bonuses” making up the difference. They had known the candidate’s numbers since the first phone screen.

Asked about the gap, the recruiter explained that the top of the band was reserved for an exceptional “unicorn” hire — and that sixty-two was competitive for someone with this background. The candidate declined and walked. Fifteen hours of leave, surrendered for a lowball at the finish line.

*Source: [r/jobs · viral post](https://www.reddit.com/r/jobs/comments/1x46svg/after_five_rounds_of_interviews_for_a_job_posted/)*
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