A recruiter I had a professional relationship with reached out to me to apply for a senior management position with the company they worked for.
It was a substantial pay raise, so I submitted a resume and talked to her about next steps, and what she was doing on her end to move the process along, including a conversation with the hiring manager.
The following week, the recruiter got back to me, and told me the hiring manager didn't think I was qualified for the senior position, and that there was an open junior position (which would be a lateral move for less pay) they thought I'd be a better fit for. They “didn't want to set me up for failure, and after some experience I could be ready for the senior position.” The recruiter asked if I was interested.
I told her no. It wasn't worth my time to grind for who knows how long for the potential to maybe have a position that would potentially not be open when I was deemed “ready”.
I consider myself lucky, I knew the recruiter and she shot straight with me, but how many people would this company try to screw over in order to fill a position? I know my worth, the fact that they would even ask me to consider coming in for anything other than the role I sent in an application for is insulting.