I was contacted via LinkedIn to set up a screening call to discuss this open role. That call for the most part went well although they were unable to really answer some key questions I had which are normally "make or breaks" for me on whether I will proceed forward or not if they choose to advance me. Specifically questions regarding compensation. If you can't provide me a general idea so I know if it is in my range or not I typically will not move forward. This is something all companies should honestly be able to provide. You've budgeted for this role so you know what you can afford. If it is below my ideal range then let's not waste each others time if it isn't going to be a fit. Instead they kept pressing me to give them a number, which is something I prefer not to do and consider to be a red flag. Typically when companies do this they are hoping you give them a number lower then what they budgeted and they come back with "Oh perfect, that is what we were thinking as well." so that way they can save a little bit of money. Seems a bit shady.
I got an email letting me know of next steps and again asking me for my comp range to which I politely said I would prefer them to provide me with a number and that we could further discuss this if we move forward. A few days later then informed me that they'd like to have me meet with one of the Co-Owners and others to discuss the company and role in more detail.
That call was a little shaky. They were still dodging the compensation question, but what was pretty much the final straw that broke the camels back for me is they were super pushy about working full time in the office even though this was listed as a remote job. I explained that it would be roughly a two hour drive each way with typical rush hour traffic for me so I would prefer remote with the occasional in office day for large meetings and things of that nature. They used the "We feel like everyone works and collaborates better when in the office together." spiel on me, but the kicker was every single person on the call was working remotely from their homes. It seemed pretty hypocritical to me.
Unless they were able to provide me with some form of salary expectations and willing to negotiate the remote working situation I was going to withdrawal myself because I already invested more time then I normally would. A few days later I received the generic "Thanks for your time, but we are moving forward with other candidates." email. I thought this felt a little cold and disingenuous especially since I got to a point in the interview process where I met with an Owner and Senior Leadership. At least tell me "Hey, we need someone in office everyday and you can't make that happen so we are passing for now." I'd honestly respect the honesty (even though they initially lied that it was remote) more than the automated response.
Still, the fact they could never give me a salary range, falsely listed the role as remote when it wasn't and demand I be in the office full time when they themselves were not, and then sending a generic email when I was deep into the interview process (yes it was only the second stage, but they only do three rounds per their documentations sent) were enough red flags for me to not move forward even if they had wanted to.