The process started with an HR screening call, followed by a Teams interview and then two in-person interviews at their office. During the first in-person interview, I was required to complete several tests: an Excel assessment, a maths assessment, and an attention-to-detail test. The assessments were fairly straightforward and took around 30 minutes in total. What surprised me was how extensive the process was for what was only a fixed-term contract role. During the initial HR screening call, I clearly stated my salary expectations, which were still within their stated budget. This wasn’t brought up again until the final interview, where I was asked about my current salary and my expected salary. One of the interviewers commented that my expectation was “quite a big jump,” even though it was exactly the same figure I had already discussed during the initial screening. They eventually made an offer, but it was below the salary I had originally stated. I countered and reiterated the amount I had requested during the HR screening call. After that, I received a call from one of the interviewers that wasn't part of the recruitment team asking why I wouldn’t accept the initial offer. They even mentioned that if they had known my salary expectations, I wouldn’t have been invited to the final stage interview. To be honest, I found the whole process quite surprising and somewhat absurd. In hindsight, it felt like a significant waste of time. If there’s one takeaway, it’s that when employers ask about your current salary, it may be better to say it’s confidential rather than disclose the exact figure. That said, I will say that the recruitment team themselves were very nice to deal with throughout the process.