Deloitte - All that hype, Just for a Lowball Offer ?

Deloitte approached me for a role. I went through 4–5 rounds, including an English assessment test that took 1 hour to complete and multiple interviews. Salary expectations and my current CTC were clearly communicated at the very beginning.

The process dragged on for 4.5 months, only to end with an offer that was just 2% higher than my current fixed pay.

Seriously — what was the point?

If they couldn’t match the current comp, why not say it upfront? Why go through months of evaluation if you can’t even meet the current salary?

Or Did they just assume people would join Deloitte for the brand — even at a pay cut?

Even the negotiation HR admitted there was no point in proceeding. Cmon, why can't you tell these before all the rounds and wasting people's time and effort.

All that time, and ironically, my usual hike process happened and I got a 12% hike in my current company during this very process.