Story of an Engineer like you: Even if you give startups funding, they still don't get over their typical 💩 mindset.

I’ve been interviewing with some Indian startups, and man, these CEOs and co-founders are something else. I tell them my expected CTC in the first round, but when it comes to the final stage, they start haggling for 2-4 LPA less. Can you believe it?

This one guy even asked about my salary from my previous company and questioned why I thought I deserved a higher pay now. I was like, "Bhai, inflation bhi toh hota hai!" It's super frustrating because it feels like a waste of time for both of us. They’ve raised millions but still want to save a few lakhs by underpaying us.

I get it, they want to save costs, but lowballing candidates after multiple rounds of interviews? Not cool, ya know? I wish they'd respect the initial expectations we set. Anyway, just wanted to share my thoughts and see if anyone else is facing this.