The entire process took about 2 months over which I had 4 interviews...
- The first interview was with a recruiter from Global recruiting. We discussed the job role, why I was interested, and what value I would bring to the team if hired. We also discussed salary expectations and agreed to a number; it would essentially be a lateral from my previous role. Basically, even if you are qualified, you cannot proceed beyond this point if both parties (you and Oracle) do not agree on salary expectations....
- The next interview was with the manager i would be reporting to. He was very knowledgeable and had been in the field for a while. We clicked, were on the same page and he set up another interview with someone who would be my peer if things worked out. Stressed on job security Oracle provides as opposed to regular raises/bonuses
- My conversation with my peer went well; we delved into the day-to-day nature of the role and challenges within the role and the company. Overall, that individual seemed happy with what their role was as it matched their style of work.
- The fourth interview took place at least a month later; this was with a director; he was very pleasant and knowledgeable as well and set expectations as to what his style of management is and what his expectations would be for someone coming into the role.
I want to point out that there was regular communication by the gentleman from Global recruiting all along the process and he did a great job keeping me updated. At that point I was waiting for them to finish with other candidates who were going through the same process.
About two months from my first interview I received a call with an offer for the role. I was excited until they offered me 10% less than the number we had agreed to in the beginning, one that was acceptable for both parties to proceed with subsequent interviews.
Needles to say I was disappointed. My counter was the original number we had agreed to, and after a week of waiting for a response, it was met with absolute rigidity, citing budget changes that apparently occurred at the tail end of my string of interviews (no discussion about budget changes was ever raised at any point during the process....) It felt like the classic 'bait and switch' and because we were already starting on a wrong footing, I felt that getting into a company/role/situation where there was already a trust deficit was not the best option for me.