Unprofessional and Disrespectful Salary Negotiation Tactics – HR The process started positively. I was invited for a formal interview via phone and initially told by the HR recruiter that the standard starting salary for freshers was 25K. Given that I have over one year of relevant experience and strong qualifications, I passed both the initial HR round and the technical round successfully.However, the process completely derailed during the medical exam stage when dealing with the HR representative (Mamtha S.). The agreed-upon salary expectations were abruptly downclassed. The recruiter shifted to a highly aggressive and rude tone, nitpicking my resume to justify a lowball offer. She focused heavily on a career gap and my previous salary—which was low because I was underpaid, a fact she weaponized to offer a mere 10% increase on that baseline. She also brought up unnecessary certifications that are not required for the day-to-day role.When I explained my salary expectations (25K–35K) based on my experience and the logistical necessity of relocating my family to an expensive area near Jubilee Hills to fulfill the job's 30-minute emergency on-call requirements, she dismissed my concerns. She used high-pressure tactics, claiming other "desperate" experienced candidates would take the role for 17K–20K.When I professionally pointed out the unfairness of the negotiation and the rude tone being used, the HR representative became hostile, claiming I had a "bad attitude," and ultimately rejected me. Other HR staff in the room passively supported this toxic behavior rather than maintaining professional standards.