I was contacted by Ms. Jesslie from HR. The first half of the interview went smoothly; however, when the interviewer asked for my expected salary, she candidly expressed that, compared to other candidates who were more qualified for the position, my salary expectation was beyond their budget. She mentioned that they would naturally prefer the more qualified candidates with lower salary expectations. I was taken aback but maintained my professionalism and inquired about the budget for the role. Unfortunately, she did not provide an answer, stating that it was based on qualifications and experience. While I understand this, I believe an estimate would have been helpful. Overall, I felt diminished by the exchange. It would have been more appropriate for her to simply state that my salary expectation exceeded their budget, and then move on to the next question.