The HR representative initially spent a significant part of the call actively selling the company and emphasizing how strong the match was between my profile and the role. However, in the middle of the interview, she asked about my salary expectations and then said that their budget was below market level. As a result, we ended the call almost immediately. Overall, the process felt poorly structured and quite confusing. If compensation was clearly below market, this should have been clarified before scheduling the interview, not halfway through a call after presenting the opportunity as a strong fit. It created the impression of an inefficient and inconsistent recruitment process.