Summary: - Poor communication throughout hiring process - Expectation to work weekends and late evenings without notice After applying online, I received an interview request via email, which I replied to immediately - this was ignored. The following week, I received the same email which, again, I responded to immediately. Once again I received no reply to confirm dates or my availability. I then received a call from a private number the next day during lunch, which was an employee wanting to learn more about me. Given the unexpected nature of the call, I mentioned I would not be free until later in the day and we agreed on a time. The call was mostly pleasant and I dismissed the previous oddities in communicating. Whilst a lot of interest was shown in myself, my profile and my expectations/earliest start date; there was no formal invitation to the office for a follow-up interview. This is something I had to request, as I wanted to get a better feel for the culture, working environment and nature of the job. Following up from this, a date to visit the office was agreed. On the day, my interviewer wasn't available and I was made to wait 30 mins. Eventually, I was interviewed by a different person, who was friendly, but there was little structure and weekend work was casually mentioned. In the end, I was made to wait 2 weeks for a decision, where I was eventually told my (reasonable) salary expectations were too high. I understand that the nature of many startups can be inherently busy and people can struggle to communicate on time. However, I think good communication should be a strong priority for any company looking to hire credible candidates. A company should not be so unconvincing during the recruiting stage; a time where, if anything, an extra effort should be made to win over prospective employees. I hope my experience was not a reflection of the company as a whole, but had I been made an offer, I likely would have refused for the above reasons.