Hi everyone, I’d really appreciate some perspective on this situation.

I recently went through a full interview process (since March, multiple interviews + a business case with directors). The feedback throughout was very positive, and I was eventually told they wanted to hire me.

Early in the process (first interview), we discussed salary and I was told around let’s say €30k/year, which is what I had in mind moving forward.

After the final stage, they officially told me they wanted me to join the team. However, when we discussed the offer details, they mentioned €25k/year, which caught me off guard.

I brought this up, and they acknowledged there may have been some confusion. Since then, things have been a bit delayed because the final decision-maker (their manager) has been unavailable, so they haven’t been able to finalize the discussion with her yet. They’re supposed to do this on Friday.

The latest update I got was:

- they are still “working on my proposal”

- they will give me a final answer next Friday (after speaking internally)

They also mentioned that my profile might be considered more “junior” due to lack of direct retail experience, which could explain the lower number now (this is bs because they knew my background from interview 1 before they told me the compensation)

So now I’m in this weird position where:

-they already said they want to hire me

-but the salary is not aligned with what was initially discussed

-and everything is delayed while they “review internally”

I’m trying to understand:

- Is this kind of situation normal in hiring processes?

-Does this sound like they’re still committed to hiring me, or could this fall through?

-How would you approach the salary conversation if they come back with something below €30k?

Would really appreciate any insights