Employee makes it to a final interview and the company lowballs them, claims the $60-80k range they posted was ‘aspirational’: ‘Is this even legal’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Feb 16, 2026 1:00 PM EST

The salary discussion at the end of the interview process can be uncomfortable.

At the end of the day, we all work to make some coin. Money will always be a large factor in our decision to accept or refuse a job offer. Salary transparency laws in some states, including my good ol' state of New York, are crucial in forcing companies to put their financial cards on the table. How can we comfortably say we want to work for a company if we don't know how we'll be compensated? Money talks, that's for sure.

If you really want to work for the company you're interviewing with, you probably express that although you'd love it if they offered you the top of the range, you're more excited about the opportunity to work there. Never say a number first, by the way. That's how they get you to undersell yourself! The thing to remember is that, more often than not, the company you're interviewing with will ask more than what your job duties state upon hire. With that in mind, remember to dream big, and by big, I mean big dollar signs.

The job seeker who shared the story below explains that they were interviewing with a company that gave a broad range in their job description, but during the final interview, they were lowballed by $15k. Yep. $15k below bottom range. The employee confronts the interviewer, who then mentions a ludicrous statement about listing an "aspirational" salary range for the position… not one that they are actually capable of paying. Maybe they should've informed prospective employees before they went through the whole process, perhaps? Scroll below to read the full story.

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  • Cheezburger Image 10606364672
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    A man interviews a prospective employee, talking about compensation.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • "Job posting said $60-80K. Got to the final interview and they offered $45K. They said the range was 'aspirational.' Is this bait and switch legal?"

    I've been job hunting for about 3 months now and finally made it to the final round with a company I was really excited about.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • The job posting clearly stated the salary range was $60,000-$80,000. I have 5 years of experience in this field so I was expecting to land somewhere in the middle of that range, maybe around $70K.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • I went through 4 rounds of interviews. Phone screen, technical interview, panel interview, and then final interview with the hiring manager.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • Everything went great, they seemed to love me, and at the end of the final interview they made me an offer.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • $45,000. I literally sat there in silence for like 10 seconds because I thought I misheard.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • A person holds an empty wallet in their hands.
    via Yunus Tuğ For Unsplash+

    A person holds an empty wallet in their hands.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I said "the posting said $60-80K" and the hiring manager just smiled and said "oh that range was aspirational, we use it to attract top talent but the actual budget for this role is $45K." What the fuck?
    via Special-Tax-122
  • I wasted almost 2 months going through this process for a job that pays $15,000 LESS than the minimum they advertised?
    via Special-Tax-122
  • That's not even close to the range. That's not "bottom of the range," that's just straight up lying.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • I told them I'd need to think about it and left. I'm not taking it obviously but I'm so pissed off.
    via Special-Tax-122
  • Is this even legal? Can companies just post fake salary ranges to bait people into interviews?
    via Special-Tax-122
  • This feels like such a waste of everyone's time and honestly kind of scammy. Has anyone else dealt with this?
    via Special-Tax-122
  • Is there anything I can do or do I just have to eat the loss and move on?
    via Special-Tax-122
  • ironicmirror Tell them that you will take the job but you can only start in 3 weeks. Never show up. In 3 weeks when they ask why you are not coming to work, tell them that your statement was aspirational. Keep on looking.
    via ironicmirror
  • temp_sk Depends on your state. What's the company name? And what state? The "Good Faith" Requirement Many state laws require that if a salary range is posted, it must be the range the employer "honestly believes it is willing to pay the successful applicant(s)". Legal: A company posts a range of $80k-$120k, but only expects to pay $80k-$90k for most candidates. They are willing to pay $120k for a top-tier expert. This is generally considered "good faith" because it is a plausible range. Likely I
    via temp_sk
  • MammothSizedSquid Blast em on Glassdoor so future candidates know
    via MammothSizedSquid
  • Kennstdulngo Even if it is illegal (which would likely be a state law), the best you could hope for is that they would get their wrists slapped. You wouldn't be able to make them pay you 60k or get some personal windfall. I would have told that guy to shove his aspiration up his ass. Four rounds of interviews for $22/hour?
    via KennstduIngo
  • SaggingZebra "I will send you a bill for my time. Good luck." Walk out
    via SaggingZebra
  • Extension_Demand_893 Yeah, don't take that job. If they're deceitful out of the gate, nothing good will come down the road. But as others have said, provide the name of the company. They need to be shamed and others looking for work should take note of their unethical and deceitful actions and behavior. They're preying on the current job market, and that's just not cool.
    via Extension_Demand_893
  • flavius_lacivious "Oh was that in the job ad?" "Uh, no." "Does the company frequently fail to communicate vital information? Is this common in the company?"
    via flavius_lacivious

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salary toxic-workplace work pay raise job interview money
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