Title: Disappointing and Misleading Interview Experience
I want to share my frustrating and disheartening experience interviewing with Ping Identity, hoping it will help others make informed decisions.
I applied through a referral and was promptly contacted by HR, who quickly got the interview process started. However, there were no discussions about salary, joining date, or immigration status during the HR screening—a red flag that became more glaring as the process continued.
After four rounds of interviews, including conversations with both the hiring manager and a skip-level manager, I was deeply invested in this opportunity. Given the level of commitment on my end, I reached out to HR to discuss the pay range. Salary is important to me, and I was expecting at least a 10% increase in my total compensation. Glassdoor data showed a range of $214K - $326K per year, with a median total pay of $261K, which aligned with my expectations.
When I inquired about the salary, HR explicitly stated that they never post their maximum range and that the hiring manager would ultimately decide on the offer. Despite this ambiguity, I provided them with my expected total compensation.
Then, the interview process took an odd turn. After being told that my technical acumen was well-established, I was suddenly asked to prepare a role-play presentation for a mock prospect, even though I had been told I could choose my presentation topic. Additionally, a technical challenge was added, requiring me to implement use cases on Ping's console—something I hadn't worked with before. Despite the unexpected changes, I performed well and received commendations for both the presentation and the technical challenge.
Just when I thought an offer was imminent, I was blindsided by a lowball offer of $180K-$190K. This was below my current compensation, making it a non-starter for me. HR then became aggressive, making redundant and dismissive statements like "nobody talks about RSUs in their total compensation" and "there’s no HCOL vs. LCOL salaries." Despite this, I was encouraged to speak with the hiring manager, who also confirmed that $180K-$190K was their range. He later offered me a TC which was apparently the highest at their band to which i asked for literally 6k more so it was close to my current base, but the manager expressed doubt and said he got a "bad feeling" about it.
After several follow-up emails and no further communication from the hiring manager, I reached out to HR again. To my shock, HR retaliated, accusing me of taking advantage of them for more compensation. The conversation devolved into moral policing, and it was clear they were no longer interested in moving forward with the offer. Despite my attempts to end the call gracefully, HR continued to belittle my efforts, which was both unprofessional and unnecessary.
What truly crossed the line for me was discovering that my presentation had been distributed internally at Ping. I had shared it via Google Docs 30 minutes before the presentation as a backup, and it was clear that it was being used as a benchmark for future candidates. This was the final straw, leaving me feeling used and betrayed.
In hindsight, it seems clear that they knew my compensation expectations from the beginning and could have disqualified me early on if it was a dealbreaker. Instead, they led me on through a lengthy and demanding process, only to lowball me and then attempt to guilt-trip me when I stood my ground. It's 2024, and I understand tech jobs are harder to come by, but treating candidates with respect and honesty should still be the norm.
Ping Identity could have been transparent about the salary limitations upfront and saved both of us time and energy. Instead, I was left feeling undervalued and disrespected. I would strongly caution anyone considering a position here to be clear about their compensation expectations early and to be prepared for a potentially frustrating experience.
