The recruiter reached out to me on LinkedIn (for Robert Half Corporate). Step 1: Recruiter screen Step 2: 30 minute interview with hiring manager Final: Panel interview with team About a week after the interview I received a verbal offer. I asked if there was room for negotiation and the recruiter told me she expected me to negotiate and that there was extra budget. We also were trying to figure out the start date because I had an upcoming trip. I asked her what would be some ideal start date(s) for me (they were about a month out) but that I wanted to be sensitive of the team, so I asked her to let me know what they prefer. She calls me back and tells me that they are rescinding the offer. Her reasoning was that they need someone to start soon because of deadlines and pressure from leadership on research projects. They never gave me a final offer or hard start date that I needed to accept or decline. Lots of red flags so it was for the best.