The HR recruiter called first to ensure that I would be willing to interview for this position even though the salary was lower. I explained that I often return real value ($$) in my roles and still wanted to continue looking into the opportunity. A phone interview was arranged with the IT Director out of St. Louis. It lasted about 2 hours. We discussed the challenges in the job, the IT organization, the business, IT strategy (or lack of it), people, etc. He was very gracious and open in the conversation which enabled me to make a clear assessment of the position.