The morning after I submitted my application, I received a phone call to request an interview. the overall interview process went well and I was quickly offered the position I had applied for. This was a lead instructor position in a specialized field (ie, ceramics, painting, photo, etc). I was given an offer that was very low, so I countered and they met me in the middle. Overall, the pay was still too low. Everything seemed to be fine until they were calling my references- and they asked one of my references (a professor of mine!) a question that was completely out of line: They asked him if we were "involved" because we had worked together at multiple universities. My reference tipped me off to this, as he was a bit upset that they would ask this. Our field is small, so it's not entirely unheard of. On top of the bad pay, I didn't want to work for a company that has the audacity to ask my professor if we are involved. That's when I threw in the towel and stopped returning their calls. They mailed me my contract, but I never returned it.