I went through the full interview process. At the beginning, I didn’t ask about the salary range because I wanted to focus on getting to know the company and the team. When they offered me the position, I was glad to hear they liked my profile. However, when I asked about the salary range and benefits, the response was: “We’re currently unable to offer paid compensation for the first month due to budget constraints, which is standard practice for this position.” This was very disappointing because I had been genuinely excited about the opportunity, but their answer revealed more to me than just a salary issue — it gave me insight into the company’s culture.