I was referred by a recruiter to the company. He was nice and prepared me well from screening to Face to face interview.
I was initially screened by the 3rd party recruiter. The questions are standard for developers OOP, SQL server, C# vs C++ vs Java, etc.
That same afternoon, I was in the phone with the hiring manager. He was cordial and very nice. I think I made an impression on him during the call. The interview was technical yet it is not as pressure-packed like some other companies do.
I got a call from my recruiter that same afternoon and that the manager would like to talk to me face to face. So, I said yes. The recruiter give me a hint that company is only willing to pay up to a certain amount which is actually below what I am looking for. I went anyway as I think that it was a nice opportunity and be at the ground floor. I was excited.
So the interview came. Monday the next week. I went to their office in Downtown Dallas. I was met by the HR. He gave an overview of the company. He was cordial.
Then the team came. The hiring manager was there along with two other developers. They asked questions about my experience, OOP, SQL etc. I felt that the interview went really well. The only wrinkle during the interview was when a developer asked me something that offended me. I became defensive and lose focus.