You need to view this transaction for what it really is: a "value for value exchange". They aren't "giving you a job" they are exchanging (mostly) money for you

You need to view this transaction for what it really is: a "value for value exchange". They aren't "giving you a job" they are exchanging (mostly) money for your precious time. If you have a lot of relevant experience and the interviewer is also very experienced, you might try this: I once told a client who was trying to negotiate a lower rate "I am not a commodity engineer (1) and judging from your experience, neither are you. There will be some jobs for which we will just not be cost effective." [The we is important.] (1) commodity engineer: an engineer that can easily out be swapped for another engineer