>>I can't imagine a situation where they go "sorry, we really think we need you, but our job listing only goes up to this number, oops". But that happens often

>>I can't imagine a situation where they go "sorry, we really think we need you, but our job listing only goes up to this number, oops". But that happens often. Maybe not as much for very senior (10+ years) but I’ve been there myself. I do highly agree with your points and analogies about negotiation however