Recruiter told me the job was remote with set hours, then changed the details at the end
I’ve been interviewing for a role for about three weeks and I’m pretty annoyed at how it ended.
The job posting said remote, full time, normal business hours. On the first recruiter call, I asked directly if remote meant fully remote or just “remote for now.” She said fully remote. I also asked about hours because I’m trying to leave my current job partly because of last minute overtime and weekend work. She told me the team had set hours and that work life balance was one of their selling points.
I had two more interviews after that. Both went well. Nobody mentioned office days or weekend coverage. The hiring manager even said the team is spread across different states, so I thought that confirmed it.
Then on the final call, the recruiter casually says they “prefer candidates who are close enough to come in when needed.” I asked what that meant. She said usually a few times a month, but maybe more during busy periods.
Then she added that some weekend work can happen near deadlines, but it is “not that often.”
The office is almost 90 minutes away from me each way. Even a few times a month is not what I was told, and weekend work near deadlines sounds like exactly what I’m trying to get away from.
I told her I wished this had been explained earlier because remote work and set hours were the main reasons I stayed in the process. She acted like I was being difficult and said most candidates are flexible if the role is a good fit.
Is this normal recruiter behavior now? Do you just walk away when the details change this late?