Bob: the more cynical take on it could be that her first call was a fishing attempt. If you jumped at the bait, then the company got you on the cheap. When doing that sort of stunt, HR folks prefer to come across as your buddy. They empathize with your position and they know it's a bit of a shock -- why, they almost feel like they're insulting you by offering such low compensation! But THE COMPANY didn't tell them before, and...
Etc.
Now, I'm not saying this is absolutely the case, but I've been in on the hiring process *a lot*, for large firms, and I can state with absolute certainty that not once have we (the operations and financial team) failed to tell HR how much we can afford to spend on a new hire. HR then takes that and writes a job posting and usually gets quite a few of the details wrong -- and that may include salary, in fact. But we've never not told them what the salary ("wage code", in the parlance) is.
All that said, getting a callback is by no means a bad thing! I would simply advise that you keep in mind that HR does *not* have your best interests in mind, but rather, is dedicated to the company's bottom line. (Or, even more cynically, to making sure their own positions are rock-solid, which usually is the same thing but has a very different 'feel' to it.)
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs
Etc.
Now, I'm not saying this is absolutely the case, but I've been in on the hiring process *a lot*, for large firms, and I can state with absolute certainty that not once have we (the operations and financial team) failed to tell HR how much we can afford to spend on a new hire. HR then takes that and writes a job posting and usually gets quite a few of the details wrong -- and that may include salary, in fact. But we've never not told them what the salary ("wage code", in the parlance) is.
All that said, getting a callback is by no means a bad thing! I would simply advise that you keep in mind that HR does *not* have your best interests in mind, but rather, is dedicated to the company's bottom line. (Or, even more cynically, to making sure their own positions are rock-solid, which usually is the same thing but has a very different 'feel' to it.)
--sofaspud
--"Listening to your kid is the audio equivalent of a Salvador Dali painting, Spud." --OpMegs