I received a call from someone at fund services who wished to ask me a few questions about my qualifications during a phone screen for the position I had applied for. He was very nice and asked me to fill out a profile on the company careers page so he could have a better idea of my expectations. He called me back about an hour after I had completed the form online and stated the potential salary for the position was much lower than my expectation and asked how I had arrived at my requested salary. I explained that I had done in-depth research on the market averages for the alternative investments specialist position and had requested an amount nearly 15% below the median (which is significantly below the average) and also that this has been my area of study for three+ years now. The amount that he offered was nearly 50% below the market median and asked if I would be willing to negotiate. I advised him that the amount offered was likely too far from my expectations to go through the remainder of the interview. I would have had a completely pleasant experience; however, when he originally saw my expectation he chuckled aloud and said,"I don't know of any entry-level position that will pay that." If UMB would like to compete with the larger and more successful banks, I would suggest that they begin paying market-competitive salaries.