They need people to crunch numbers and pump out spreadsheets for arbitration hearings and contract talks.

Forcing the applicant to bid, auction-style, on their own pay? In an industry that – by definition of the hiring requirements – they will be completely brand new to and completely unqualified to ascertain the proper compensation value for their work? Really?

And WHY OH WHY do they feel the need for somebody from a “prestiguous university”? They are not requiring advanced game theory or a Nobel Prize in math or economics, so is basic math somehow different over at Columbia than, say, UC Riverside or College Of The Desert?

The remainder of the posting just reeks of predatory employment practices. Hire fresh faces for as cheap as possible and make them pay their way into your organization, then work them until they figure out how much they are really worth and then tag them as the old guard and displace them with another fresh face. At least law firms are up front about it, and give you the road map of doom on day 1.

This is how teams end up with Rally Monkey Chia Pets.