tennisonchan/my-ten-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer.md

## my-ten-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer.md

      
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    #Ten Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer
Always Negotiate

You might think to yourself: “well, I don’t want to set high expectations, and the offer is already generous, so I ought to just take it.“
No. Negotiate.
Or maybe: “I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot and look greedy with my future employer.“
No. Negotiate.
"But this company is small and—"
No. Shut up. Negotiate.
Rule #1 Have everything in writing

Rule #2 Always keep the door open

Rule #3 Information is power

Your recruiter will now say something along the lines of “so what do you think?“

"yes, that sounds amazing, when do I start?"
"can you do 90K instead of 85K?"
Say instead: "Yeah, [COMPANY_NAME] sounds great! I really thought this was a good fit, and I’m glad that you guys agree. Right now I’m talking with a few other companies so I can't speak to the specific details of the offer until I’m done with the process and get closer to making a decision. But I'm sure we’ll be able to find a package that we’re both happy with, because I really would love to be a part of the team."

Rule #4 Staying positive

Despite whatever is happening in the negotiation, give the company the impression that 1) you still like the company, and that 2) you’re still excited to work there, even if the numbers or the money or the timing is not working out.
Rule #5 Don’t be the decision-maker

"I’ll look over some of these details and discuss it with my [FAMILY/CLOSE_FRIENDS/SIGNIFICANT_OTHER]. I’ll reach out to you if I have any questions. Thanks so much for sharing the good news with me, and I’ll be in touch!"
by mentioning them, you’re no longer the only person the recruiter needs to win over. There’s no point in them trying to bully and intimidate you; the “true decision-maker” is beyond their reach.
We have our first offer. Send a follow-up e-mail confirming all of the details you discussed with your recruiter so you have a paper trail. Just say “just wanted to confirm I had all the details right.“
Try to build a sense of urgency. Even to the companies at which you’ve already applied but haven’t heard back, I would also follow up with a similar e-mail. It shows that supplies are limited and build urgency. Demand breeds demand.
Hello [PERSON],

I just wanted to update you on my own process. I’ve just received an offer from [COMPANY] which is quite strong. That said, I’m really excited about [YOUR AMAZING COMPANY] and really want to see if we can make it work. Since my timeline is now compressed, is there anything you can do to expedite the process?

Timing

Your goal should be to have as many offers overlapping at the same time as possible.
The first thing you should ask for is more time to make your decision.
Exploding offers

The offers that expire within 24-72 hours.
They play on fear and limit your ability to seek out counteroffers.
Employers often justify this by saying “If you need more time than this, then that’s a sign you’re not the kind of person we’re looking for.“
I have one big concern. You mentioned that this offer explodes in 48 hours. I’m afraid this doesn’t work at all for me. There’s no way that I can make a decision on this offer within a 48 hour window. I’m currently wrapping up my interview process at a few other companies, which is likely to take me another week or so. So I’m going to need more time to make an informed decision.

That’s really unfortunate. I like [YOUR COMPANY] and was really excited about the team, but like I said, there’s no way I can consider this offer. 48 hours just too unreasonable of a window. The next company I join will be a big life decision for me, and I take my commitments very seriously. I also need to consult with my [EXTERNAL_DECISION_MAKER]. There’s no way that I can make a decision I’m comfortable with in this short an amount of time.

Explicitly call this out as an issue when they make the offer
The Negotiating Mindset

That means don’t just value companies based on salary, equity, or even on prestige. Those are all important dimensions, but so are cultural fit, the challenge of the work, learning potential, later career options, quality of life, growth potential, and just overall happiness.
How Not to Bomb Your Offer Negotiation