Congrats - you’ve made it through all the stages of the interview process!
* What to say: Craft thoughtful, but short follow-up messages. Mention that you appreciated their time meeting with you and you look forward to hearing about next steps.
If you want, you can mention a couple specific things that came up during the interview: Remind the interviewers of a few key bullet points about you and why you’d be a great fit for the role. Remember - keep this about how the company can benefit from your skillset, not why the role is a great fit for you* personally.
Now, let’s say you receive a call or an email letting you know you have an offer - congrats! Here’s a few things you want to understand before you start negotiating:
* Startups often offer additional benefits beyond healthcare and PTO, that are frequently unique and based on employee feedback. Computer or work-from-home equipment, travel stipends, fitness stipends, financial wellness, free or discounted products depending on their business are some examples.
* Candidates often find these types of benefits more useful than traditional benefits. Regarding PTO, many startups offer unlimited time off so employees can take personal time as needed - with some even starting to require time off so employees aren’t afraid to take vacations while the rest of their team is working.
Before you start to negotiate a job offer, there are a few main forms of compensation you should be aware of. These include:
* Base Compensation (this is often your salary)
* Stock Options (common in the case of startups)
* Sign-on Bonus
* Other bonuses, for example, performance bonuses (more on this in a bit!)
Before you start to negotiate, make sure you understand all the compensation types presented in your offer. You may find that you’re happy with your offer and it meets your expectations if you consider all the additional forms of compensation that come in addition to your base, as well as the bonus structure.
If you want to negotiate an offer, consider the following tips when beginning your negotiation:
Don’t rush. Take your time in considering the offer, and don’t feel like you need to send off an email right away. It’s definitely in your best interest to be prompt when responding to your offer - but if you rush into sending a reply you may regret it later. Be confident, not confrontational. Avoid using phrases that sound confrontational or demanding. Even if your offer is much lower than expected - don’t spend time dwelling on your disappointment, or express frustration. Do your research. You’ve likely already done this, but always research salary ranges in advance. You want to understand how professionals are paid in your area; for example, Recruiting from Scratch sees an average salary of ~$252K for placed engineers. Non-salary compensation - like stock options and equity - are especially important here. If your offer is with a startup, you’ll need to keep in mind that your total compensation comes in these other forms, which is often the case across the 549+ startups we work with. Highlight your value. Emphasize your achievements and skills and how these align with company goals if you want higher compensation. Remember, in order to find the appropriate offer amount, recruiters take into account years of experience, role scope, education, and how successful they think a candidate will be in the new role. Based on 0+ technical hires we've made since 2019, emphasizing your specific contributions significantly strengthens your position. When asking for higher compensation, highlight what you’ll bring to your new company and connect this to how you’ll help the company reach their goals. Think of specific responsibilities that came up during your interview, and highlight how your specific skills will help the company more so than other candidates. Want some good resources for negotiation? Check out this cheat sheet from Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, and how LinkedIn’s Head of Recruiting approaches salary negotiations, from the perspective of a recruiter.If you’re still unclear about certain aspects of your offer - definitely ask some questions about this! Some questions we often see candidates ask include:
Details on bonuses if this is part of your offer. For example, you may want to ask - are bonuses in a third category of compensations or are they lumped in with stock options or base? What percentage of base salary are bonuses? Confirming the rest of your benefits. What benefits are offered in addition to healthcare, retirement plans, or other perks? Throughout the interview process, it’s likely that you’ve covered the basics of benefits - but if there’s other benefits that need explanation, asking during the negotiation stage is a great time. Confirm your start date. It may seem obvious, but you want to make sure that your start date works for all parties involved. Confirm any obligations you have within the first couple months of starting your new role. Do you have a can’t-miss trip coming out, or another period of time when you’ll be unavailable? It may be worth a mention when accepting the offer vs. a week or two after you’ve started - and people are expecting you to be available in future months.While it’s rare for an offer to be revoked during the negotiation process, there are definitely some questions that are best avoided, such as:
Negative or overly critical questions. Don't inquire about past employee conflicts, controversies, or negative press - unless you can frame this constructively. For example, if the company was recently acquired and the acquisition received some negative press, it’s okay to ask if the acquisition will impact you if you believe there’s a chance it might. Remember, there’s always a way to positively frame questions so they don’t come across as critical - just that you’re genuinely curious! Questions that have already been answered. This may seem obvious, but avoid asking questions that are clearly addressed in the job offer, employment contract, the company’s website, or accompanying documents - especially in front of the hiring manager. This may indicate a lack of attention to detail, and that you’re not spending time seriously reviewing their offer. Overly personal questions. Avoid asking overly personal questions, like about coverage for specific medical conditions, needing a leave of absence. If you review your company’s medical benefits before you accept a role (which they should be able to provide details on) it’s likely you won’t ever need to ask the company these questions! Questions about severance or exiting a company. It’s understandable that layoffs are top of mind for many people, especially with the amount of press coverage they receive. But if you’re seriously concerned about your ability to effectively complete the tasks of your new job - decline the role.Tell us about your open roles and we'll start sourcing within 48 hours.
