Congratulations, you’ve received a job offer! Now comes the critical step of negotiating to ensure your offer aligns with your expectations and worth.
In this post, we’ll address what to keep in mind before you start negotiating, some negotiating tactics, questions to ask, and questions not to ask.
Before you start to negotiate a job offer, there are a few main forms of compensation you should be aware of. These include:
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. While it’s definitely in your best interest to be prompt when responding to your offer, taking a day or two to fully absorb the details is advisable. If you rush into sending a reply you may regret it later. In our data from 0+ placements, the average time to fill an engineering role is 29 days, suggesting a reasonable window for candidates to consider offers without undue pressure. 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 expressing frustration. Your goal is to find a mutually beneficial agreement. 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 field; for instance, Recruiting from Scratch data shows an average salary of ~$252,000 for engineers we place at seed through Series C startups. 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. Resources like Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, and industry-specific reports can provide valuable benchmarks. 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. 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. This approach is essential in securing offers like the ~$252K average Recruiting from Scratch engineers receive. 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? Understanding how performance bonuses are structured and paid out is crucial for evaluating your total compensation package, which is particularly relevant given the ~$252K average salary we see for placed engineers. 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. This includes specifics on 401K matching, vacation policies, or professional development budgets. Confirm your start date. It may seem obvious, but you want to make sure that your start date works for all parties involved. Confirming this proactively avoids future scheduling conflicts. Based on 0+ technical hires we've made, a clear start date is part of the efficient 29-day average time to fill process. Confirm any obligations you have within the first couple months of starting your new role. Do you have a can’t-miss trip coming up, or another period of time when you’ll be unavailable? It may be worth a mention when accepting the offer versus a week or two after you’ve started, and people are expecting you to be available in future months. This transparency helps set appropriate expectations from day one.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. With so much information available, showing you've done your homework is key. Overly personal questions. Avoid asking overly personal questions, like about coverage for specific medical conditions or needing a leave of absence, during initial negotiation. 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! These are typically better addressed with HR after acceptance, or through a thorough review of benefits documentation. 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 or the company's stability to the point of asking about severance, it might be better to decline the role. Starting a negotiation by discussing exit terms can send a concerning signal to the employer.Tell us about your open roles and we'll start sourcing within 48 hours.
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