Info
Employment is just striking a mutual deal in the labor market.
Get everything in writing
• Record all offer details, including non-monetary aspects and company information.
• Create a paper trail of significant discussions as formal offer letters may be delayed.
• Your response to initial inquiries about your thoughts on the offer is crucial, as it’s a decision point that can limit further negotiation.
Always keep the door open
• Don’t relinquish negotiating power until ready for a final decision.
• Avoid premature commitments; skillfully evade attempts to force decisions.
Examples
If you say “yes, that sounds amazing, when do I start?” you implicitly accept the offer and completely close the door on the negotiation. This is your recruiter’s number one favorite thing to hear. It stands to reason you probably shouldn’t do this.
But their second favorite thing to hear you say is “can you do 90K instead of 85K?” This also closes the door, but for a different and more subtle reason. And it’s the number one reason why most people suck at negotiation.
Information is power
To protect your power in the negotiation, you must protect information as much as possible.
• Companies try to gain all the information they can during negotiations, while concealing their own intentions.
• To maintain negotiating power, job seekers should avoid revealing salary expectations or current compensation.
• Instead, they should express enthusiasm while remaining non-committal, implying other offers are being considered, to leverage their position and secure a better deal.
Example
“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.“Always be positive
If the offer is shit, it’s extremely important to remain positive and excited about the company. This is because your excitement is one of your most valuable assets in a negotiation.
• Companies view candidates as investments; losing candidate enthusiasm reduces their perceived value.
• Prolonged negotiations risk this, so maintaining excitement about the company and its mission throughout the process is crucial to securing a favorable offer.
Don’t be the decision maker
• To reduce recruiter pressure, mention others involved in the decision, shifting the focus from you. Mention that you have another job offer to consider, or you are waiting for the final call from another company.
• This defuses tension and allows you to negotiate better.
• After receiving an offer, confirm details in writing.
• Then, use this offer to leverage better deals from other potential employers.
Expedite the process with other companies
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?
• Having a job offer, even a less desirable one, creates urgency and increases your chances of getting other offers.
• Proactively inform all companies you’re interviewing with about your offer, emphasizing the limited timeline.
• This tactic, while seemingly desperate, leverages scarcity to generate demand and often speeds up the hiring process, even if it reveals flaws in some companies’ evaluation methods.
• Hiring is inherently risky; past performance and internal referrals are the best predictors of future success.
• Interviews are weak signals.
• Multiple offers significantly strengthen a candidate’s profile, as they represent a convergence of weak signals into a stronger one, making it rational for companies to value them.
• Therefore, candidates should leverage multiple offers to improve their chances.
Exploding offers
• Exploding job offers, common in startups, pressure candidates with short deadlines.
• The author advises treating these as non-offers unless the deadline is extended.
• Firmly communicate the need for more time to consider the offer and other opportunities.
• Companies usually relent; if not, walking away is acceptable.
• Ignoring the deadline won’t work; directly addressing the issue is crucial to maintain negotiating power.
Example
Example conversation:
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.
If they push back and say this is the best they can do, then politely reply:
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.