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How to Negotiate a Job Offer

blog.upstart.com

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Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#11

Post by jtbigwoo »

johnrob wrote: post #5
chollida1 wrote: post #2

> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…

I am baffled why managers rarely understand 1). In addition to slighting employees, it makes them easy for other companies to poach. It's also messy and expensive to counter offer once a resignation letter has been sent.

Counter offers have a really low success rate in my experience. That person has already weighed the pros and cons of staying and decided to leave. It won't take much to push them to leave again.

In addition, everybody else in the company now has an incentive to look for a new job themselves since they see a short cut to get a raise.

Better to keep people happy by offering market-rate salaries in the first place.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#12

Post by jtbigwoo »

One more thing from someone who survived a couple startup bubbles: Don't value shares as more than a dollar or two unless the company is the equivalent of Microsoft in the 1990's. It's easy to talk yourself into a "small" valuation of $10 or $20/share when the shares are much more likely to be worth $0.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#13

Post by conroe64 »

Here is a quick tip, especially for those non confrontational types. When the company makes an offer, just say "Hmm.." and pause for a bit. If the person offering the job is insecure in what they are proposing, they may think you are about to decline and this may provoke them into upping the offer.

If they don't up the offer, it's easy to just say yes after whatever they say next. So, you aren't really risking anything.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#14

Post by GavinB »

The "Pre-Reqs" piece is not right. You really don't need to have another job offer or a current job to negotiate. A while ago I wrote up this script for how to negotiate a job offer with no leverage at all when you intend to accept it no matter what: http://bit.ly/1185CGm

Most job offers come with leeway for negotiation, regardless of your situation. All you really have to do is ask.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#15

Post by praptak »

johnrob wrote: post #5
chollida1 wrote: post #2

> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…

I am baffled why managers rarely understand 1). In addition to slighting employees, it makes them easy for other companies to poach. It's also messy and expensive to counter offer once a resignation letter has been sent.

> It's also messy and expensive to counter offer once a resignation letter has been sent.

Not to mention that accepting a counter offer is a bad move. The offer might just be to keep you until they find a cheaper replacement. Even if that is not the case you will be perceived as risky - no investment in you, first to fire during tough times.

On top of that it perpetuates the crappy tactic "pay peanuts until they threaten to leave". Nope, counteroffers are for suckers.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#17

Post by gangst »

GavinB wrote: post #14

The "Pre-Reqs" piece is not right. You really don't need to have another job offer or a current job to negotiate. A while ago I wrote up this script for how to negotiate a job offer with no leverage at all when you intend to accept it no matter what: http://bit.ly/1185CGm Most job offers come with leeway for negotiation, regardless of your situation. All you really have to do is ask.

In your script, you have:

> You: This is a really great offer because [a sentence or two about why you want to work for them.]. But I was really looking for a little higher compensation.

> Then, this is the most important part: they need to speak next. You have to be silent until they respond. They will give you one of three responses:

At which point you list the three responses. But the most common (in my experience) response is missing: "Okay, what were you thinking for salary?".

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#18

Post by notahacker »

chollida1 wrote: post #2

> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…

I felt the article missed the employer's BATNA though. If they loved you and your unusual skillset and their offer is well below market rate, you're in a much stronger position to negotiate than if they narrowly favoured you for a position they're not going to find difficult to fill, in which case they might be quite happy to suggest you walk away and work for BigCorp and their 30% extra perks package.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#19

Post by broham »

hfsktr wrote: post #6
chollida1 wrote: post #2

> Pre-reqs – If you’re not currently working, and you don’t have competing offers, you’re pretty much out of luck. So task #1 is to make sure you have competition for your talents. Otherwise, you might be able to ask for something small around the margins (eg help with relocation expenses), but you’re not in position for serious negotiation. This is so, so true. Having a strong BATNA is 90% of negotiating. When I neg…

I have been unemployed for over a year. Today I just got my first offer, which made me go "Coincidence?! Probably." It was less than I wanted but really after a year I feel like I have no power to negotiate. Add to that my personality (avoid confrontation) and the fact that my last job I fell into so I didn't have to negotiate (there wasn't a contract it was just spoken and my checks increased). That excerpt kind of…

Congrats! Here's hoping that you'll be happy there.

Re: How to Negotiate a Job Offer

#20

Post by halacsy »

i think article is just wrong as it is. Maybe because I'm on the other side hiring engineers. But we don't negotiate salaries. Two factors: what makes you happy/enough (do not think about your salary but about your challenges) and what can we expect from you. I don't care how much money you would make at an other company, because you want to join our company. The first part is very personal. People having mortgage and two kids just overvalue themselves. Immigrants in US (and I guess everywhere) just don't need as much money as they don't see the neighbour's grass.
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