You have successfully passed all the hurdles of the employment process. The hiring manager has indicated that you are their candidate of choice, and they are putting an offer together for you. Congratulations – this is what you’ve been so diligently working toward these past few months.
Before you jump to respond, remember that this is the time to carefully map out your options. It is important that you feel comfortable and confident that you are making the right choice for yourself. And, if this is where you want to be, you owe it to yourself to have sufficient time and thoughtfulness to maximize the offer.
Here are some guidelines to consider as you approach the negotiation process:
1. Never accept a job on the spot, even if it is exactly what you thought you wanted. Always sleep on it. At the moment you are made an offer you feel excited and jubilant. Your adrenaline is shooting sky high. Inevitably, there will be questions or issues you will want to have clarified before you say yes. You will also want to have some time to consider a few of the points listed below.
2. Always get the offer in writing. This serves two purposes. The first is to buy some time to think about negotiating more into the offer. The second is to be sure that you are commencing your new employment without any assumptions or misunderstandings which could emerge and cause problems later on.
Some small employers may indicate that they do not put employment offers in writing. You need to let them know that you want to be clear about the specifics of the offer, and that you are unable to respond to an offer that is not written. Don’t worry, this will not make you appear to be difficult. On the contrary, it shows that you are thorough in conducting business matters and have a standard for avoiding misunderstandings in communications.
You might want to use an approach like this: “Fred, I’m very flattered that I am your candidate of choice. I do, however, need to see the specifics of the offer in a letter before I can respond. “
3. Understand that the offer letter can be the starting point for the negotiating process. You may, run into a “chicken and egg” situation. Some employers will want to verbally get agreement on a salary figure or something very close to what you will accept before they put it in writing. If they try to pressure you into a verbal acceptance, say something like, “That feels like we’re in the right ball park, Fred. But I do want to see the whole offer first before we go any further into detail.”
Another approach might be, “Fred, you know what I made at ABC, and you know the value of what I bring to your company. I know you will give me your best offer to consider, and I look forward to receiving it.”
4. Negotiate as much time as you can to respond to their best offer. Here’s why. In most cases, you will have other opportunities in the works, and some of them might not be as advanced in the timing of their process as the company who made you the offer.
Once you receive the first company’s offer, let them know that you appreciate it, and that you have a few other situations that are in the works as well. Tell them that you owe it to yourself and to them to fully explore the viability of the other opportunities before saying yes. Depending on the circumstances, you might be able to have anywhere from a few days to several weeks to respond. (Rule of thumb: the higher the position level and pay, the longer response time you can negotiate.)
The company’s willingness to give you response time on your terms will be affected by several factors, including, a) how badly they want you b) how quickly they need the position to be filled c) how many qualified back-up candidates they have to turn to, if you decline. d) the company’s general practices and culture. Read this situation carefully; you do not want to jeopardize your candidacy by holding out for an unreasonable amount of time relative to their needs.
5. Contact all other companies who have recently shown an intersest in you. Let them know that you have a written offer in hand, but that you have a very strong interest in their company as well. Then ask if they are far enough along in the process to consider your candidacy more seriously. If so, try to schedule an interview with them as soon as you can. This method will not always result in multiple offers, but it is possible. By the way, it is unwise and unethical to use this method to force a company’s interest when you do not actually have an offer at hand.
