Fear of Negotiation

​Throughout my years coaching individuals through the job search process, I’ve observed that even more frightening than the interview, is negotiating the offer. People, especially women (a shocking 68%), simply don’t try to negotiate, accepting the first offer made to them. Failing to negotiate has a long-term impact on your income. If you settle for a lesser amount upon hiring, all salary increases are based on that smaller amount. Additionally, when you change jobs, the previous job’s salary will be less, possibly leading to a lower offer. I believe negotiation is the most crucial step in the job search process.
Most people avoid negotiating because it’s just too scary. The most common fear is that the company will rescind the offer because you countered. Let me put that fear to rest. No company will withdraw an offer because you countered. Now, if you keep going back and forth and changing your ask, that’s a different story. But one counter offer is not only acceptable, but in many cases, expected. So, here is how to prepare yourself to assess, and if necessary, counter the offer you receive.

1. Do your research. Use Payscale.com or other similar sites, to determine your market value for your level of education, experience, and location. This is your strongest supporting evidence! Use sites like Glassdoor.com to see comparable salaries for the company you are considering.
2. Understand, and write down, your personal needs. Is salary king? Or vacation time? Benefits? When negotiating, consider the entire compensation package, not just salary. Know your needs, desires, and what is and is not negotiable. While not everything can be negotiated, it’s important to know where to begin.
3. NEVER, never, ever respond to an undocumented offer! I have seen horror stories where what was verbally offered was not what the person received after they started the job.
4. ALWAYS ask for time to consider an offer. Nobody should expect you to accept on the spot. This gives you time to consider the offer without the emotional response to receiving it. It also gives you time to speak with a partner, spouse, or other trusted person. Plus, if you are interviewing with other companies, it gives you time to touch base with them before accepting. You may have a ‘better’ offer possibly coming from another interview. Contact the recruiter and let them know you’ve received an offer, and would love to see if there is any way to accelerate conversations about your candidacy. I have seen companies make things move more quickly for someone they were very interested in. They’d rather rush things a bit than lose you to another employer. This also helps avoid Item 7 below.
5. Using the research and homework you did to prepare, you can more easily assess the offer and determine what, if anything, you want to counter with. The easiest things for an employer to change are salary, signing bonus and stock. Others like vacation, remote work, and work schedule can be dictated by HR and less flexible, but don’t let that stop you from trying!
6. Respond politely, preferably by email to have the offer and counter documented. It’s not typical, but I have seen misunderstandings arise from verbal conversations. No polite counter will cause the employer to rescind it. Keep your counter short and to the point, expressing your pleasure with receiving an offer and joining the team but with some adjustment.
7. Once you have accepted the offer, YOU HAVE ACCEPTED THE OFFER. Do not negotiate any further. The time for that was in Item 6. To do anything else is bad form, and could result in a rescinding of the offer.
8. One thing I am often asked, is “Can I accept a better offer if one comes through, even if I’ve already accepted a first?” Well, obviously the answer is yes, BUT……  Declining an offer after you’ve accepted is extremely bad form, and it causes a lot of bad blood. In today’s fast paced, super-connected world, you don’t need any bad blood out there. The proper thing to do after accepting an offer, is to contact any other company you’ve interviewed with to withdraw your name from consideration. If you’ve followed along, you would have already reached out to other companies in Item 4. Having said all of this, if you do find yourself with an amazing offer dropping in your lap after accepting another and you know it’s the job you want/need/etc, then the best course of action is to call the recruiter/hiring manager from job 1 and have an open, honest discussion with them. People understand ‘an offer too good to turn down’.  Again, just do so respectfully and professionally…and….do be prepared for a negative response. This company has invested time and effort, and turned away other qualified candidates to make you the offer. Those other candidates may no longer be available, causing the company to start at square one. So, is it possible? Yes. Is it advisable? Not so much.

And one last note, remember, you are assessing the employer as much as they are you! They’ve already made you their number one choice. They want YOU! So, at this point in the game, you do have some amount of power to negotiate. Don’t waste your chance.