Learn About Offers

A written offer letter should include at a minimum: 

You may get a verbal offer initially, but make sure you also get a written offer as that will include additional details to consider. Make sure you fully understand what is or isn’t included; this isn’t a time to make assumptions. 

• Position title 
• Supervisor name or title 
• Detailed compensation package, including salary and benefits 
• Start date 
• Onboarding next steps 

If the offer doesn’t include a response deadline, ask if they have a timeline and when they need to hear from you. They may not have a specific deadline, so you can offer to respond in a few days after you have had a chance to consider their offer. 

You might realize as you evaluate the offer that you need additional time, either to fully consider the offer or because you are waiting to hear about a competing offer. You can ask once for a few days or up to a week at most, though understand they might not agree to as much time as you ask for. 
If you want more time because of a competing offer, you may have to evaluate the risks of taking or declining this offer. If you take this position and you do get the other offer, how will you feel? What if you decline this one and don’t get the other offer? 

If you are confused or feel stuck, make an appointment to talk it through. 

Evaluate the extent to which this offer meets your professional goals as well as your needs. Are you interested in the role and the mission of the organization? 

Consider the position, the organization, and the area, including regional cost of living, transportation method and commute length, and options for free time and life outside of work. Make a basic budget to see if the salary is enough to cover your costs. Would you have to have roommates or travel a long distance? Is that something you are willing to do? If you have to move to the area, how much would that cost? 

See additional sample questions to consider below as you evaluate the offer. 

In advance of any negotiating and based on your needs and goals, make sure you know what you are and are not willing to compromise on. Ask yourself what you would want to counterbalance anything in the offer that falls short. Would a significant performance-based salary increase after 6 months offset a lower starting salary?What about increased remote work options after an initial probationary period? 

In addition, develop a list of questions to ask in order to understand what areas are negotiable for the organization. This can include items like schedule flexibility, commuter benefits or reimbursements in the benefits portion of the offer, available professional development opportunities (tuition reimbursement, internal training programs), or the performance review schedule. 

Your value has 2 components: what you bring to table (experience, skills) and the salary range for the area and the industry/role. The organization’s website may have available salary ranges you can use, but also look generally for information on average salaries for that type of role in the area. 

See the samples below for a value statement template you can use to develop your own. 

Salary is an important part of this, but it isn’t everything. Know what else you need and what you are willing to accept. This can include insurance (health, dental, vision), 401k or other retirement savings, and transportation benefits. 

Consider other financial and non-financial benefits, such as a signing bonus, incentive programs, profit sharing programs, yearly bonuses, mentoring programs, or employee affinity groups. These might be included or an option to ask about. 

Will you be speaking with someone from Human Resources or the hiring manager? This can make a difference in how you approach the conversation. 

An HR representative likely won’t know some of the nuances of your role or the benefit of your qualifications, so you should plan on a more detailed justification. On the other hand, the hiring manager likely doesn’t need as much detail on why your specific experience or skills are highly valuable to the team and the organization. 

In addition to developing your value statement, plan how you want to conduct the negotiation and focus on the most important item you want to change about the offer, whether salary or something else. Before you actually make the call, take a few minutes to practice to ease any nerves. 

• Will you enjoy the job? 
• Will this position help you to develop and strengthen your skills? 
• Do the organization’s values align with yours? 
• Does the work fit with your interests, values, and long-term goals? 
• What type of mentoring or supervision will you receive? 
• What kind of time commitment outside of the normal work week does the employer expect? Will you be on call on weekends or after hours? Will you be expected to put in frequent overtime? If so, how is this compensated? 
• Is there opportunity for growth and promotion? 
• Do you like the atmosphere, the people, the scope of work? 
• How stable is the organization? Is it new? Is it growing? Does it have a reliable track record? Is the organization in an established industry? 
• What benefits are offered in terms of health care, vacation, sick time, tuition remission, retirement planning? 
• What is the corporate culture? Does the staff seem happy? 
• What is the cost of living in the area? Will you be able to afford to live on the salary? 
• Is the commute manageable?