# Offer Negotiation (Practical)

Negotiation is not about being aggressive; it’s about aligning on value and reducing uncertainty.

## The only three levers that matter

1. **Competing options** (real alternatives reduce uncertainty)
2. **Role clarity** (level, scope, team, location)
3. **Risk profile** (remote, immigration, on-call, stability)

## Before you negotiate

- Confirm the level/title in writing.
- Confirm location and remote expectations.
- Ask for full comp breakdown: base, bonus, equity/RSUs, refreshers, sign-on.
- Ask about vesting schedule and performance review cadence.

## A negotiation script that works

Use calm, factual language:

1. Express excitement and fit.
2. Ask for time to review.
3. Present constraints or competing options.
4. Ask what flexibility exists.

Example structure:

"I’m excited about the role and I think I can have strong impact. I’m reviewing the offer details this week. Based on my other conversations and my current comp, I’d be comfortable signing if we can improve the overall package—especially the equity and/or sign-on. What flexibility do we have?"

## Common traps

- **Negotiating before the offer is complete** (you don’t know what you’re negotiating).
- **Over-optimizing one component** (base vs equity vs sign-on) without thinking in totals.
- **Ignoring refreshers** (long-term comp can dominate).
- **Not clarifying scope** (a “great comp” for a role you’ll hate is not great comp).

## Company archetype notes

- **FAANG/high-growth:** tends to be structured bands; negotiation often moves sign-on/equity more than base.
- **Enterprise:** sometimes more base/bonus flexibility; equity may be smaller.
- **Automotive/industrial:** may trade higher base for smaller equity; stability and benefits can be strong.

## Non-comp terms worth negotiating

- start date
- relocation support
- immigration support
- remote/hybrid terms
- team match (when possible)
- on-call expectations

## Decision checklist

- Is the role scope aligned with the level?
- Is the manager strong?
- Can you grow in the company’s structure?
- Do you accept the on-call and incident culture?
- Does the product/company trajectory fit your risk tolerance?