Negotiating a New Job Offer

Why this moment matters

Your starting offer becomes the baseline for every future raise, bonus, and retirement contribution in that role. A gap at the start rarely closes on its own; it tends to compound.

It's also the moment the company has already decided it wants you. A thoughtful, well-reasoned negotiation is expected at this stage and rarely costs an offer. What matters is how you do it: with enthusiasm, evidence, and specific requests.

Negotiating an offer is not ingratitude. It's how you make sure the role starts on the right footing.

Negotiate the level first

The level you're hired at sets your pay band, your scope, and your promotion clock for years. A strong salary at the wrong level can cost you more over time than a modest salary at the right one, especially in technology companies with formal leveling.

Ask

• What level is this role, and how was that determined?
• What distinguishes this level from the next one?
• What does a typical path to the next level look like, and how long does it usually take?

Answer the salary question without anchoring low

"What are your salary expectations?" often comes early, before you know the full scope. Naming a low number can cap the entire negotiation. You have a few good options.

Ask for their range first

Several states, including California, require employers to share pay ranges in job postings or on request, so it's a reasonable question.

Or give a researched range

If you give a range, make its bottom a number you'd be genuinely happy with. Offers often land near the low end.

About your current salary

California and a number of other states bar employers from asking about your pay history. Even where it's allowed, you can redirect.

Understand the full package

• Base salary. The foundation for future raises and often for bonus and retirement calculations.
• Bonus. Ask for the target and how it has actually paid out in recent years. A target is not a guarantee. Ask whether your first-year bonus is prorated or guaranteed.
• Equity. Often the largest and least understood part of a technology offer. See the next section.
• Sign-on bonus. Often used to cover a bonus or unvested equity you'd leave behind. Check repayment terms if you leave early.
• Retirement match. The match percentage and its vesting schedule both matter.
• Benefits. Health premiums and deductibles can differ by thousands of dollars a year between employers.
• Time and flexibility. Paid time off, remote or hybrid arrangements, and start date.
• Growth. Title, scope, development budget, and an early compensation review.

To compare offers side by side, including equity and bonus, use the compensation calculator.

Equity, decoded

Restricted stock units (RSUs)

Common at public companies. You receive shares as they vest, and their value is typically taxed as income when they vest. Their worth moves with the stock price.

Stock options

Common at private companies. An option gives you the right to buy shares at a set price, the strike price. Options are only valuable if the company's value grows beyond that price, and you usually pay to exercise them. Tax treatment differs between option types, so it's worth consulting a tax professional before making decisions.

Vesting

A common schedule is four years with a one-year cliff: nothing vests in the first year, then a portion vests at the one-year mark and the rest over time. Some companies front-load or back-load vesting, which changes what you actually earn each year. Ask about refresh grants too, since they determine whether your equity continues after the initial grant.

Questions to ask about private company equity

• How many shares are outstanding, so I can understand what percentage my grant represents?
• What is the strike price, and what was the most recent valuation?
• Are there liquidation preferences that would be paid out before common shareholders?
• How long do I have to exercise vested options if I leave?
• Is early exercise available?

Research the market

• Levels.fyi for technology compensation by company and level, including equity.
• Glassdoor and Payscale for broader salary ranges.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics occupational data for national and regional benchmarks.
• Posted pay ranges for similar roles, now common in several states.
• Recruiters and trusted peers, who often know current ranges better than any database.

Set three numbers before you negotiate: your target, the outcome you'd accept, and your alternative if the offer doesn't work.

Make your counter

• Lead with enthusiasm. Make it clear you want the role.
• Take time. It's normal to ask for a day or two to review the full offer.
• Ask for everything at once. A single, complete counter is easier to approve than a series of requests.
• Be specific. Name numbers, not "a little more."
• Ground it in value and market data, not personal need.
• Follow up in writing after a phone conversation.

"If we can get there, I'm ready to accept" is powerful. Use it only when it's true.

What's negotiable beyond base salary

If base salary is capped by the band, other elements often have more flexibility.

• A sign-on bonus, or a larger one
• Additional equity, or a different vesting schedule
• Level or title
• A guaranteed first-year bonus
• A compensation review at six months, in writing
• Remote or hybrid flexibility
• Start date, extra paid time off, or a professional development budget
• Relocation support

Competing offers

A competing offer can strengthen your position, but only if it's real. Never invent or exaggerate one; recruiters talk, and credibility is hard to rebuild.

You can also ask a company you prefer whether it can speed up its process to meet your timeline.

If your current employer counters

When you resign, your employer may offer more to keep you. Before considering it, revisit why you started looking. If the reasons were growth, recognition, culture, or leadership, more money rarely changes them, and many people who accept a counteroffer find those issues are still there months later.

If you do consider staying, ask for the terms in writing, and ask what will change beyond compensation.

Get it in writing before you resign

• Base salary, bonus target, and any guaranteed bonus
• Equity: number of shares or units, vesting schedule, cliff, and strike price for options
• Sign-on bonus and its repayment terms
• Title, level, manager, and start date
• Any contingencies, such as a background check

Don't resign until the offer is signed and contingencies are cleared.

Your offer checklist

Copy, paste, and make them yours

Subject: [Role] offer

Hi [Name],

Thank you again for the offer. I'm excited about the role, the team, and the work ahead, and I'd like to make this work.

After reviewing the full package and market data for this level and scope, I'd like to propose:

- Base salary: [number]
- [Equity: additional units or shares / Sign-on bonus: amount]
- [Any other request, such as level, start date, or a six-month review]

[One or two sentences connecting the request to the scope of the role and the value you'll bring.]

If we can align on these terms, I'm ready to move forward.

Best regards,
[Your name]

- What level is this role, and what distinguishes it from the next level?
- What is the salary range for this level, and where does my offer sit within it?
- What is the bonus target, and how has it paid out in recent years?
- Is the first-year bonus prorated or guaranteed?
- What type of equity is this, how many shares or units, and what is the vesting schedule?
- How do refresh grants work?
- For private companies: shares outstanding, strike price, recent valuation, liquidation preferences, and the exercise window after leaving.
- What are the retirement match and its vesting schedule?
- What are the employee health premiums and deductibles?
- When is the first compensation review?

Ask for what the role is worth

Get leveled correctly, understand every part of the package, and make one clear, well-supported request.

Once you're in the role, the Raise and Promotion Playbook covers how to grow your compensation from there.