Job Offer Negotiation: From Start to Finish

Job offer negotiations must begin with a job search, or rather a call to action if you’re familiar with the comparable hero’s journey. Through the knowns and unknowns, we gain a greater sense of self, realizing exactly what we want from a job and how to properly advocate for such desires. Now, negotiations go beyond salary, but we must first reach that point of the journey.

By Mariah Flores

Finding a job is like going on a hero’s journey with many knowns and unknowns, from start to finish. The entire process, while daunting, can be quite rewarding when equipped with the right tools. And sometimes surprises pop up along the way.

Jacob Warwick, leading executive career consultant at ThinkWarwick, succinctly describes the job search process as, “Arduous, but necessary and exciting.”

The power is really within your hands and confidence is key. Knowing what you want directly from the start will go a long way, but it’s completely fine if you stumble towards that realization through the process. A solid resume, trusted reference list, offer-negotiation skills, and adequate career research goes without saying. 

It can be hard to know where to start, so think of this article as a friendly guide to help you reach the end of your hero’s journey. You have done all the work needed to get to this point and just need to take a few more steps to cross the finish line. It’s time to reclaim what can otherwise be a stress-inducing time.

Let’s start by peeling back the layers of each step, from beginning your job search to settling job offer negotiations. 

Beginning the job search process

Your hero’s journey begins now with a call to adventure: finding a job. To set off on the right foot, you must ask yourself a crucial question. 

“Why” should be the first word to pop into your mind when beginning your job search. Why are you looking for a new job? 

Maybe you want more flexibility in your work location or need a nice change of scenery. Perhaps you’re a recent graduate, ready to enter the wondrous world of adulting. Whatever the reason, knowing “why” will give your search purpose, something you can come back to whenever you’re feeling lost or down. 

Warwick also affirms that the job seekers should begin by looking inward. “You should first have an idea on the type of work that makes you happy, keeps you challenged, or points toward the type of future that you'd like to build. It's not always about the money, the work that you've done previously, or the work that you're most qualified to do,” he says. 

The importance of knowing what you want

Some of us have a difficult time determining what exactly we want in many aspects of our lives. The very thought inhibits many from reaching their full potential or even beginning the journey of finding a new position. We stop right in our tracks — otherwise known as the “refusal of the call” during one’s hero’s journey. 

Avoid stagnancy during your search by taking notes (yes, grab a pen and paper) and deciding what you want to achieve at every step of the process. “I want X salary, Y work environment, Z job titles,” and so on. Keep these answers handy, especially once you reach the job offer negotiation step of your journey.

Additionally, you are so much more than your resume, past experiences (or lack thereof), education… the list goes on. 

“Throw out all expectations on who you think you are — and challenge yourself to look at who you want to become,” says Warwick. “Surely this is easier said than done; however, by eliminating the boundaries that we often place on our careers, we can start to visualize a happier or more fulfilling future.”

This advice applies to everyone from first-time job candidates to seasoned professionals. Warwick does, however, recommend casting a wide net if you’re early in your career, gaining as much information as possible about various roles and industries. Already have a few years of experience under your career belt? He suggests leaning on your established network or learning how to tell a great story about yourself. 

If you are coming back after a career break and need a little extra guidance, this Get Hired by LinkedIn News article may be of some use. 

Your career potential is unbounded, so don’t be afraid to be bold and explore new frontiers during your job search. Again, confidence is key and incredibly evident to future employers and interviewers. 

Negotiating through the process

Leading up to the initial job offer, you’ll have a few run-ins with negotiations during the interview stage. Future employers will toss out several feelers during interviews, trying to determine everything from candidates’ desired salary range or ability to travel to possible upward mobility or work-life balance.

According to Rachel Feintzeig of The Wall Street Journal, the rules for getting your next job have changed. The pandemic opened up new avenues of leveraging for professionals, as we continue to navigate The Great Resignation. With workers leaving in record numbers, talent is needed and employers are becoming more willing to allow certain negotiables. 

This is your chance to begin early negotiations, putting out your own feelers and seeing if the employer or company is the right fit.

Negotiations are tricky, requiring some savvy and a little bit of compassion. Some people are better at it than others. It may even feel like you’ve reached the “crisis” step of your hero’s journey. Think of it as just a matter of practice, something you can improve over time.

Kwame Christian, founder, CEO, and managing director of the American Negotiation Institute and lawyer, is a negotiation expert. He sat down with Hello Monday host Jessi Hempel to talk about how to handle difficult conversations. When asked what’s the biggest mistake people make when going into negotiations, Christian answered: 

“The biggest mistake is that they don’t address the emotional side … There’s a big difference between being right and being persuasive. You can come in there, locked and loaded, with all of the facts, all of the logic, all of the reasoning and rationale and still not get what you want.” 

He points out that at the end of the day, negotiations are all about changing hearts and minds. People (and yes, our employers do have hearts) typically make decisions just based on their emotions. 

Being able to come into an interview or even a job offer negotiation and genuinely connect with your future employer is integral. Christian’s useful “Compassionate Curiosity” framework can be broken down into three steps and greatly aids in negotiation: 

1. Acknowledging and validating emotions
2. Getting curious with compassion
3. Joint problem solving 

You can find a more detailed article from Hempel and Christian here. 

When to throw out numbers

Okay, so you now feel better about your negotiating technique and have arrived at the most painstaking question of any job search (or hero’s journey): “When do I throw out numbers?” 

In most cases, Warwick advises candidates against throwing out numbers. “Because you give away too much information at the wrong time. And that information will be used against you,” he states. 

Disclosing too much information too soon can potentially jeopardize any negotiations before you even receive a job offer. In fact, you actually have the greatest negotiating power in the time between your job offer and formal acceptance. By following Christian’s framework, salary negotiations at this stage in the journey will be a breeze. 

Other negotiables…

While mulling over your desired pay, consider some other commonly missed negotiables: 

• Remote, hybrid, or in-person workdays
• Flexible schedules
• Paid time off
• Relocation
• Start date
• Health benefits
• Bonuses
• Maternity/paternity leave 

All in all, job searching is a wonderful time to connect with yourself, your interests, and gain new insight on what success looks like for you. Take extra advantage of the new pandemic-related leverage job seekers have nowadays and ace your job offer negotiations, before it’s too late. Your hero’s journey awaits.

(Editing by Onjeinika Brooks)