Should You Still Negotiate A Good Job Offer?

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I received a job offer that’s better than I expected? Should I still negotiate? If so, can I send this [email with the current offer details and counter arguments]? I plan to accept and hope to work with these people long-term, so I don’t want any bad feelings. – JT, Energy Policy Analyst

Kudos to this job seeker for landing an offer and having the discipline to not accept right away, but rather step back and reassess. Additional kudos for seeking out help since JT is returning to the workforce and hasn’t negotiated in years. Finally, even more kudos to JT for getting a strong offer even with an employment gap of almost a decade. (This offer came at the end of a temp assignment and is a great example of how to convert a project into a full-time job .)

That said, JT’s question also illustrates common misconceptions that job seekers have about the offer negotiation process. Luckily, JT didn’t act on any of these incorrect assumptions and as a result got an even better job offer (higher base, which will be compounded because it’s the basis for the performance bonus and retirement contribution calculations!). Follow JT’s lead and avoid these three negotiation mistakes:

Negotiation Mistake 1 – Failing to negotiate at all

Even though the initial offer was strong, JT didn’t accept right away. Too many job seekers jump the gun and accept the first offer out of excitement. Or, they don’t want to risk the offer by countering (even though you won’t, which we’ll cover in point 3).

You don’t want to negotiate just for the sake of negotiating. However, there’s probably something in the offer that isn’t ideal. If it’s not the money (e.g., base salary, bonus or other cash aspect of the offer), then you might want to negotiate the start date, your title, your scope of responsibility, when you’re eligible for benefits or bonus, etc. – there are so many factors to consider in deciding your next career move . As it turns out, JT realized that, while the base salary was strong, it was lower than she hoped. (JT had smartly used her interview process to gauge how much room there could be for negotiating salary .) If she didn’t get the base she wanted, then that lower figure would also lower her bonus, retirement contributions and future growth.

Negotiation Mistake 2 – Negotiating by email instead of voice-to-voice

Once JT decided to negotiate, she drafted a long, detailed email with her counterarguments. Like many job seekers, JT felt that an email would allow her to collect her thoughts, edit carefully and avoid the confrontation of a direct conversation. While these are legitimate advantages of an email negotiation, there are disadvantages that outweigh the benefits.

You don’t know how an email is received, while in a voice-to-voice conversation you can hear and potentially see (if live or video) the other person’s reactions. Even though you can draft and refine email, it’s still hard to capture tone and intention 100% accurately in writing – and again, you won’t be able to gauge how it’s received by the reader. Finally, if the negotiation requires a lot of back and forth, perhaps even some brainstorming on what creative compromises could work, a long email chain is confusing and slow, compared to the immediate collaboration of a direct conversation.

Negotiation Mistake 3 – Assuming that negotiating will harm collegial relationships

One of JT’s primary concerns in negotiating at all was incurring bad feelings by not accepting the offer right away. However, companies respect strong negotiators. In addition, done correctly, there need not be any hurt feelings.

JT opened every conversation with a heartfelt Thank You for the offer. She reassured both the recruiter and her direct manager that she was excited about the opportunity and was looking forward to joining. She introduced her negotiation as questions about the offer, rather than a formal negotiation. In this way, she kept the dialogue positive and emphasized collaboration over conflict.

As JT’s story demonstrates, one major upside to negotiating is the opportunity to get an even stronger offer. Differences in compensation compound over time, not just for the base salary but for other aspects of an offer. A higher title now will support an even higher title in the future. More responsibility or resources now will put you in the running for a bigger role in the future. At the very least, you get much-needed negotiation practice every time you ask for more. This also gives you confidence and reinforces a self-image as someone who advocates for themselves.

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