Job negotiation for programmers: the basic principles

Job negotiation for programmers: the basic principles

Basic principles for programmer job negotiations

You need to negotiate at a new job: for your salary, or benefits, or my personal favorite, a shorter workweek. You’re not sure what to do, or how to approach it, or what to say when the company says “how much do you want?” or “here’s our offer—what do you say?” You’ll need to negotiate for a new job: things like your salary, benefits, or my personal favorite, a shorter work week. When a company asks you “How much do you want?” or “Here’s our quote, what do you think?”

Here’s the thing: that final conversation about salary might be the most nerve-wracking part, but the negotiation process starts much much earlier. Which means you can enter that final conversation having positioned yourself for success—and feeling less stressed about it too. Here’s the thing: The final conversation about salary may be the most nerve-wracking part, but the negotiation process starts much earlier. This means you can go into that final conversation setting yourself up for success while also feeling less stressed.

The way you can do that is following certain basic principles, which I’ll be covering in this article. I’m going to be focusing on salary negotiation as an example, but the same principles will apply when negotiating for a shorter workweek. The way to achieve this is to follow certain basic principles, which I will cover in this article. I’ll use salary negotiation as an example, but the same principles apply to negotiating a shorter work week.

In particular, I’ll be talking about: Specifically, what I’m going to talk about is

1. An example from early in my career when I negotiated very very badly. For example, early in my career, I was a terrible negotiator.

2. The right way to negotiate, based on four principles: The correct way to negotiate is based on four principles:

   1. Employment is a negotiated relationship. The employment relationship is a negotiated relationship.

   2. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is power.

   3. Negotiate from a position of strength. Negotiate from a strong position.

   4. Use the right tactics. Use the right strategy.

The wrong way to negotiate

The wrong way to negotiate

Before moving on to the principles of negotiation, let me share a story of how I negotiated badly. Before I discuss the principles of negotiation, let me share a story about a time when I failed to negotiate.

During my first real job search I interviewed at a company in New York City that was building a financial trading platform. They were pretty excited about some specific technologies I’d learned while working on Twisted, an open source networking framework. They offered me a job, I accepted, and my job search was over.
在我第一次真正找工作的时候，我面试了纽约市一家正在搭建金融交易平台的公司。他们对我在开发开放源码网络框架Twisted时学到的一些特定技术非常感兴趣。他们给了我一份工作，我接受了，我的求职之路也就结束了。

But then they sent me their intellectual property agreement, and I actually read legal documents; you should read them too. The agreement would have given the company ownership over any open source work I did, including work on Twisted. I wanted to ensure I could keep doing open source development, especially given that was their reason for hiring me in the first place. I asked for an exemption covering Twisted, they wouldn’t agree, and so we went back and forth trying to reach an agreement.
但后来他们把他们的知识产权协议发给了我，我真的读了法律文件;你也应该读一读。该协议将给予公司我所做的任何开源工作的所有权，包括Twisted的工作。我想要确保我可以继续做开源开发，特别是考虑到这是他们雇佣我的首要原因。我要求豁免涉及扭曲，他们不同意，所以我们来回试图达成协议。

Eventually they came back with a new offer: in return for not working on Twisted I’d get a 20% salary increase over their initial offer. I thought about it briefly, then said no and walked away from the job. Since I had neither a CS degree—I’d dropped out—nor much of an employment history, open source contribution was important to my career. It was how I’d gotten contracting work, and it was the reason they’d offered me this job. And I enjoyed doing it, too, so I wasn’t willing to give it up.
最后，他们给了我一份新工作:作为不为Twisted平台工作的回报，我的薪水将比他们最初的工作高出20%。我想了一下，然后说不，然后离开了这份工作。因为我既没有计算机科学学位——我已经退学了——也没有太多的工作经历，开源贡献对我的职业生涯很重要。这就是我获得承包工作的方式，也是他们给我这份工作的原因。我也喜欢这样做，所以我不愿意放弃。

I posted about this experience online, and an employee of ITA Software, which was based in the Boston area, suggested they were happy to support contributions to open source projects. It seemed worth a try, so I applied for the position. And when eventually I got a job offer from ITA and they asked me for my salary requirements, I asked for the second offer I’d gotten, the one that was 20% higher than my original offer. They accepted, and I’ve lived in the Boston area ever since.
我在网上发布了这段经历，ITA Software(总部位于波士顿地区)的一名员工表示，他们很乐意支持对开源项目的贡献。看来值得一试，所以我申请了这个职位。当我最终从ITA得到一份工作，他们问我对薪水的要求时，我又问了第二份工作，那份比我原来的工作高出20%。他们接受了，从那以后我就一直住在波士顿地区。

As we go through the principles below, I’ll come back to this story and point out how they were (mis)applied in my two negotiations. When we discuss the principles below, I will return to this story and point out how they were (incorrectly) applied in two of my negotiations.

The four principles of negotiation

Four Principles of Negotiation

You can think of the negotiation process as building on four principles: You can think of the negotiation process as being based on four principles:

1. Employment is a negotiated relationship. The employment relationship is a negotiated relationship.

2. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is power.

3. Negotiate from a position of strength. Negotiate from a strong position.

4. Use the right tactics. Use the right strategy.

Let’s go through them one by one. Let’s look at them one by one.

Principle #1: Employment is a negotiated relationship

Principle 1: The employment relationship is a negotiated relationship

If you’re an employee, your employment relationship was negotiated. When you got a job offer and accepted it, that was a negotiation, even if you didn’t push back at all. Your choice isn’t between negotiating and not negotiating: it’s between negotiating badly, or negotiating well. If you are an employee, your employment relationship is negotiated. When you get a job and accept it, that’s a negotiation, even if you didn’t say no at all. Your choice is not between negotiation and no negotiation: it is between bad negotiation and good negotiation.

Negotiate actively

Negotiate actively

If you don’t actively try to negotiate, if you don’t ask for what you want, if you don’t ask for what you’re worth—you’re unlikely to get it. Salaries, for example, are a place where your interests and your employer’s are very much at odds. All things being equal, if you’re doing the exact same work and have the same likelihood of leaving, would your employer prefer to pay you less or more? Most employers will pay you less if they can, and I almost had to learn that the hard way. If you don’t proactively try to negotiate, if you don’t ask for what you want, if you don’t ask for your value - you’re unlikely to get it. For example, salary is an area where your interests and your boss’s interests are very inconsistent. All things being equal, if you were doing the exact same job and were equally likely to leave, would your employer be willing to give you a raise or a pay cut? Most employers would give you less if they could, and I learned this almost the hard way.

Applying the principle: In my story above, I never proactively negotiated. Instead, I accepted a job offer from the financial company without any sort of additional demands. If they were happy to offer me a 20% raise just to quit open source, I probably could have gotten an even higher salary if I’d just asked in the first place. Apply the principle: In my story above, I never initiated negotiations. Instead, I accepted a job offer from a financial company with no strings attached. If they were willing to give me a 20% raise to move away from open source, I would probably get a higher salary if I’d asked for it in the first place.

Negotiation starts early, and never ends

Negotiations start early and never end

Not only do you need to negotiate actively, you also need to realize that negotiation starts much earlier than you think, and ends only when you leave to a different job: Not only do you need to negotiate aggressively, you also need to realize that negotiations start much sooner than you think and only end when you leave for another job:* The minute you start thinking about applying to a company, you’ve started the negotiation process; as you’ll see, you’ll want to do research before you even talk to them. The moment you start thinking about applying to a company, you’ll have already begun the negotiation process; you’ll find that you’ll want to do your research before you even talk to them.

• Your interview is part of your negotiation, and you can in fact negotiate the interview process itself (e.g. suggest sharing a code sample instead of doing a whiteboard puzzle). Your interview is part of your negotiation, and you can actually negotiate the interview process itself (e.g., suggest sharing a code sample instead of doing a whiteboard puzzle).

• As an employee you will continue to negotiate: if you always say “yes” when your boss asks you to work long hours, your contract for a 3-day weekend will mean nothing. As an employee, you will continue to negotiate: your 3-day weekend contract will mean nothing if you always say “yes” when your boss asks you to work long hours.

In short, your whole relationship as an employee is based on negotiation. In short, your entire relationship as an employee is based on negotiation.

Distinguish between friend and foe

Distinguish between friends and enemies

A negotiation involves two sides: yours, and the company’s. When you’re negotiating it’s important to remember that anyone who works for the company is on the company’s side. Not yours. Negotiations involve two parties: yours and the company’s. When you’re negotiating, remember that anyone who works for the company is on the company’s side. Not yours.

I once had to negotiate the intellectual property agreement at a new job. My new employer was based in the UK, and it had a US subsidiary organized by a specialist company. These subsidiary specialists had provided the contract I was signing.
我曾经在一份新工作中不得不谈判知识产权协议。我的新雇主总部设在英国，在美国有一家由专业公司组建的子公司。这些附属专家提供了我正在签署的合同。

When I explained the changes I wanted to make, the manager at the subsidiary specialist told me that my complaint had no merit, because the contract had been written by the “best lawyers in Silicon Valley.” But the contract had been written by lawyers working for the company, not for me. If his claim had been true (spoiler: they were not in fact the best lawyers in Silicon Valley), that would have just made my argument stronger. The better the company’s lawyers, the more carefully I ought to have read the contract, and the more I ought to have pushed back.
当我解释我想做的改变时，子公司专家的经理告诉我，我的投诉毫无价值，因为合同是由“硅谷最好的律师”写的。“但这份合同是为公司工作的律师写的，不是为我写的。如果他的说法是正确的(剧透:他们实际上不是硅谷最好的律师)，那只会让我的论点更有说服力。公司的律师越好，我就应该越仔细地阅读合同，越应该推诿。

The contracts the company wants you to sign? They were written by lawyers working for the company. The contract the company wants you to sign? It was written by the company’s lawyer.

Human Resources works for the company, as does the in-house recruiter. However friendly they may seem, they are not working for you. And third-party recruiters are paid by the company, not you. It’s true that sometimes their commission is tied to your salary, which means they would rather you get paid more. But since they get paid only once per candidate, volume is more important than individual transactions: it’s in their best interest to get you hired as quickly as possible so they can move on to placing the next candidate. Both human resources and internal recruiters work for the company. No matter how friendly they seem, they are not working for you. Third-party recruiters are paid by the company, not you. It’s true that sometimes their commission is tied to your salary, which means they’d rather you take more. But since they only get paid once per candidate, deal volume is more important than individual deals: it’s in their best interest to get to you as quickly as possible so they can move on to the next candidate.

Since all these people aren’t working for you, during a negotiation they’re working against you. Since all of these people are not working for you, they are working against you in the negotiation.

The only potential exception to this rule are friends who also work for the company, and aren’t directly involved in the negotiation process: even if they are constrained in some ways, they’re probably still on your side. They can serve as a backchannel for feedback and other information that the company can’t or won’t share. The only possible exception is if you have friends who also work for the company and are not directly involved in the negotiation process: even if they are bound in some ways, they may still side with you. They can serve as a primary conduit for feedback and information that other companies are unable or unwilling to share.

Principle #2: Knowledge is power

Principle 2: Knowledge is power

The more you know about the situation, the better you’ll do as a negotiator. More knowledge gives more power: to you, but also to the company. The more you understand about a situation, the better you will do as a negotiator. With more knowledge comes greater power: for you and for your company.

Know what you want

know what you want

The first thing you need to do when negotiating is understand what you want. The first thing you need to do when negotiating is know what you want.

• What is your ideal outcome? What is your ideal outcome?

• What can you compromise on, and what can’t you compromise on? What can you compromise on and what can’t you compromise on?

• What is the worst outcome you’re willing to accept? What is the outcome you least want to accept?

Do your research

do your research

You also want to understand where the other side is coming from: You also need to understand where the other person is coming from:

• What is the company’s goal, and the negotiator’s goal? For example, if you discover their goal is minimizing hassle, you might be able to get what you want by making the process a little smoother. What are the company’s goals and what are the negotiator’s goals? For example, if you find that their goal is to minimize hassle, you can get what you want by making the process smoother.

• What resources are available to them? An unfunded startup has different resources than a large company, for example. What resources are available to them? For example, a startup without funding has different resources than a larger company.

• Has the company done something similar in the past, or will your request be unprecedented? For example, what hours do other employees in similar positions work? How much are other employees paid? Has the company done something similar in the past, or is your request unprecedented? For example, what are the hours worked by other employees doing similar work? How much are other employees paid?

• What do other companies in the area or industry provide? What do other companies in the area or industry offer?

• How is this particular business segment doing: are they losing money, or doing great? How is this particular business unit functioning: Are they losing money, or are they doing well?

The more you understand going in, the better you’ll do, and that means doing your research before negotiation starts. The more you know about negotiating, the better you’ll do, and that means doing your research before you start negotiating.Applying the principle: In my story above I never did any research about salaries, either in NY or in Boston. As a result, I had no idea I was being offered a salary far below market rates. Apply the Principle: In my story above, I never did any salary research, either in New York or Boston. As a result, I had no idea that I was being paid well below market rate.

As a comparison, here’s a real example of how research can help your negotiation, from an engineer named Adam: For comparison, here’s a real-life example of how research can help you negotiate, from an engineer named Adam:

Adam: “Being informed on salaries really helped my negotiating position. When my latest employer made me an offer I asked them why it was lower than their average salary on Glassdoor.com. The real reason was likely ‘we offer as little as possible to get you on board.’ They couldn’t come up with a convincing reason and so the salary was boosted 10%.”
亚当:“了解薪资情况对我的谈判地位很有帮助。当我的新雇主给我一份工作时，我问他们为什么比Glassdoor.com网站上的平均工资要低。真正的原因可能是“我们提供的服务越少越好。”’他们找不到一个令人信服的理由，所以加薪10%。”

Glassdoor is a site that allows employees to anonymously share salaries and job reviews. Five minutes of research got Adam a 10% raise: not bad at all! Glassdoor is a website that allows employees to anonymously share salaries and job reviews. Five minutes of research leads to Adam getting a 10% raise: Not bad!

Listen and empathize

listen and understand

If you only had to make yourself happy this wouldn’t be a negotiation: you need to understand the other side’s needs and wants, what they’re worrying about, what they’re feeling. That means you need to listen, not just talk: if you do, you will often gather useful information that can help you make yourself more valuable, or address a particular worry. And you need to feel empathy towards the person you’re talking to: you don’t need to agree or subordinate yourself to their goals, but you do need to understand how they’re feeling. If you just want to make yourself happy, this isn’t a negotiation: you need to understand the other person’s needs and wants, what they’re worried about, what they’re thinking. This means you need to listen, not just talk: if you do this, you’ll often gather useful information that can help you make yourself more valuable or address a particular concern. You need to have empathy for the person you’re talking to: you don’t need to agree with or submit to their goals, but you need to understand how they feel.

Share information carefully

Share information carefully

Sharing information at the wrong time during a negotiation can significantly weaken your position. For example, sharing your previous salary will often anchor what the company is willing to offer you: Sharing information at the wrong time can severely weaken your position. For example, sharing your previous salary will often determine what a company is willing to offer you:

Adam: “I graduated from university and started working at the end of 2012. At my first job I worked for way under my market rate. I knew this and was OK with it because they were a good company.
亚当:“我大学毕业，2012年底开始工作。我第一份工作的薪水远低于市场平均水平。我知道这一点，也没有问题，因为他们是一家好公司。

Then I switched jobs in 2013. What I hadn’t accounted for was that my salary at my first job was going to limit my future salary prospects. I had to fight hard for raises at my next job before I was in line with people straight out of school, because they didn’t want to double my salary at my previous company.”
然后我在2013年换了工作。我没有考虑到的是，我第一份工作的薪水会限制我未来的薪资前景。我不得不在我的下一份工作中努力争取加薪，直到我和那些刚从学校毕业的人一样，因为他们不想让我在上一家公司的工资翻倍。”

In general, when interviewing for a job you shouldn’t share your previous salary, or your specific salary demands—except of course when it is helpful to do so. For example, let’s say you’re moving from Google to a tiny bootstrapped startup, and you know you won’t be able to get the same level of salary. Sharing your current salary can help push your offer higher, or used as leverage to get shorter hours: “I know you can’t offer me my previous salary of $$$, but here’s something you could do—”. Just make sure not to share it too early, or they might decide you’d never accept any offer at all and stop the interview process too early. Generally speaking, when interviewing for a job, you shouldn’t share your previous salary, or your specific salary requirements—unless of course it would be helpful to do so. For example, let’s say you move from Google to a small startup and you know you won’t be able to earn the same level of salary. Sharing your current salary can help you get a higher salary, or use it to work fewer hours: “I know you can’t give me my old $$$, but you can do something-” Just make sure not to tell them too early, or they might decide you’ll never accept any job offer and end the interview process prematurely.

Most of the time, however, you shouldn’t share either your previous salary or specific salary requirements. If the company insists on getting your previous salary, you can: However, in most cases, you should not share your previous salary or specific salary requirements. If the company insists on your previous salary, you can:

• If you work somewhere with relevant laws (e.g. California and Massachusetts), point out that this question is illegal. Asking about salary expectations is not illegal in these jurisdictions, so be careful about the distinction. If you work in a place where there are laws (such as California and Massachusetts), it is illegal to raise this issue. In these areas, it’s not illegal to ask about salary requirements, so be aware of this distinction.

• Ask for the company’s salary range for the position, as well as the next level up in the salary tree. Chances are they will refuse to share, in which case you can correspondingly refuse to share your information. Ask about the company’s salary range for the position, and the next level in the salary tree. There’s a good chance they’ll refuse to share, in which case you can refuse to share your information accordingly.

• Say something like “I expect to be paid industry-standard pay for my experience.” Say something like: “I expect to be paid industry standard compensation based on my experience.”

Applying the principle: I shouldn’t have told ITA Software my salary requirement. Instead, I should have gotten them to make the first offer, which would have given me more information about what they were willing to pay. Application principle: I should not tell the ITA software my salary requirements. Instead, I should let them make their first offer so I can get more information on how much they are willing to pay.

Principle #3: Negotiate from a position of strength

Principle 3: Negotiate from a favorable position

The stronger your negotiation position, the more likely you are to get what you want. And this is especially important when you’re asking for something abnormal, like a 3-day weekend. The stronger your negotiating position, the more likely you are to get what you want. This is especially important if you’re asking for something out of the ordinary, like a 3-day weekend.

Have a good fallback (BATNA)

Have a good backup (Patna)If negotiation fails, what will you do? Whatever it is, that is your fallback, sometimes known as the “Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement” (BATNA). The better your fallback, the better your alternative, the stronger your negotiating position is. Always figure out your fallback in advance, before you start negotiating. What do you do if negotiations fail? Regardless, this is your fallback, sometimes called your “Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement” (BATNA). The better your escape route, the better your options and the stronger your negotiating position. Before you start negotiating, be sure to have your escape route figured out in advance.

For example, imagine you’re applying for a new job: For example, imagine you are applying for a new job:

• If you’re unemployed and have an empty bank account, your fallback might be moving in with your parents. This does not give you a strong negotiating position. If you lose your job and your bank account is empty, you can move in with your parents. This does not give you a strong negotiating position.

• If you’re employed, and more or less content with your current job, your fallback is staying where you are. That makes your position much stronger. If you’re hired and more or less satisfied with your current job, your fallback option is to stay put. This makes your position more secure.

If you have a strong fallback, you can choose to walk away at any time, and this will make asking for more much easier. If you have a strong retreat, you can choose to leave at any time, which will make asking for more easier.

Provide and demonstrate value

Provide and demonstrate value

The more an organization wants you as an employee, the more they’ll be willing to offer you. The people you’re negotiating with don’t necessarily know your value: you need to make sure they understand why you’re worth what you’re asking. The more an organization wants you as an employee, the more they are willing to offer you. The person you’re negotiating with doesn’t necessarily know your value: you need to make sure they understand why your request is worthwhile.

For example, when you’re interviewing for a job, you need to use at least part of the interview to explain your value to your prospective employer: your accomplishments and skills. Once you’ve established the value of your skills, asking for more—more money, unusual terms—can actually make you seem more valuable. And having another job offer—or an existing job—can also help, by showing you are in demand. For example, when you’re interviewing for a job, you need to use at least part of the interview to explain your value to your future employer: your achievements and skills. Once you determine the value of your skills, asking for more—more money, unusual terms—can actually make you appear more valuable. Another job - or an existing job - can also be helpful, as it shows you’re in demand.

Finally, remember that your goal is to make sure the other side’s needs are met—not at your own expense, but if they don’t think hiring you is worth it, you aren’t going to get anything. Here’s how Alex, another programmer I talked to, explains how he learned this: Finally, remember that your goal is to make sure the other person’s needs are met—not at the expense of your own, but because you’ll gain nothing if they decide it’s not worth hiring you. Here’s Alex, another programmer I spoke with, explaining how he learned this:

Alex: “Think about the other person and how they’re going to react, how you can try to manage that proactively. You need to treat your negotiating partner as a person, not a program.
亚历克斯:“想想其他人，他们会有什么反应，你该如何积极应对。你需要把你的谈判伙伴当成一个人，而不是一个程序。

Initially I had been approaching it adversarially, 'I need to extract value from you, I have to wrestle you for it’ but it’s more productive to negotiate with an attitude of 'we both need to get our needs met.’ The person you’re talking to is looking to hire someone productive who can create value, so figure out how can you couch what you want in a way that proactively addresses the other person’s concerns.”
一开始我是用一种相反的态度来处理这件事的，“我需要从你身上获取价值，我需要和你角力”，但是用一种“我们都需要满足自己的需求”的态度来谈判更有成效。’和你谈话的那个人想要雇佣的是能创造价值的有生产力的人，所以你要弄清楚你如何能以一种主动解决他人担忧的方式来表达你的想法。”

Principle #4: Use the right tactics

Principle 4: Use the right strategy

Once you’ve realized you’re negotiating, have done your research, and are negotiating from a position of strength, applying the right negotiation tactics will increase your chances of success even more. Once you realize you’re negotiating, do your research, and negotiate from a position of strength, using the right negotiation strategies will increase your chances of success.

Ask for more than you want

Ask for more than you want

Obviously you don’t want to ask for less than what you want. But why not ask for exactly what you want? Obviously, you don’t want to ask for less than you want. But why not ask yourself what you really want?

First, it might turn out that the company is willing to give you far more than you expected or thought possible. First, it may turn out that the company is willing to give you more than you expected or thought was possible.

Second, if you ask for exactly what you want there’s no way for you to compromise without getting less than what you want. By asking for more, you can compromise while still getting what you wanted. Second, if you want exactly what you want, there is no way you can compromise on getting less than what you want. By asking for more, you can compromise while getting what you want.

Applying the principle: If I’d wanted a $72,000 salary, and research suggested that was a fair salary, I should have asked for $80,000. If I was lucky the company would have said yes; if they wanted to negotiate me down, I would have no problems agreeing to a lower number so long as it was above $72,000. Apply this principle: If I want a salary of $72,000, and research shows that’s a fair salary, I should ask for $80,000. If I’m lucky, the company will agree; if they want to negotiate with me, I’ll agree to a lower number as long as it’s above $72,000.

Negotiate multiple things at once

Handle multiple tasks simultaneouslyYour goal when negotiating is not to “win.” Rather, your goal is to reach an agreement that passes your minimal bar, and gets you as much as is feasible. Feasibility means you also need to take into account what the other side wants as well. If you’ve reached an impasse, and you still think you can make a deal that you like, try to come up with creative ways to work out a solution that they will like. Your goal when negotiating is not to “win.” Instead, your goal is to reach an agreement that passes your minimum standards and gives you as much as possible. Feasibility means you also need to consider what the other person wants. If you’ve reached an impasse and you still think you can reach an agreement you like, try to come up with creative ways to solve the problem that they’ll like.

If you only negotiate one thing at once, every negotiation has a winner and a loser. For example, if all you’re negotiating is salary, either you’re making more money, or the company is saving money: it’s a zero-sum negotiation. This limits your ability to come up with a solution that maximizes value for you while still meeting the other side’s needs. If you only talk about one thing at a time, there will be a winner and a loser in every negotiation. For example, if all you negotiate is salary, you are either making more money or the company is saving money: it is a zero-sum negotiation. This limits your ability to come up with a solution that maximizes value for you while still meeting the other party’s needs.

Applying the principle: In my story above, the financial company wanted intellectual property protection, I wanted to be able to write open source, and we were at an impasse. So they expanded the scope of the negotiation to include my salary, which allowed them to make tradeoffs between the two—more money for me in return for what they wanted. If I’d cared less about working on open source I might have accepted that offer. Apply the principle: In my story above, the financial firm wanted intellectual property protection, I wanted to be able to write open source, and we were at an impasse. So they broadened the scope of the negotiation to include my salary, which allowed them to make me twice as much money in exchange for what they wanted. If I cared less about open source efforts, I might accept this offer.

Never give an answer immediately

never answer right away

During the actual negotiation you should never decide on the spot, nor are you required to. If you get a job offer you can explain that you need a little time to think about it: say something like “I have to run this by my spouse/significant other/resident expert.” This will give you the time to consider your options in a calmer state of mind, and not just blurt out “yes” at the first semi-decent offer. In an actual negotiation, you should not make decisions on the spot, nor should you be required to do so. If you’re offered a job, you can explain that you need a little time to think it over: Say something like this: “I have to ask my spouse/significant other/resident expert to do this.” This will give you time to consider your options with a calmer mind, rather than blurting out “yes” at the first semi-formal offer.

Having someone else review the offer is a good idea in general; a friend of mine ran her job offers by her sister, who had an MBA. But it’s also useful to mention that other person as someone who has to sign off on the offer. That gives you the ability to say you’d like to accept an offer, but your spouse/expert thinks you can do better. Generally speaking, it’s a good idea to have someone else vet the job; a friend of mine found the job through her sister who had an MBA. However, it is also useful if you mention that another person must sign the contract. This gives you the ability to say you are willing to take a job, but your spouse/expert thinks you can do it better.

Notice that the employer almost always has this benefit already. Unless you’re negotiating with the owner of the business, you’re negotiating with an agent: someone in HR, say. When you make a demand, the HR person might say “I have go to check with the hiring manager”, and when they come back with less than you wanted it’s not their fault, they’re just passing on the bad news. The implication is that the low offer is just the way it is, and there’s nothing they can do about. Note that employers almost always already have this benefit. Unless you’re negotiating with the business owner, you’re negotiating with an agent: someone in human resources, say. When you ask, someone in HR may say, “I’ll have to check with the hiring manager,” and when they get back less than you want, it’s not their fault, they’re just delivering bad news. The implication is that the low offer is what it is and there’s nothing they can do about it.

Don’t fall for this trick: they often can change the offer. Don’t be fooled: They can often change the bid.

Beyond negotiating for salary

Don’t talk about salary

You can negotiate for a higher salary—or rather, you should negotiate for a higher salary. The Adam I interviewed in this article is now a partner in DangoorMendel, who can help you negotiate a higher salary. You can strive for a higher salary, or rather, you should strive for a higher salary. Adam I, interviewed in this article, is now a partner at DangoorMendel and can help you negotiate a higher salary.

But salary isn’t the only thing you can negotiate for. You can also negotiate for a shorter workweek. But salary isn’t the only thing you can negotiate. You can also strive for a shorter work week.

And yes, this is harder, but it’s definitely possible. Yes, it’s hard, but it’s definitely possible.

In fact, this article is an excerpt from a book I wrote to help you do just that: You Can Negotiate a 3-Day Weekend. It’s on sale for 30% off until December 3rd, 2019. In fact, this post is an excerpt from a book I wrote that can help you do just that: You Can Strive for a 3-Day Weekend. Special price 30% off until December 3, 2019.

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