These are suggestions for post-offer negotiations; ask them before
you accept the offer:
Your team:
Ask to meet members of the
team you have been invited to join. Make sure they are people with whom you want
to work.
Other
influences: Ask to meet the
managers and important staff members in other departments who will affect your
ability to do your job. Interview them, because your success will depend on
them.
The tools:
Ask to see all the tools that will be at your disposal. If you don't think they
are sufficient for you to do your job properly, request the tools you will need
now, because it will be more difficult to get them later. (Tools may be physical
or intangible ones.)
Structure:
Ask about the organizational structure and find out how it impacts your job. Who
is your boss's boss? What is the normal career path for the job? How have people
migrated through the organization structure? Does your boss plan to be in his
job for the next year? '(You don't want to take the job only to find that in a
month you are reporting to someone you've never met.)
The job:
Suggest changes to the job now, before you accept it, if you believe the changes
will materially affect your ability to perform the job most profitably. Do
the company a favor, and be its consultant before you become its employee.
Compensation:
Negotiate for more money, if you think it's truly warranted. You must believe
you are worth any additional money you ask for, and you must be ready to
explain why. Be forthright about it, and present your explanation in terms of
your value to the company. (Remember that money comes in different forms:
salary, starting bonuses, guaranteed first raise, performance bonuses,
incentives, merit raises, stock options, stock grants, pension plans, loans,
moving expenses, computer equipment to use at home, medical benefits, paid
vacation time (and unpaid vacation time), a car allowance, and tuition
reimbursement, to name a few. There are many ways to get what you want; always
have alternatives you're ready to accept if the company won’t agree to a
particular request.
Click here
for a list of negotiable issues.
Review Schedule:
Negotiate your performance review schedule, both in terms of promotion and in
terms of salary increases or bonuses. Ask for guarantees, especially in the
first year, if you think it’s warranted.
