Negotiation Etiquette
Now that you're a tech interview expert, it's likely that you'll start landing offers and want to know how to negotiate with your potential employers. That's a great position to be in!
Here are some common mistakes we see candidates make.
- Accepting the offer and then trying to negotiate afterwards.
Don't do this! It's like making a promise to someone and then going back on your word as soon as it doesn't suit you. You don't want to lose trust in one of your first interactions with your new employer. The time to negotiate is before you accept the offer.
- Using a cookie-cutter negotiation strategies without customizing or personalizing it at all.
It can be a red flag if you make a request that doesn't fit your situation just because you learned someone else had success with it. Base your requests on your exact situation.
- Lying about competing offers in order to demand a higher salary.
Recruiters are pretty good at detecting lies. They also know the market very well and can tell when your request is way off. We don't recommend fabricating things as a negotiation tactic because it can really backfire if it's uncovered.
A good life skill to hone
Negotiation is an important part of the hiring process - and lots of other situations in life - but it can be tough to navigate, especially if you don't understand the terminology or know what to expect.
Here's a great guide from Candor on salary negotiation in tech. It goes over common compensation packages and offers tips for getting the best outcome.
👉 Salary negotiation strategies everyone in tech already knows — but you don’t