The moment an offer arrives is the moment you have the most leverage you'll have in the whole process — and most people spend it saying "thank you, I accept." The company has already chosen you. It has spent weeks and real money getting here. A polite, well-reasoned counter almost never costs you the offer, and it often changes your pay for years, because every future raise is a percentage of the number you start on.
This guide covers what to do from the moment the offer lands to the moment you sign, including word-for-word scripts you can adapt.
The short answer
- Thank them, show enthusiasm, and ask for the offer in writing and for time to review it.
- Work out your number from market data and your alternatives — not from what you earn now.
- Counter once, in writing or on a call, with a specific figure and a short reason.
- Negotiate the whole package, not only base salary.
- Get the final terms in writing before you resign from anywhere.
Step 1: Receive the offer without deciding on the spot
Whatever the number is, your first reply should do three things: show genuine enthusiasm, ask for the details in writing, and buy time. A day or two is normal; a week is reasonable for a significant move.
"Thank you — I'm really excited about this and about working with the team. Could you send the full details in writing? I'd like to review everything and come back to you by Thursday."
Don't react to the figure on the call, even if it's lower than you hoped. A negotiation you start while surprised is rarely your best one.
Step 2: Know what's actually in the offer
An offer is more than a salary. Before you decide what to ask for, list every part of it:
| Component | Questions to ask |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Is this the top of the band or the middle? |
| Bonus | Target percentage? Guaranteed in year one? How often is it paid out in full? |
| Equity | How many units, what type, what vesting schedule, what's the latest valuation or strike price? |
| Sign-on bonus | Is there a clawback if you leave early? |
| Start date | Is it flexible? |
| Title and level | Does the level match your scope? Level often sets the future pay band. |
| Leave and flexibility | Holiday days, remote or hybrid terms, learning budget |
Asking about the salary band is fair: "Could you share the range for this level?" In a growing number of places, employers are required to include pay ranges in job postings, so check the original listing too.
Step 3: Work out your number
Anchor on the value of the role in the market, not on your current pay. Your current salary tells the employer what you were willing to accept last time; it says nothing about what this role is worth.
Three inputs give you a defensible figure:
- Market data for the same title, level, and location: salary ranges in live job postings, published salary surveys, and conversations with people in similar roles.
- Your alternatives. Another offer, an active process elsewhere, or a genuinely good current job all strengthen your position. Don't invent one — but don't hide a real one either.
- The scope of the role. If the job is bigger than the title suggests — you'd manage people, own a budget, or cover two functions — that's a reason to ask for more.
From those, set three numbers privately: your target (what you'll ask for), your goal (what you'd be happy with), and your walk-away (below which you'd decline). Ask for your target. It should be ambitious but explainable in one sentence.
Step 4: Make the counter
Keep it short, specific, and warm. A precise figure with a reason reads as considered; a vague "can you do better?" invites a token bump.
Email script:
"Thanks again for the offer — I'm keen to make this work. Based on the scope we discussed (leading the payments integration and the two-person team) and market rates for this level in London, I'd be looking for a base salary of £92,000. If we can get there, I'm ready to sign this week."
Phone script:
"I'm really excited about the role. The one thing I'd like to talk about is the base. Given the scope and what I'm seeing in the market for this level, I was expecting something closer to $145,000. Is there flexibility there?"
Then stop talking. Silence after an ask feels uncomfortable, and it's where most negotiations are won.
Step 5: If they can't move on base
Budgets for base salary are sometimes genuinely fixed by band. That doesn't end the conversation — it moves it. Ask for the things that are easier for them to approve:
- A sign-on bonus to close the first-year gap
- A guaranteed first-year bonus
- A salary review at six months with the criteria written down
- More equity or a faster vesting schedule
- A higher level or title, which often raises the band for future raises
- Extra leave, a learning budget, or remote days
"I understand base is fixed at this level. Would a sign-on bonus of £8,000 and a written salary review at six months be possible? That would close the gap for me."
Step 6: Handle the common pushback
"This is our best offer." It may be true. Ask one clarifying question — "Is there flexibility anywhere else in the package?" — and then decide against your walk-away number, not your feelings in the moment.
"What's your current salary?" You can decline politely: "I'd rather focus on the value of this role. Based on the scope and the market, I'm looking for around X." In some jurisdictions employers aren't allowed to ask at all.
"We need an answer today." Genuine offers rarely expire in hours. "I'm very interested, and I want to give you a considered answer. I can get back to you by tomorrow afternoon."
An exploding offer with a tight deadline. Ask for a short extension. If a company won't give you two days to consider a decision that shapes your career, that tells you something.
Step 7: Get it in writing, then decide
Once you've agreed, ask for an updated written offer that reflects every change — salary, bonus, equity, start date, and anything promised verbally, like the six-month review. Don't resign from your current job on a verbal agreement.
If you decline, do it graciously. People move companies, and a warm "no" today can become a better offer in two years.
What not to do
- Don't lie about competing offers or current pay. It's easy to check and it's the one move that really does cost people offers.
- Don't negotiate by email chain for weeks. One counter, maybe one follow-up. Long back-and-forth drains goodwill.
- Don't accept and keep negotiating. Once you say yes, the negotiation is over.
- Don't apologize for asking. You're doing what the hiring manager expects a competent candidate to do.
How Twin-Seeker helps
Twin-Seeker keeps your offers in the same pipeline as the rest of your search, so the details — base, bonus, equity, deadlines — live in one place instead of an inbox. When you record an offer, it shows a market-rate estimate for the role beside the numbers, and the per-job assistant can suggest a counter and draft the negotiation email for you to edit. You still decide the number. You just decide it with the facts in front of you.
If you're earlier in the process, start with how to prepare for a job interview — strong interviews are what give you room to negotiate.
Sources and further reading
On this blog
- How to Prepare for a Job Interview: The 2026 Guide
- How to Change Careers in 2026: A Step-by-Step Roadmap
- How to Get a Job in 2026: A Modern Job-Search Strategy
External sources
- What is a BATNA? — Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School
- Occupational Outlook Handbook — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Frequently asked questions
Can negotiating a job offer make them withdraw it?
It's rare when the counter is polite, specific, and reasonable. Companies expect candidates to negotiate and have usually spent significant time and money choosing you. The moves that genuinely risk an offer are dishonesty — inventing competing offers — and aggressive or drawn-out back-and-forth.
How much should I ask for when I counter?
Ask for a target you can justify in one sentence from market data for the same title, level, and location, the scope of the role, and your real alternatives. Set a private walk-away number before you counter so you can decide calmly if they can't meet you.
Should I negotiate by email or by phone?
Either works. Email gives you time to phrase the ask precisely and leaves a record; a call can feel warmer and lets you hear their constraints. Many people make the counter by phone and confirm the agreed terms by email. Whatever you choose, get the final offer in writing before resigning.
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