Got a job offer letter!!! A few questions for you "experts" ;) - update 11/2

[TheNinja]

You mentioned its a corporate job....

you need to look at and understand the total compensation offered..

Sounds like they came in at the minimum salary that you asked...You could say thank you, thats a good offer but I was expecting more...negotiate in a professional way..."thank you, this is a fair offer. I did expect better compensation ( best to be specific and negotiate what is negatiable....)...especially the salary. Is there any room in the budget to bring the salary in line with my experience and skills?

Hiring bonus can be negotiable as well....

if asked be prepared to give them a number...be prepared for them to meet it, increase their offer but not meet it and be prepared for them to not do anything....

as for 401K, their match is their match...You have little to no negotiation there...i say this based on 30 years working in IT...in my exp 6% match is the norm...many places offer 3 and 4...

Bonus in my exp is based on grade level which oftentimes matches to title....prolly little room there...except bigger salary = bigger bonus

stock option?....in my exp most companies have gone away with ISO's and now use RSU's...presuming you're not a VP or higher...again they match to grade/title...HOWEVER, you can negotiate for your initial grant to be increased...future grants will tie to grade/title BUT your mgr can give you more if you are a hi performing Employee..

Vacation could be negotiable...

you should reach out to the other company and let them know a a "professional courtesy" that you have an offer in hand but are still interested in continuing the interview\hiring process with them.

Thanks for all the info. There is one thing I didn't mention earlier b/c I didn't think it would matter b/c it's not a felony but I have misdemeanor "wet reckless" on my record from about 3 years ago after a DUI arrest. I wasn't actually driving. I was sleeping in my car b/c of an argument at home but my car was running b/c it was cold out. Cops woke me up and gave me DUI, lawyer got me a wet reckless.

So ya, I don't even know if they'll rescind their offer to me and I'm not sure when to bring this up to them. Do I sign the offer letter first. Do I bring it up during negotiations? I agree 401k is locked in. They don't offer it to anyone.

Stock options are purchased, not granted. I may push for more optoins or more granted options and see what that vacation is if I can get another week or something. OR given my background check that's going to come up, I sign the offer as quickly as possible and be thankful....heh.

DEfintely letting the other company know as professional courtesy though. They've been good so far and I don't want to just disappear on them.

I also have intereviews with 2 other companies but they are first rounds. Not sure if I should even do the interviews until my background check comes back or if I should push them off for now.

 

[greygoose]

Having the option of maxing out your RSUs/options isn't a bad thing then. An easy way to get a little something extra in an offer is to make yourself available to start sooner than they might be asking (and since you're out of work, would be easier for you).

 

[Provocateur]

Other than just the money I always consider the environment I will be in:
How close is the office to your home?
Do they have a nice office building with ample toilets or is there one bathroom everyone shares?
Is there ample parking or does everyone fight for spots?
Will you have your own office or do you sit at a tiny cubicle?
How many conference rooms do they have?
Does the building have good wifi?
What will my coworkers be like and will I enjoy working with them?
Is your boss a nice person or will he make your life miserable?
Are you expected to work overtime?
All of these things can very from job to job and greatly impact your happiness there.

 

[milkmandanl]

Thanks for all the info. There is one thing I didn't mention earlier b/c I didn't think it would matter b/c it's not a felony but I have misdemeanor "wet reckless" on my record from about 3 years ago after a DUI arrest. I wasn't actually driving. I was sleeping in my car b/c of an argument at home but my car was running b/c it was cold out. Cops woke me up and gave me DUI, lawyer got me a wet reckless.

So ya, I don't even know if they'll rescind their offer to me and I'm not sure when to bring this up to them. Do I sign the offer letter first. Do I bring it up during negotiations? I agree 401k is locked in. They don't offer it to anyone.

Stock options are purchased, not granted. I may push for more optoins or more granted options and see what that vacation is if I can get another week or something. OR given my background check that's going to come up, I sign the offer as quickly as possible and be thankful....heh.

DEfintely letting the other company know as professional courtesy though. They've been good so far and I don't want to just disappear on them.

I also have intereviews with 2 other companies but they are first rounds. Not sure if I should even do the interviews until my background check comes back or if I should push them off for now.

Did the application and other paperwork ask about criminal history? If so, were you supposed to list misdemeanors? If you were and didnt then you should let them know....

 

[TheNinja]

Did the application and other paperwork ask about criminal history? If so, were you supposed to list misdemeanors? If you were and didnt then you should let them know....

In my state they are not allowed to ask about anything during the application process. It's only AFTER you complete the offer letter and agree to work there that they can legally do a background check. So they haven't asked yet about misdemeanors or arrests and I haven't brought it up yet obviously but the background check will show it.

I think its best if I somehow bring it up prior to their background check. But I wonder if I should sign the offer letter first. There are laws that after the offer letter if the background check comes back and they rescind their offer they have to give you like 5 days to respond and they have to write out why they believe you can't do the job offered based on your backgrond check. If I bring it up now, they could pull the offer before I sign it probably? I don't know,

 

[fungi]

Thanks man!! I'm hoping the background check goes OK and they won't deny me based on it. Ya, I definitely don't want to play hardball or pit them against each other. Company #1 is better job, Company #2 is closer. I don't have an offer in hand from #2 so it isn't secured yet but #1 has given an offer.

Good to hear.
Just contact job #1 and ask them can they do 401k. Straightforward question.
If they say yes, fine. If not, you can still accept the offer.

Just do it in a polite friendly manner.
Easy-peasy.

 

[TheNinja]

Good to hear.
Just contact job #1 and ask them can they do 401k. Straightforward question.
If they say yes, fine. If not, you can still accept the offer.

Just do it in a polite friendly manner.
Easy-peasy.

Thanks man! I did ask and they don't have 401k as they are kind of in between startup and mid sized company. I am talking to them later today and I'm just going to be honest and say "I've done research and the average for a position of this title and location is $___k. The offer I have is obviously below that BUT I understand the company is young-ish and this role is a "manager" but doesn't currently ahve any direct reports so I don't expect it to be above industry average....but is there any flexibility in it?".

Or I'll ask for a potential review after 6/12 months or after we hire a report to this manager position. Honestly I don't want to push too hard and I'm really really stressing over my background check b/c of my history with alcohol.

Everything so far has been polite and friendly and the HR rep and I seem to get along well and can talk pretty opnely. I might lose some of my leverage but I want to make it known I'm very excited for hte position and the company and I do'nt want to jeopardize anything but I just want to negotiate a few things. Maybe they'll say take it or leave it and maybe they'll be open.

 

[Fedorgasm]

Jesus. You just went from having zero power to having negative power.

With that on your record, it will basically be up to their discretion on whether they want to rescind the offer or not. Which means if they like you they'll overlook it but if you piss them off you could lose your offer.

Look at it from their perspective. I'm the boss at that company and I just offered an unemployed guy a salary that's in his required range. I know we don't have 401k and can't do anything about that, so I sweeten the deal and offer him a manager title and pay even though the role clearly doesn't have manager responsibilities. That should help make up for the lack of 401k.

And besides, I like this guy. He's nice and he's been out of work for months. I feel good about this hire as a business man and also as a person.

*HR comes in and tells him you have a DUI*

Now I'm like hmmmm... Well I could rescind, but I suppose everyone makes mistakes. It was a while ago... Plus I'm biased because my family was killed by a drunk driver, so I should probably try to fight my initial gut instinct to rescind the offer...

*HR guy mentions that you are also asking for more money*

Now I'm like WTF? What a piece of shit! What an ingrate! Fuck this guy. Call up that chick with the nice tits, she had the same qualifications. We'll hire her instead.

 

[TheNinja]

Jesus. You just went from having zero power to having negative power.

With that on your record, it will basically be up to their discretion on whether they want to rescind the offer or not. Which means if they like you they'll overlook it but if you piss them off you could lose your offer.

Look at it from their perspective. I'm the boss at that company and I just offered an unemployed guy a salary that's in his required range. I know we don't have 401k and can't do anything about that, so I sweeten the deal and offer him a manager title and pay even though the role clearly doesn't have manager responsibilities. That should help make up for the lack of 401k.

And besides, I like this guy. He's nice and he's been out of work for months. I feel good about this hire as a business man and also as a person.

*HR comes in and tells him you have a DUI*

Now I'm like hmmmm... Well I could rescind, but I suppose everyone makes mistakes. It was a while ago... Plus I'm biased because my family was killed by a drunk driver, so I should probably try to fight my initial gut instinct to rescind the offer...

*HR guy mentions that you are also asking for more money*

Now I'm like WTF? What a piece of shit! What an ingrate! Fuck this guy. Call up that chick with the nice tits, she had the same qualifications. We'll hire her instead.

Well shit.....when you put it that way.............Damn. I think I'm gonna be sick...........shit. I always f things up.
Now what?

I mean I can call up HR and say I went over our conversation and after reading the materials I realize your orginal offer is a very fair offer and in the interest of getting the deal done I accept the original offer?
Now do I just look like an indecisive flip flopper??? Or someone who gathered more information and found out what was fair.

 

[fungi]

Well shit.....when you put it that way.............Damn. I think I'm gonna be sick...........shit. I always f things up.
Now what?

I mean I can call up HR and say I went over our conversation and after reading the materials I realize your orginal offer is a very fair offer and in the interest of getting the deal done I accept the original offer?
Now do I just look like an indecisive flip flopper??? Or someone who gathered more information and found out what was fair.

No need for all that.
You can simply call them, and say: "I accept".

You don't have to explain anything to anybody. And no, you will not look like an indecisive flip flopper.

 

[Provocateur]

Well shit.....when you put it that way.............Damn. I think I'm gonna be sick...........shit. I always f things up.
Now what?

I mean I can call up HR and say I went over our conversation and after reading the materials I realize your orginal offer is a very fair offer and in the interest of getting the deal done I accept the original offer?
Now do I just look like an indecisive flip flopper??? Or someone who gathered more information and found out what was fair.

Just call them up and say that after talking it over with your boyfriend you'd like to accept the offer.

 

[TheNinja]

No need for all that.
You can simply call them, and say: "I accept".

You don't have to explain anything to anybody. And no, you will not look like an indecisive flip flopper.

Thanks man for the voice of reason! - I actually wrote an email and asked them to call me. I thought it over and wrote it very intelligently that I didn't have all the facts the first time we talked and after further research and clarification I believe it is a very fair offer for the role for both me and the company.

Long story short I accept the original offer. Then they just have to do a background check on me. So once I fill out the background check documents I will ask if I can speak to head of HR or hiring manager (he's out of the country though) and explain that they will find wet reckless on my background but show them it wo'nt affect my work and give references attesting to my good work in the past.

1 more hurdle to pass!!

Meanwhile more interviews from other places next week until I get that background passed! Who knows what that will bring!

Thanks for the support bro! In not just this thread....in the past too.

 

[TheNinja]

Just call them up and say that after talking it over with your boyfriend you'd like to accept the offer.

I told them I talked it over with my non gender specific, declining to state his or her race, maybe or maybe not a veteran, and maybe or maybe not disabled, pet lobster.

 

[Provocateur]

I told them I talked it over with my non gender specific, declining to state his or her race, maybe or maybe not a veteran, and maybe or maybe not disabled, pet lobster.

But now you can't sue for discrimination if they rescind the offer.

 

[TheNinja]

But now you can't sue for discrimination if they rescind the offer.

LOL - Dang it....See I knew I'd screw it up!

 

[fungi]

Thanks man for the voice of reason! - I actually wrote an email and asked them to call me. I thought it over and wrote it very intelligently that I didn't have all the facts the first time we talked and after further research and clarification I believe it is a very fair offer for the role for both me and the company.

Long story short I accept the original offer. Then they just have to do a background check on me. So once I fill out the background check documents I will ask if I can speak to head of HR or hiring manager (he's out of the country though) and explain that they will find wet reckless on my background but show them it wo'nt affect my work and give references attesting to my good work in the past.

1 more hurdle to pass!!

Meanwhile more interviews from other places next week until I get that background passed! Who knows what that will bring!

Thanks for the support bro! In not just this thread....in the past too.

Best of luck, Ninja!!!

 

[TheNinja]

Best of luck, Ninja!!!

Thanks man! First company is running background check on me. I think 2nd company is going to actually make me an offer tonight or tomorrow morning! I mean that's a good problem to have, to have 2 offers!!! I'm beyond blessed!

Now my only problem is I don't know which 1 to take!

 

[Omegaboy13]

Thanks man! First company is running background check on me. I think 2nd company is going to actually make me an offer tonight or tomorrow morning! I mean that's a good problem to have, to have 2 offers!!! I'm beyond blessed!

Now my only problem is I don't know which 1 to take!

In this economic climate, which ever one seems safer. If I were jobless right now I'd rather work at an Amazon warehouse for 16-18 bucks an hour than be a restaraunt manager for 50k a year.

Congrats to you man. Happy for you. Hope you make a ton of money and bang all the hot secretaries.