Tips to Evaluate or Negotiate a Job Offer

You got the job. Now for the hard part: deciding whether to accept it or not. How should you assess the salary as well as the other benefits? Which publicly available information should you rely on? How should you try to get a better deal? And what’s the best way to decline an offer if it’s not the right job for you?

Shift your mind-set
First, you must recognize that receiving an offer represents a new and different phase of the job search process. The purpose of the interview is to get the offer. The next stage is about weighing that offer and then negotiating it with your new employer. Keep in mind that even though the job is yours if you want it, you must continue to be enthusiastic in your dealings with your manager. By sounding suspicious or by questioning something about the offer, you are sending a negative signal. It sounds as if you’re uncertain that you want job. Employers need to feel that you are committed.
Be Methodical
Next, you need to think about what matters to you in both your professional and private life and then assess the offer After all, money is only one component of career satisfaction. Very often it comes down to, ‘I would rather make X amount of money and be excited to go to work in the morning, than make X plus 10% and hate my job; Below are the most important components to take into account as you assess the offer.Salary. Even when the money on offer is enough to live on, you need to figure out if it’s an amount worthy of your knowledge and skills and whether it’s in line with the local market.

• Job content. It’s also important to think about whether you will receive job satisfaction, from the offer that’s currently presented. You need to know the kinds of tasks you want to be involved in and the skills you want to use as a professional. Ask yourself questions like “Do I want to lead a big team, supervise only a few others, or have zero management duties? Do I want to be in front of clients? What kinds of projects do I want to be engaged in? And what kinds of professional tasks do I want no part of.
• Flexibility, vacation, and other benefits. For many employees, vacation time and the ability to work flexible hours is an increasingly valuable benefit. While health benefits are typically standard issue, additional paid time off may be negotiable.
• Other options. Even if you don’t necessarily have other job offers in hand, you need to consider other possibilities. Think about the offer in terms of the cost and benefit of starting the job search process all over again, of staying in your current job, or of waiting to see what other offers you obtain later on.

Be tough but cheerful
Go into the deal-making with your eyes open, You can’t negotiate everything, and once you’ve agreed on something you can’t go back on it. Be well-prepared, respectful, and constructive. You want to be seen as someone they want to work with.

Say no politely if it’s not right
Essentially, there will be some give and take in these negotiations; there is no shame in declining a job offer if it’s not the right fit, as long as you turn it down politely with one or two good reasons — it will not help you enough or you want to work in a different sector — you shouldn’t feel bad about it the people you are dealing with are your potential customers, potential advisers, and perhaps even your future employers. Be respectful.

Principles to Remember

Do's

• Think about what you want out of your job and use that as a framework to determine the elements of the offer you would like to alter
• Be selective about what you push back on
• Employ classic negotiation techniques by maximizing the cost of the things you are prepared to accept and minimizing the things you seek.

Don’t's

• Be critical or suspicious when questioning something about the offer.
• Neglect to consider your walkaway alternatives.
• Ignore red flags. If your instincts tell you that you should not take the job, listen.

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