Hi Reader,

During Alex’s last job search before we started YourNegotiations.com, he interviewed for a role he was super excited about. The company was a market-leading rocketship, he would report directly to the founders to help build out an entire team, and the recruiter was very friendly and responsive.

But there was one thing Alex noticed that the recruiter said on every single call, from the first screening to the check-ins between interview rounds:

The recruiter was apologetic about it too. He told Alex that the founders felt strongly about the policy, and that this approach helped attract top talent. By the third or fourth time he said it, it became clear that the recruiter was managing for a specific outcome: to have Alex not negotiate.

Quick note: this is a sponsored newsletter, and we're excited to share this one because we actually use Lovable ourselves. We built our own website, www.YourNegotiations.com, with it, and it's genuinely one of the easiest and most important tools we use for our business. If you check them out below, it means a lot to us and helps keep our newsletter going.

Why this happens

Companies are under pressure to close hiring processes quickly. Many companies have an internal metric called “Time to Close”, which measures how long it takes to fill an open role. Recruiting and talent acquisition teams are evaluated on it, and sometimes bonuses hinge on this metric. A shorter Time to Close indicates an efficient hiring process.

When a recruiter tells you the first offer is best and final, or that things like working remotely, start date, or PTO aren’t up for discussion, they’re not necessarily lying, they're optimizing.

If candidates hear “this isn’t negotiable” and stop pushing, the process moves faster. That outcome benefits the recruiter and the company.

Companies have their own incentives in these conversations, and those incentives are often not aligned with yours.

Side note: third-party recruiting firms' incentives are less aligned to yours thank you may think. They typically want to just fill the role and move on quickly, so though they're technically on your side, they will not go above and beyond to help you negotiate the best possible offer.

What happened next

Alex negotiated anyway. The final offer he signed was more than $200,000 above the initial offer.

A few months into working at the company, Alex recalls a time when the leadership team was doing everything they could to recruit a senior product leader from another company. They invited him into the office, threw him a lunch party with the whole company, and interestingly, went through multiple rounds of back-and-forth negotiations trying to get the compensation right. The founders talked openly about wanting to sweeten the deal to get him to sign.

This was the same company with a firm policy that first offers were best and final.

The policy was something the recruiting team used with all candidates. And when the founders wanted someone badly enough, they negotiated.

What this means for you

You don’t have to be adversarial about any of this. Knowing the dynamic exists doesn’t mean you play it combatively.

Rather, you should show up informed, advocate for yourself respectfully, and don’t let a well-rehearsed line stop you from trying to find a better deal that leaves everyone better off (don't forget, they want you to sign too!).

When someone tells you something isn’t negotiable, you don’t have to take it at face value. Treat it as an opening position, not a final verdict.

Warmly,

Gerta & Alex​
​Founders, YourNegotiations.com

P.S. Are you job searching or have upcoming negotiations?

If you have an offer coming or are mid-process, we’re always happy to help you think through how to approach it. Book a free call here: https://calendly.com/alexhapki/call​

P.P.S. Know someone interested in negotiations?

Send them our way and we’ll thank you with $250 for each person who becomes a client. No cap.

A quick intro or an email to alex@yournegotiations.com works.