Hi Reader,

Earlier in his career, Alex interviewed for a role he was really excited about. The company was a market-leading rocketship, he'd report directly to the founders, and the recruiter was friendly and quick to respond.

Alex noticed though there was one line the recruiter repeated on every single call, from the first screen to the check-ins between interview rounds:

The recruiter even apologized for it. According to him, the founders felt strongly about the policy and believed it helped them attract top talent. By the third or fourth time Alex heard the line, it became obvious that the goal was to get Alex to sign without negotiating.

Alex negotiated anyway, and the offer he signed came in more than $200K above the initial offer. More on this below, but quick reminder:

ICYMI: ONE MORE live CASE STUDY SESSION (TOMORROW)

Due to overwhelming demand, we're hosting one more case study session tomorrow, 10/21, at 12pm PT / 3pm ET. On this call, we'll walk through one of our real client negotiations that resulted in a $215K / 41% increase over the initial offer.

​You'll see exactly how our advice played out, from the first recruiter call to the signed offer.

​In this workshop, we'll cover:

• ​The client's situation going in, including the role, the initial offer, and what was at stake.
• ​How we approached the negotiation, and the thinking behind the key decisions.
• ​What the client actually said and did at important moments in the process.
• ​What worked, what didn't, and the lessons you can take into your own negotiations.
• ​Q&A to help you apply all of this to your situation.

Register for the session here: https://luma.com/phjvckpz​

THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE LINES YOU HEAR

Many companies track a metric called "Time to Close," which measures how long it takes to fill an open role. Recruiting teams get evaluated on it, and sometimes bonuses depend on the strength of this metric.

So the faster a candidate signs an offer, the better the recruiting team's numbers look. Regardless of whether a recruiter genuinely believe in the policy, they'll still come out ahead when you accept an offer without asking for more.

A few months later

Once Alex started the new role, he saw the founders trying to recruit a senior product leader who had competing opportunities. They spent weeks wooing him, brought him to the office, even threw a party for him with the whole company. The negotiations went back and forth over several rounds, and the candidate finally accepted when the offer was compelling enough for him to sign.

This was the same company whose recruiter told Alex, on every single call, that first offers were best and final. So turns out the "policy" was just a script, and the founders dropped the script when they wanted someone badly enough.

Even companies that are publicly known for not negotiating will still negotiate, and we've helped many clients add tens, if not hundreds, of thousands more to their offers despite such policies.

What to do when you hear it

Thank the recruiter, keep interviewing, and save the compensation conversation for when you’ve actually received the offer.

If you're worried about the offer getting pulled, Mia Smithson, a recruiter who's interviewed more than 5000 people, told us in her interview on the Gentle Power podcast that she's only seen exactly one offer rescinded during a negotiation (see our newsletter recap of our conversation with here here: Part 1 and Part 2).

If you negotiate well, you can virtually eliminate the chances of your offer being rescinded.

Remember: if you demonstrate that you’re a great candidate, the company wants to close you just as badly as you want the job. A line they use repeatedly throughout the interviews could just a negotiation move disguised as company policy, but companies will make exceptions all the time if the right candidate comes along.

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.