When to negotiate?

I have been verbally offered a mid-level position on a sell side equity research role recently. It is through a headhunter and according to him there is room to negotiate, which I intend to do, because as it is I probably won't take it. The headhunter told me he wants me to be sure that I'd take the offer if he gets me the number I want.

Here I am thinking that I want a week or two to decide, even on the terms I want. Do people usually negotiate, then take time to decide? If I want 2 weeks to decide, do I ask for 2 weeks, then negotiate 2 weeks later? Either way seems weird to me.

I was much more of a price-taker in the past so I just took whatever offer came my way. This is all new to me

 

You can tell him "I expect that I would, but I would have to see the offer and benefits in writing," which gives you an out if you decide against. This is a high pressure, sleezy sales tactic IMO. He doesn't want to lose face with the company and wants to get paid, but that's not your problem. I was able to squeeze a signing bonus and modify some other terms through my negotiation.

 
Best Response

Recruiters do not have your best interests in mind. Do what is best for you and ignore his noise.

I would just ask for a dollar amount where you would take it without questioning whether you should take it or not. This will either buy you time or you accept gladly.

Frankly, your request/desire for two weeks of additional time is misguided to begin with. What do you need the two weeks for?

Due diligence on the team? Weighing your options? Is the financial uptick worth the restart of my reputation at a new firm? You should have been doing all of these things from the beginning. Start now if you haven't already.

Compensation is obviously one of the most important things to negotiate and you should assert yourself and have a walk-away number in mind right now. As you get more information about the role, you can adjust your ask up or down based on the long-term opportunity and your perception of the environment. That being said, you can be flexible a bit in how that compensation is paid. Your recruiter is probably worried about your base salary or guaranteed comp, because he will get paid on something concrete like that. However, if you received deferred comp vesting over 3-5 years that was meaningful, that could be great for you and great for the company, since they don't pay if you don't stay.

Long story short: Your framework of the decision process should already be architected. Ask for what you want and walk if you don't get it. If you aren't doing your homework now on the other pieces of the puzzle, you are making a mistake.

If you don't know who the sucker is at the table, it's you.
 
YouCantHandleTheTruth:

Recruiters do not have your best interests in mind. Do what is best for you and ignore his noise.

I would just ask for a dollar amount where you would take it without questioning whether you should take it or not. This will either buy you time or you accept gladly.

Frankly, your request/desire for two weeks of additional time is misguided to begin with. What do you need the two weeks for?

Due diligence on the team? Weighing your options? Is the financial uptick worth the restart of my reputation at a new firm? You should have been doing all of these things from the beginning. Start now if you haven't already.

Compensation is obviously one of the most important things to negotiate and you should assert yourself and have a walk-away number in mind right now. As you get more information about the role, you can adjust your ask up or down based on the long-term opportunity and your perception of the environment. That being said, you can be flexible a bit in how that compensation is paid. Your recruiter is probably worried about your base salary or guaranteed comp, because he will get paid on something concrete like that. However, if you received deferred comp vesting over 3-5 years that was meaningful, that could be great for you and great for the company, since they don't pay if you don't stay.

Long story short: Your framework of the decision process should already be architected. Ask for what you want and walk if you don't get it. If you aren't doing your homework now on the other pieces of the puzzle, you are making a mistake.

I "needed time" for another process to play out which will be mid next week at the earliest. Do I negotiate now?

Also how much negotiating room do I have when a recruiter say they are pretty firm but it's not a screw it if you push back?

 

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