guidance counselor 2.0 · episode 128
how to negotiate an offer
key takeaways
- stay quiet after making your ask and let the employer speak first during negotiations.
- ask specific questions about salary frequency, bonus structure, and benefits before responding.
- always request time to review an offer instead of accepting or rejecting on the spot.
- provide research-backed reasons when counter-offering, not just a desired number.
- negotiate during promotions too, and have trusted people review your offer before deciding.
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about this episode
learn how to negotiate a job offer by keeping quiet, asking questions, and always providing reasons for your requests.
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Website: www.taylordesseyn.com
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full transcript
auto-generated from the audio, so expect a few typos. the audio is the source of truth.
Hello, hello. Thanks for listening to guidance counselor 2.0. Well, I want to give you a quick rundown of what this podcast is and what you're about to get into as you listen to these episodes. We had guidance counselors in middle school. We had guidance counselors in high school, but we didn't really have guidance counselors in college and now as professionals. We don't really have anybody to turn to to ask a quick question to learn something about the job search or to navigate your career. And so that is what I want this podcast to be for you. I want it for it to be a tool for you to navigate the job search and your career.
So that being said, I hope you enjoy this episode. And if you need to reach me, Taylor at vacovac.com is how to get in touch with me old-fashioned email social media at tdsintdesse. And then finally, please rate and review this in the app store because I want this to be discoverable for others so they can navigate their careers. Hope you enjoy the episode. I want to talk about negotiation real quick. Let's say real quick, I listen, I don't want to blame a point. I don't have a guest on today. So this one's going to be short and sweet. So one thing that I'm really passionate about right now is negotiated.
And I'm going to put together kind of a checklist on how to negotiate and because people struggle with it. Like I'm in sales, I struggle with negotiating. I get nervous. I don't want to say to him to be like, you know what? All these guys and gals out there who do all these classrooms and sell ebooks and how to become the best negotiator. Listen, at the end of the day, people are insecure, people are scared. I'm insecure, believe it or not. And that's when negotiating gets hard because the biggest tip for me is negotiating. If you hold like don't get anything out of this. And I posted this a while back on LinkedIn.
And I was waiting for the moment where I can just hang with somebody or just hang by myself with you all. But for me, the biggest tip for me when it comes to negotiating anything else, if you have to leave after this, totally fine. Just keep your mouth shut. Right, keep your mouth shut. That's the most important part of negotiating because here's why. What generally happens is this, right? Let's say you get an offer for 100K from a company, right? They're going to go, what are your thoughts? You know, you're probably going to go, well, I mean, you know, I really like 120, but I'm fine with 100 and then like, but like really like if the benefits line up, you know, I can take 95, but like, thought about it.
And then you just start rambling and listen, I get it. I do the same thing. I have to check myself all the time, right? Like when I deal with new companies and new clients and executing contracts, like it is a very real thing. You have to keep your mouth shut. And so for me, that's my biggest tip. When you get an offer from a company, keep your mouth shut. Let them talk. Hey, Taylor, we want to go in at a $100,000. Okay, great. What else? And just let them talk, right? What else? Tell me more. What else? Get them talking. You need to keep your mouth shut.
That's incredibly important. I want to give some, I want to, Kia, what's going on? Taco Tuesday, I want tacos now. Alicia, what's going on, big dog. So that's my first big tip. The second tip too is ask questions, right? So, so, you know, again, right? So hey, your style is going to be 100 K. Great. Love that. Come with questions to the table when it comes to negotiation. Is that paid by monthly? Is that paid once a month? Like there's one company in Nashville that I know that pays once a month. I mean, you need to ask that. Like, hey, we're payment terms, right? Go over bonus.
Hey, listen, is this bonus individual performance based? Is it a company based? Ask that question. Also to the next thing as well. And I'm going to get to Alicia's comment here. First one to talk loses. So this is, so what I'm talking about right now is when you get the offer, right? So hey, the company calls you, hey Taylor, we want to fish to extend you off and here's everything, right? So you're going to ask about Sally, when is he going to get paid, you're going to ask about bonuses, you're going to ask about benefits, you're going to ask about all that stuff. And then you know what you're going to say, you're going to say, hey, thank you, Mr.
Mrs. Hirey-Manger, I appreciate this. I'm going to take this home and I'm going to review it. I have heard stories of hiring managers that are trying to make you decide on the spot, like except on the spot. And listen, like the biggest argument for that is like right now, it's like listen, the market's hot. You got to get people in the door. But I've noticed I myself, when I don't pressure my candidates and I tell the company, hey, you need to chill for a second. I feel like a lawyer, my party needs a day or two to think about it. And you know what, that's okay.
And that is totally acceptable. So I do want to share that with you all today is keep your mouth shut, ask questions, and then ask for some time to review it. Here's my thing too. And we got some hiring managers on the call too and some senior, senior devs, I believe. I would try to negotiate or I would try to negotiate every time, every time. Always ask for something. Never just say, okay, sounds good, sounds good. It sounds good. And of course, like if anybody on my team is watching this or something like that or a candidate, you're, you're, you work with me in the future.
Like I, you told me to go share and be like, yeah, yeah, don't do that. You should. You really should. And here's why. So first off, I think negotiating that I think counter offering shows the company culture. Right. So let's say this, right. So let's say the offer for me is 100K. And I go, you know what, Mr., Mr., Mr., is manager. Thank you so much for this. You know, let me take time to think about it. I take it there too. Think about it. I come back and I go, hey, Mr., Mr., Mr., I would love 115 and here, and here is why. Right.
That's where people really, really miss out is people don't give the why. People like, oh, 115 and the manager goes, well, why? And you're like, because I want 115. It's like, no, they're not going to give that TV. Just say that. So for me, what I would do is I would say I would do your homework, right? Like, hey, listen, I went to Glassdoor. The average salary of a position with my skill set with this industry is 115,000. So I'd really like 115,000. And then here's the tip. The tip. The tip. Keep your mouth shut. Hey, Mr., Mr., Mr., would love 115,000. Why Taylor did some research on Glassdoor the last two days salary.com.
The average, you know, Sally needing. The average, the median, the middle is 115. So I'd really like to get there. Just keep your mouth shut. And see what they say. Because what happens is again, most people go, hey, I want 115. They go, why? But like, well, you know, I dig Glassdoor. I talk to my friends like, you know, I just, you know, I just really want it. But like, you know what? Like, if you don't give it to me, like, that's fine too. Then you just start talking. You just start talking. Right. So again, keep your mouth shut. Let them do most of the talking.
I also want to go to what Alicia said too is a wise man once said, say what you want to then stop talking. First one to talk losers. So the, I'm going to go, is it the meme out there with the Spider-Man going like, you first, you first about salaries? Like, you know, hey, what, what are you targeting salary and the candidate goes, well, what is your range? That's what I would do. I mean, listen, I would say listen, y'all like, you know, I would hope. So, so write this down. For me, I would say this is say I really would hope when it comes to an offer that you would offer me a salary that is competitive within your organization based off my merits and not my overall, like based off what I brought to the table, not just for my years of experience.
I think that's a great answer. Right. Taylor goes, hey, Taylor, what are you targeting? Saller wise, you know what? You know, my salary is, you know, relatively open. I would really like to be compensated how you think I should be compensated based off how I tacked out during the interview process compared to the rest of your employees. I'd say, what if you get that answer, Alicia, I don't know. Like if you get that answer, you'd be like, oh man, all right, well, that makes sense. If you don't want to say that or you, you should on that, what I would say is, hey, here is my range.
My minimum's 100. My, I know brainers 125 and I'll consider it at 115. Now, here's another kicker. This is why I wanted to give this talk to you all today is you need to say, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm a slosomatronic thought, you need to say dependent on the benefits, dependent on the benefit package. Because I have seen so many times where people go, hey, listen, I'll take 125, but like, great, I spend about 125 and we get the offer the candidate and they go, ah, wow, these benefits suck. So I'm going to want 140 and it's like, uh-oh. Right. So again, I would always say that always, hey, Mr.
Mrs. Manager, my range is this, but I need to see the entire benefit package first before I can confirm that range. So I'm going to go to the comments here. Let's see here. Silence is gold, absolutely, Elliot Tyrone. Take a couple of days. Yeah, always, always take a couple of days for sure. Natasha comes in, oh, I got some dark coffee this morning. Uh, silences golden and so is honesty. Lock it in with an honest approach. Make sure you give the candidate time to ask all the questions they need to make a responsible decision or put them in touch with somebody for more technical questions.
So this is really big with Natasha. I really appreciate you saying that last part. If you still don't feel comfortable accepting, you have this weird pit in your stomach. I would ask to speak to someone else on the team. If they're not already doing that in an interview process, if that makes sense. so I said, hey, listen, like I should have another conversation. Listen, there is nothing wrong. If for me, in my experience, I mean, I'm hiring for my team right now. If a candidate wants to keep asking questions and keep talking to people on my team, they're obviously interested. So as a hiring manager, you should facilitate that.
And also too, it makes you more sticky with the candidates. So if Natasha, that's fantastic. I love that. Alicia goes, thank you for saying this. The, the why is so important because if you just asked me for something, it can't justify. I guess what? I can't go to bat for you. Love this so much. It's not my decision alone. And I have to get approval because they asked is not good enough. Yeah, listen, do some research, right? Ask, you know, ask people kind of in your next words, right? I mean, you, if you're jumping job, you're like, listen, I know for a fact, you know, people at your company are making this because I have friends there, right?
I mean, again, typically the manager you're interviewing with has to go to another person and above them to get the raise or the, or the ask. So you need to make sure you ask, you need to say why. Please say why. Um, let's see here. Chris, what's up? Um, Alicia, coming in and you guys, I don't really like the tactical aspects of the negotiation as a hiring manager. I just simply, I just simplify for us both. I just say, here's the range that's approved for this role. But if you're not into the range or something else, let's see how we can make a case work.
Well, Alicia, that's why I love you to death. And I think that's why you're one of the brilliant minds when it comes to hiring and the Nashville market and really across the country. Um, that's why I've also had you on a time, because I think you think very realistic. And that this is, this is the way the conversation should go. Right? This extended and off for shouldn't be this like, like this, like this, just odd type of thing. So yeah, totally, totally agree with that for sure. Um, so again, to recap as we wrap up here again, I want to keep the short. Just wanted to hang out with y'all briefly this morning.
I share this episode. I'm going to call it. I'm going to say now listen, I know there are people on your, your time. to be blessed with this video because people suck at interviewing and I did this little spiel today to help people. So share this if you feel called to do so. I feel like I look at a little churchy right now. Um, but the final thing again, keep your mouth shut up. Ask good questions. You're allowed to take time. Always give a why when you're negotiating. Always negotiate. And I think that's it. I think that's it. Um, is anybody house? Um, am I missing anything from negotiation, Alicia?
Anything else Allen? Oh, here's another one. Don't forget you should also negotiate during your promotions. Yes. Love that. Um, so, so good. Uh, hey, Allen, I want you on the show, man. So we need to make that happen. Okay. Thanks. Uh, yeah. So don't forget, always negotiate. Always, always negotiate. There's always more on the table. Um, and get comfortable. Right? Listen, it's uncomfortable. I'm not sitting here and saying this is an easy thing. Right. Literally. This is not an easy thing. But I want to tell you that the, the, the more you keep the mouth shut, the more you ask questions, the more you give the why, the more you take time.
That is really what elevates you and your negotiation tactics. Um, Alicia goes and reach out to people to get their thoughts agreed. Right. Listen, have a core group of people around you in your industry. Right. So I, I'll never leave. You know, I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. But if I ever let Vaco, I have some core people. Uh, I have some core people at Vaco that I would share my offer with again, not going anywhere. So make people. It's okay. I'm not going anywhere. But that's what I'm saying, right? Have people in your corner that can speak to your offer.
Seth say it louder for the people and overflow. I love it. Uh, people PM me all the time. I said, yeah, yeah, listen, if you, if you need to, go to hiring mine, ask Alicia for sure. Daryl, absolutely. Alicia. Yeah, maybe we should maybe maybe we'll bring you on from negotiating too. So again, y'all, thank you again for hanging out with me today. That is it. That is all. I want to keep it short and simple to the point. Um, if you have any more thoughts on negotiation, if you need help on, if you need help on negotiation, please shoot me DM. Um, if I can't help you, I will reach out to Alicia or Allen or anybody that I respected the tech community to help with negotiation strategies.
You all have a great Tuesday tomorrow. So, you're probably like, Taylor, Ben Henderson, that name sounds familiar. Yes. I, he's already been on the show. I'm starting to have the repeat guests that I really, really enjoy talking to. Ben Henderson is incredibly dynamic. He's in Nashville, but he's a VP of engineering of a company out in Phoenix. And he is one of the few hiring managers that really works with us at Beiko incredibly well. And so we're going to dive into how hiring managers, CIO CTO is VP of the managers. Should partner with the recruiting firm and be creative when it comes to hiring with the recruiting company.
So again, tomorrow is going to be awesome. Uh, you'll want to thank you so much. Thanks for the love. You all have a great Tuesday. Uh, I'm just going to go with the church thing. Be blessed. And, uh, I'll see you all tomorrow. Peace. Oh, hey, you did it. You listened to an entire episode. And I am very grateful. Cause you know why? There's a lot of podcasts out there. There's a lot of episodes. And I myself rarely finished an entire episode. So I appreciate you so, so much for listening. Quick reminder, please rate and review this podcast in the app store. I want this to be discoverable to others.
And the only way that happens is if you take the time right now and rate and review it. Please like right now, unless you're driving, then don't do it. So thank you again. If you need to reach out to me, tailor at vaco.com or at t-test and on all social media handles. And I hope you have a fantastic day.