2. They Tell You This Is Their Best Offer
When your new team really wants you—especially when they know the salary you require is at the top of their budgeted range—they may come right out of the gates with their strongest offer. Oftentimes, they will accompany said offer with something like, “We really want you to join the team, so we’re giving you our best offer.” If you aren’t going to decline at that number, it’s quite risky to ask for more at this point. You will look like you either have a hearing problem, or you couldn’t care less about the company’s budget. Hiring managers and recruiters typically don’t spell it out so directly if there is, in fact, wiggle room in the offer.
