gaoxiangnumber1

VIII-The Offer and Beyond

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Handling Offers and Rejection

Offer Deadlines and Extensions

When companies extend an offer, there’s almost always a deadline attached to it. Usually these deadlines are one to four weeks out. If you’re still waiting to hear back from other companies, you can ask for an extension. Companies will usually try to accommodate this, if possible.

Declining an Offer

Even if you aren’t interested in working for this company right now, you might be interested in working for it in a few years. (Or, your contacts might one day move to a more exciting company.) It’s in your best interest to decline the offer on good terms and keep a line of communication open.
When you decline an offer, provide a reason that is non-offensive and inarguable. For example, if you were declining a big company for a startup, you could explain that you feel a startup is the right choice for you at this time. The big company can’t suddenly “become” a startup, so they can’t argue about your reasoning.

Handling Rejection

When you do get the rejection call, use this as an opportunity to build a bridge to re-apply. Thank your recruiter for his time, explain that you’re disappointed but that you understand their position, and ask when you can reapply to the company.
You can also ask for feedback from the recruiter. In most cases, the big tech companies won’t offer feedback, but there are some companies that will. It doesn’t hurt to ask a question like, “Is there anything you’d suggest I work on for next time?”

Evaluating the Offer

The Financial Package

The biggest mistake that candidates make in evaluating an offer is looking too much at their salary.
Candidates often look so much at this one number that they wind up accepting the offer that is worse financially. Salary is just one part of your financial compensation. You should also look at:
1. Signing Bonus, Relocation, and Other One Time Perks: Many companies offer a signing bonus and/or relocation. When comparing offers, it’s wise to amortize this cash over three years (or however long you expect to stay).
2. Cost of Living Difference: Taxes and other cost of living differences can make a big difference in your takehome pay.
3. Annual Bonus: Annual bonuses at tech companies can range from anywhere from 3% to 30%. Your recruiter might reveal the average annual bonus, but if not, check with friends at the company.
4. Stock Options and Grants: Equity compensation can form another big part of your annual compensation.
Like signing bonuses, stock compensation between companies can be compared by amortizing it over three years and then lumping that value into salary.
Remember that what you learn and how a company advances your career often makes far more of a difference to your long term finances than the salary. Think very carefully about how much emphasis you really want to put on money right now.

Career Development

As thrilled as you may be to receive this offer, odds are, in a few years, you’ll start thinking about interviewing again. Therefore, it’s important that you think right now about how this offer would impact your career path. This means considering the following questions:
1. How good does the company’s name look on my resume?
2. How much will I learn? Will I learn relevant things?
3. What is the promotion plan? How do the careers of developers progress?
4. If I want to move into management, does this company offer a realistic plan?
5. Is the company or team growing?
6. If I do want to leave the company, is it situated near other companies I’m interested in, or will I need to move?
The final point is extremely important and usually overlooked. If you only have a few other companies to pick from in your city, your career options will be more restricted. Fewer options means that you’re less likely to discover really great opportunities.

Company Stability

Stability is a good thing. However, the more stable companies are also often growing more slowly.
How much emphasis you should put on company stability really depends on you and your values. For some candidates, stability should not be a large factor. Can you fairly quickly find a new job? If so, it might be better to take the rapidly growing company, even if it’s unstable? If you have work visa restrictions or just aren’t confident in your ability to find something new, stability might be more important.

The Happiness Factor

Last but not least, you should of course consider how happy you will be. Any of the following factors may impact that:
1. The Product: Many people look heavily at what product they are building, and of course this matters a bit. However, for most engineers, there are more important factor, such as who you work with.
2. Manager and Teammates: When people say that they love, or hate, their job, it’s often because of their teammates and their manager. Have you met them? Did you enjoy talking with them?
3. Company Culture: Culture is tied to everything from how decisions get made, to the social atmosphere, to how the company is organized. Ask your future teammates how they would describe the culture.
4. Hours: Ask future teammates about how long they typically work, and figure out if that meshes with your lifestyle.
Additionally, note that if you are given the opportunity to switch teams easily (like you are at Google and Facebook), you’ll have an opportunity to find a team and product that matches you well.

Negotiation

Many of us can probably sympathize with this position. Negotiation isn’t fun for most of us. But the financial benefits of negotiation are usually worth it.
Do yourself a favor. Negotiate. Here are some tips to get you started.
1. Just Do It. Recruiters will not revoke an offer because you negotiated, so you have little to lose. This is especially true if the offer is from a larger company. You probably won’t be negotiating with your future teammates.
2. Have a Viable Alternative. Fundamentally, recruiters negotiate with you because they’re concerned you may not join the company otherwise. If you have alternative options, that will make their concern much more real.
3. Have a Specific “Ask”: It’s more effective to ask for an additional 7000 in salary than to just ask for “more”. After all, if you just ask for more, the recruiter could throw in another $1000 and technically have satisfied your wishes.
4. Overshoot: In negotiations, people usually don’t agree to whatever you demand. It’s a back and forth conversation. Ask for a bit more than you’re really hoping to get, since the company will probably meet you in the middle.
5. Think Beyond Salary: Companies are often more willing to negotiate on non-salary components, since boosting your salary too much could mean that they’re paying you more than your peers. Consider asking for more equity or a bigger signing bonus. Alternatively, you may be able to ask for your relocation benefits in cash, instead of having the company pay directly for the moving fees. This is a great avenue for many college students, whose actual moving expenses are fairly cheap.
6. Use Your Best Medium: Many people will advise you to only negotiate over the phone. To a certain extent, they’re right; it is better to negotiate over the phone. However, if you don’t feel comfortable on a phone negotiation, do it via email. It’s more important that you attempt to negotiate than that you do it via a specific medium.
Additionally, if you’re negotiating with a big company, you should know that they often have “levels” for employees, where all employees at a particular level are paid around the same amount. Microsoft has a particularly well-defined system for this. You can negotiate within the salary range for your level, but going beyond that requires bumping up a level. If you’re looking for a big bump, you’ll need to convince the recruiter and your future team that your experience matches this higher level-a difficult, but feasible, thing to do.

On the Job

Once you actually join a company, you need to start thinking about your career path. Where will you go from here, and how will you get there?

Set a Timeline

It’s a common story: you join a company, and you’re psyched. Everything is great. Five years later, you’re still there. And it’s then that you realize that these last three years didn’t add much to your skill set or to your resume. Why didn’t you just leave after two years? When you’re enjoying your job, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in it and not realize that your career is not advancing. This is why you should outline your career path before starting a new job. Where do you want to be in ten years? And what are the steps necessary to get there? In addition, each year, think about what the next year of experience will bring you and how your career or your skill set advanced in the last year.
By outlining your path in advance and checking in on it regularly, you can avoid falling into this complacency trap.

Build Strong Relationships

When you want to move on to something new, your network will be critical. After all, applying online is tricky; a personal referral is much better, and your ability to do so hinges on your network.
At work, establish strong relationships with your manager and teammates. When employees leave, keep in touch with them. Just a friendly note a few weeks after their departure will help to bridge that connection from a work acquaintance to a personal acquaintance.
This same approach applies to your personal life. Your friends, and your friends of friends, are valuable connections. Be open to helping others, and they’ll be more likely to help you.

Ask for What You Want

While some managers may really try to grow your career, others will take a more hands-off approach. It’s up to you to pursue the challenges that are right for your career.
Be (reasonably) frank about your goals with your manager. If you want to take on more back-end coding projects, say so. If you’d like to explore more leadership opportunities, discuss how you might be able to do so.
You need to be your best advocate, so that you can achieve goals according to your timeline.

Keep Interviewing

Set a goal of interviewing at least once a year, even if you aren’t actively looking for a new job. This will keep your interview skills fresh, and also keep you in tune with what sorts of opportunities (and salaries) are out there.
If you get an offer, you don’t have to take it. It will still build a connection with that company in case you want to join at a later date.