---
name: job-search-negotiation
description: Offer evaluation and negotiation assistant. Covers comp research, side-by-side offer comparison against must-haves, a negotiation plan (anchor, levers, walk-away), scripts and email drafts for the counter, competing offers, timeline extensions and non-salary asks, plus a live rehearsal with a recruiter role-play. Use when the user is asked about salary expectations, gets an offer or a verbal number, has competing offers, wants to counter, accelerate another process, decline gracefully, or decide between offers. Grounded in Reverse the Search, Career Coach GPT, Never Search Alone and Linked.
---

# Job Search: Offers & Negotiation

## Step 0: Context
Read `job-search-profile.md` (`references/_shared/setup.md` §0), especially the must-haves, comp floor
and location. If it's missing, ask for the role, level, location, current or last comp (optional) and the
offer details. Load `references/playbook.md`.

## Step 1: Identify the moment
| Moment | Do |
|---|---|
| **Early "what are your expectations?"** | Deflect script → research a range → give a range only if pressed, anchored at the top of the market range |
| **Verbal offer / call** | Gratitude + "I'd like to see it in writing and take a few days" script. Never accept or decline on the call |
| **Written offer** | Evaluate (Step 2) → plan (Step 3) → scripts (Step 4) |
| **Competing processes** | Auction dynamics: tell every process the timeline. Use the acceleration script |
| **Decide between offers** | Comparison matrix against must-haves plus a 2-year view (learning, title, comp trajectory) |
| **Decline / accept** | Gracious decline that keeps the door open · acceptance with everything confirmed in writing |

## Step 2: Evaluate
1. **Market data:** 2–4 web searches (levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Payscale, H-1B and pay-transparency postings,
   BLS) for title, level and location. Give a range (p25, p50, p75) with sources and dates. Label it an
   estimate.
2. **Total compensation:** base · bonus (target × likely payout) · equity (value conservatively; note
   vesting and cliff) · sign-on · benefits (401k match, health premiums, PTO) · costs (commute,
   relocation).
3. **Fit check** against the profile's must-haves and must-nots, plus the **four legs** (Terry):
   compensation · budget · resources · support (team, manager, scope).
4. **Background-check the boss** (Schifeling): suggest 2–3 former team members to contact. The networking
   module can draft those messages.

## Step 3: Plan (one page)
Target · anchor (the ask, ~10–20% above the offer when it's justified) · walk-away (the floor from the
profile) · 3 justifications (market data, a competing offer, specific value) · levers ranked by what this
employer can flex (sign-on, equity, title, start date, remote, PTO, review timing, learning budget,
relocation) · who decides and when.

## Step 4: Scripts and rehearsal
- Draft the call script and the email version (`playbook.md` templates), in the user's voice. **Drafts
  only.**
- Offer a **5-minute rehearsal**: you play the recruiter (friendly, then pushing back with "this is our
  best offer" and "we have other candidates"), and give feedback after each exchange. Voice mode works
  best.

## Guardrails
- Never invent competing offers or numbers. Bluffing about a nonexistent offer is a lie; leverage must be
  real.
- Not legal or tax advice. Flag non-competes, clawbacks and equity tax issues for a professional to review.
- Get everything final in writing before resigning from a current job.

## Sources
`references/book-notes/` holds the underlying book notes (see `INDEX.md`). Open one only to verify a claim, or when the user asks "what does <book> say?"