How to Evaluate and Negotiate a Job Offer

You got a job offer! Congratulations!

Because of all your preparation, your resume made an impact, you had a great interview or two, and now you've been offered the role. Be sure to convey your genuine enthusiasm and gratitude to the hiring manager, but don’t accept the offer just yet.

Even if you’ve been job searching for a while, you want to make sure that the job truly matches your professional interests and that the offer clearly meets your needs. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’re covering on Idealist Career Advice today to help you properly evaluate (and negotiate!) a job offer:

• Show your enthusiasm for the job offer, but stop short of saying, “Yes!”
• Consider organizational and professional fit.
• Recognize that salary is only one component of compensation.
• Make sure you understand all the details of the job offer, including employee benefits.
• Prepare a script to help you begin a salary negotiation.

More about employee benefits

Once the hiring manager makes an offer, many job candidates only consider whether the base salary matches what they want, but it’s equally important —especially in the nonprofit sector—to consider other employee benefits, as well.

Benefits like health and life insurance, reimbursements and bonuses, time off, and the ability to work remotely are just some of the things you may value in addition to salary. For more ideas, check out our mini glossary of some major employee benefits, including descriptions and considerations.

Strategies for a salary negotiation

If you decide that you’d like to negotiate the job offer, keep in mind these key points:

• Know how the position is funded. You may have asked about this during the interview, and you can also ask about it after the hiring manager has offered you a position.
• Know what you’re worth. Idealist’s Nonprofit Salary Explorer can help you discover an equitable salary range based on your level of experience, the size and budget of the organization, the geographic region, and the current job market climate.
• Convey your value to the hiring organization. Salary negotiation should be about what you bring to the organization and never about how much you need to cover your living expenses, student loans, etc. Highlight the skills you specialize in required for the position and any additional, unique know-how that will enhance your performance.
• Know what you need. If your list of cons far outweighs your list of pros—concerning the salary, vacation time, health benefits, etc.—then the position may be a poor fit.
• Ask for a summary of the offer in writing. If the hiring manager changes the offer based on your negotiation, politely ask that the revisions be put in writing, too. You can say something like, “I’d like to talk this over with my partner, and it would be great to see everything laid out in an email.”

Script for negotiating salary

When you’ve considered all of the above points, done your research on what others are earning in the sector, and you’re ready to negotiate, here’s a handy script to start the conversation (preferably over a phone call):

“Thank you again for sharing a written version of the job offer you extended last week. I’m thrilled about the potential of joining your team! Now that I’ve had a few days to review the offer, I was hoping we could discuss the base salary. Based on my research and considering my [specific skills, experience, or qualifications], I believe a salary in the range of [$X – $Y] would be more in line with the market rate and the value I can bring to the team.”

This script can easily be modified based on what you’d like to focus the salary negotiation on, be it the base salary, certain benefits, or overall compensation package.