Offer management

Manage the offer lifecycle from internal approval through candidate negotiation and acceptance — offer construction, approval workflows, negotiation strategy, and counteroffer handling.

Supported tasks

• Building offer packages that align with salary bands and internal equity
• Designing and running internal offer approval workflows
• Preparing hiring managers and recruiters for salary negotiation conversations
• Handling candidate counteroffers and competing offer situations
• Managing candidates who receive a retention counteroffer from their current employer
• Communicating offer decisions clearly and professionally, including declines
• Tracking offer status, expiry dates, and follow-ups across open requisitions
• Structuring sign-on bonuses, relocation, and other non-base components
• Handling offer negotiation for internal transfers and promotions
• Documenting offer approval exceptions and internal equity reviews
• Coordinating offer timing with background checks and other contingencies
• Building offer letter templates by role type and jurisdiction

Key prompts

Constructing offers

1. "Build an offer package for [role] at [level] within our approved salary band, including base, bonus, and equity components."
2. "Design an internal offer approval workflow with clear escalation points for exceptions above band."
3. "Draft an offer letter template for [role type] compliant with [jurisdiction] requirements."
4. "What is the right mix of base, bonus, and equity for [role] at [level] to stay competitive without breaking internal equity?"

Negotiation

1. "Prepare talking points for a hiring manager negotiating salary with a candidate who has a competing offer."
2. "Draft a response to a candidate who countered with a number above our approved band."
3. "How should we handle a candidate who wants to negotiate equity or sign-on bonus but not base salary?"
4. "Draft guidance for hiring managers on what they can and cannot commit to during offer negotiation without HR approval."

Counteroffers and competing offers

1. "The candidate received a retention counteroffer from their current employer — how do we respond without over-negotiating?"
2. "Draft messaging for a candidate weighing our offer against a competing offer from another company."
3. "What questions should a recruiter ask to understand what's really driving a candidate's hesitation before assuming it's about money?"
4. "How do we handle a competing offer with a deadline that's shorter than our own approval process can accommodate?"

Process and tracking

1. "Design a tracker for monitoring offer status, expiry, and follow-up actions across multiple open requisitions."
2. "Draft a professional decline message for a candidate we're not extending an offer to after the interview stage."
3. "How do we coordinate offer extension timing with pending background check or reference results?"
4. "Design an offer expiration and follow-up cadence that creates urgency without pressuring the candidate unfairly."

Tips

• Set salary bands and approval thresholds before the search starts so negotiation doesn't stall waiting for ad hoc approvals.
• Address candidate concerns holistically — money is rarely the only factor; growth, team, and flexibility often matter as much or more.
• Respond to counteroffers calmly and quickly; delay signals disorganization and can cost the candidate to a faster-moving competitor.
• Put an expiry date on every offer and follow up proactively rather than leaving candidates in silence.
• Document any exception to standard bands so internal equity stays defensible over time.