Truthfully I probably wouldn’t have accepted the offer as it was first

I hired Josh because I was worried about playing a game of incomplete information that favors the recruiter/company. They know how much they’re willing to give but I don’t. This can make the negotiation process daunting without expertise and guidance.

Truthfully I probably wouldn’t have accepted the offer as it was first presented. Josh’s advice and direction was incredibly useful, and ultimately we increased the offer to an amount that I was happy to accept. We negotiated about $10,000 higher base salary, $20,000 additional equity, and $20,000 in additional sign-on bonuses. It’s a pretty generous raise over my current pay and a job that I’m excited about. I’ve got confidence that I got the most I could’ve out of this offer; I won’t be second-guessing or wishing I asked for more.

It was very comforting to know, based on Josh’s experience, what the likely range of outcomes were at each step of the negotiation. I had someone on my side who is very experienced at this and has seen a lot of data points. There was very little guessing, but rather calculated moves based on things that have been seen before. Beyond a final, negotiated offer I was glad to accept, I’ve now got know-how and skills for these kinds of career conversations/negotiations going forward.