How to negotiate a $50K+ compensation increase

We helped a candidate negotiate a $50K+ offer increase. Here's how.

1. We identified the best possible role to target

The right role to target is a role that:

• You're good at.
• Has a lot of employers hiring for it.
• Pays well.

Here's a detailed explanation of how to identify the right role for yourself.

2. We created multiple offers at the same time

Having multiple offers let us leverage one offer to negotiate a compensation increase. Getting multiple offers requires you to think of your job search as a funnel over a concrete timeline. The stages of your funnel are:

• Application
• First round interview
• Final round
• Offer

For example, let's assume you expect your search funnel to look like this:

That means to have 2 offers come in within the same 2-week period, you'll need the following volume:

• 4 final rounds
• 20 first round interviews
• 200 applications done in the first 2 weeks of your job search

Finding and thoughtfully applying to 200 companies can take 20 minutes per company. That's 4,000 minutes, or 67 hours. That's a lot of hours, but if you want great results you need to invest the time.

Alternatively, invest money and hire Stacked to do this all for you — we find and apply to roles for all our candidates.

3. We asked to connect with VPs and C-Suite executives

VPs and C-Suite executives have decision-making power over how much you're paid — not recruiters, which is typically who a lot of job seekers talk to about compensation. On these calls, the candidate went through the following process:

A. Understand their goals

Asked questions to understand the goals these senior decision-makers had for the organization. For example, one executive mentioned a goal to increase top-line revenue by $XXMN by launching a specific initiative.

B. Show how you help deliver on them

Explained how the candidate would be able to help deliver on those goals in addition to their role. This candidate happened to be skilled in one area of that top-line initiative that the organization did not have the talent for.

C. Anchor your ask against the value

Mentioned their desired compensation increase. Because it was a fraction of the $XXMN they could help drive, it seemed like a tiny number in comparison.

4. We explained WHY the compensation increase mattered

Humans are, well, human. State the obvious and explain how the additional $XXK will help you pay for a mortgage or send your kids to college without debt.