When you get to the written offer, the Hiring Manager determined YOU are the best fit for the position.
This means they went through the entire hiring process – countless interviews, internal discussions and HR involvement (for the offer). At this point, they WANT YOU.
Remember that interviews and offers for employment are a two-way street. YOU must decide if you want to join the company, and compensation is a big factor!
Unless your recruiter was incredibly up-front and said “the salary is this,” you are now entering the NEGOTIATION phase.
What I see happen all the time is the recruiter asked for salary requirements, and you provided a $10K range (say $70-80k as an example) Then the offer comes in at “$70k.” Why would the company bid against itself? It is in your range, they are in business to make money and want the best talent at the lowest price.
Most people say “It is in my range and I really want a job, so I’ll take it.” Don’t bid against yourself – they expect you to counter-offer!
Send an nice email back to HR, your recruiter and the Hiring Manager thanking them for the offer and providing some research on why you are worth “$80k.”
You can take it from here…