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A few weeks ago, one of my clients called me with some exciting news.
She'd been offered a new job. She was thrilled. It was exactly the role she'd been hoping for.
There was just one problem.
The company had offered her £7,500 less than the salary she'd told them she wanted at the beginning of the interview process.
When she called me, she said:
"Honestly Steph... I'd probably accept another £2,500 and be happy."
And I completely understood.
Most people get to this point and just want the uncertainty to end.
They're scared that if they negotiate, they'll look difficult. Or worse, that the company will withdraw the offer altogether.
Her husband was telling her to accept it immediately.
But I told her I'd do something different.
The problem with accepting too quickly
By the time a company has made you an offer, they've invested a huge amount of time interviewing you.
They've compared you with other candidates. They've decided they want you.
At this point, they usually have far more to lose than you think.
The mistake most people make is assuming the negotiation is over the moment an offer lands in their inbox.
Very often, that's when it really begins.
The strategy I suggested
I told her to thank them for the offer and say something like:
"I'd love a couple of days to take this away and discuss it with my husband before I come back to you."
This is something I call the Third Party Strategy.
Even if you don't have a partner, you can still use a trusted third party.
The point isn't whether someone else is actually making the decision.
The point is that you've introduced a perfectly reasonable reason why you can't accept immediately.
More importantly, you've introduced uncertainty.
Now the company starts wondering.
What if her husband thinks she shouldn't take it?
What if her current employer counteroffers?
What if she's interviewing somewhere else?
Sometimes silence is your strongest negotiation tool
It was Monday.
The company said she could come back to them on Wednesday.
When we spoke that evening, she was desperate to accept.
I told her to wait. If Wednesday arrived and nothing had changed, she could always ask for another £2,500.
But we never got that far.
On Wednesday morning, before she'd said a word, the company called her.
They increased the offer by the full £7,500.
Nobody argued. Nobody negotiated. Nobody pushed back.
They simply decided they didn't want to lose her over £7,500.
The silence created just enough doubt for them to move first.
My advice
Don't rush to remove the tension
When you're excited about an offer, your instinct is to say yes immediately.
But remember, companies expect candidates to think carefully about life-changing decisions.
Giving yourself a couple of days is completely normal.
Use silence strategically
Silence isn't awkward. It's information.
It tells the employer that you're taking the decision seriously, and sometimes that's enough to encourage them to improve the offer before you even ask.
If you're currently job hunting and you'd like my help navigating everything from finding the right role to negotiating the best possible salary, that's exactly what we do inside Creative Career Level Up.
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