How to Write a Counter Offer Letter with Tips and Examples

The Art of Writing a Counter Offer Letter

Research and structure are essential when writing counter offer letters. Here are some tips to ensure yours sounds professional and has the best chance of swaying the hiring manager’s mind during negotiations.

Preparing to write your letter

Before you start writing, you’ll want to do some research to support your primary negotiation points. Presenting solid evidence that what you want is acceptable in the current job market will give you a better chance of getting your counter offer accepted.

The first step involves reviewing the original offer. Write down key negotiation points you want to focus on and conduct your research with those details in mind.

An excellent resource for finding average salaries for specific industries or job titles is the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can also use job search platforms like Indeed or Monster to compare salaries and benefits from other companies hiring in your field.

Once you have a solid base of data, you can put it all together in a concise message. For example, you could say, “The average salary for project managers with five years of experience in Chicago is $116,000, and 25 out of 30 companies hiring project managers in the area offer a minimum of 14 days of PTO.”

Structuring your counter offer letter

Just like when you’re writing a cover letter, resignation letter, or other formal correspondence, you should follow a specific structure to ensure it sounds professional. The four main sections of a counter offer letter are:

• Salutation
• Introduction
• Body paragraphs (detailing your counter offer and evidence)
• Conclusion

Here’s a breakdown to guide you while writing each section.

Professional salutation

The optimal way to start your letter is to greet the hiring manager or a specific contact person by name. Something like “Dear [hiring manager’s name]” or “Hello [recipient’s name]” will work well for a formal letter like this.

While it can feel tempting to start with something more formal and old-fashioned like “Dear Sir”, that doesn’t work well in the modern hiring process. Companies value personalization and inclusivity more than ever today, so greeting people with their names and showing you connect with the company’s mission is always a good idea.

Introduction

Even though you weren’t completely satisfied with the offer and plan to counter it, you should start your letter by showing gratitude toward the company. For example, you could open with something like, “Thank you for offering me the construction manager role at Vanguard Builders & Innovations.”

You could also reaffirm your connection to the company’s mission to show your continued interest in working with them. For instance, you could say, “I’m excited about the opportunity to work on innovative and modern commercial buildings that will have a long-standing impact on the industry.”

Detailing your counter offer and evidence in the body paragraphs

In the body paragraphs, you should detail the terms of the offer you’re countering, such as the salary you want or a detailed overview of the benefits you’d like added. Remember to remain polite and professional while being as specific as possible throughout.

Try to surround this with any evidence you’ve gathered that proves your counter to the offer is valid. For instance, you could say, “According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average construction manager salary in Washington is between $110,000 and $120,000, and I believe my counteroffer of $115,000 is more than fair for someone with my experience.”

Conclusion

As you wrap up your letter, you should thank the hiring manager for their consideration of your counteroffer.

It can also be a good idea to reinforce your initial enthusiasm about working with the company. In the example of a construction manager, it could be something like, “I appreciate you continuing to consider me for the role as I’d be excited to work on innovative buildings that will benefit the commercial business space.”

Lastly, let them know you’re available if they need any other information from you to show you’re open to continuing negotiations about your counteroffer.

Navigating Counter Offer Negotiations

There’s no guarantee that your counteroffer will be accepted in full, emphasizing the need for compromise. Consider both the advantages and disadvantages carefully before deciding. Continuous counteroffers may strain negotiations, so aim for a resolution that aligns with your professional goals and the company’s offerings.

The following sections delve into mastering negotiation strategies, sidestepping common counteroffer pitfalls, and gracefully accepting or tactfully declining an offer.

Strategies for successful negotiation

Once you’ve submitted your counter to a job offer, there’s still a chance you’ll need to do further negotiation. So, if you find yourself trying to respond to a counteroffer that the company comes back with or answering some additional questions they have for you, here are some tips to prepare.

• Consider the whole offer: Even if the company can’t increase aspects like your salary as much as you hoped, maybe they can help with other benefits you requested, like a flexible schedule. So, consider the entire offer before saying no, and think about how what the company offers will impact your overall happiness in the workplace.
• Be prepared to walk away: Sometimes, hiring managers can’t give you more than the original job offer. If they come back saying the original offer is as high as they can go or even decide to withdraw it, be prepared to walk away. It’s important to know your value in the job market and feel comfortable pursuing other options if needed.
• Prepare for tough questions: After countering, the company’s hiring team may have additional questions to determine whether to increase their offer. Be prepared to answer some tough questions about things like your experience level or your process on common tasks. It can be helpful to look at your resume from an unbiased perspective and prepare for how you’d respond to any potential weaknesses that may come up.

Common mistakes to avoid in counter offers

To help you further, here are some common mistakes to avoid in counter offer letters.

• Overreaching without justification: A reason why you should do research before negotiating is to learn what a good salary for your role is in the current job market. If the numbers you’re seeing during research for salary and benefits packages make the offer you received sound fair, then it could be detrimental to try negotiating for more.
• Failing to maintain a professional tone: It’s a common misconception that you need to be forceful during negotiation. In reality, a good negotiator is someone you can reason with. A calm and professional tone is a great way to portray that. You want to continue showing a potential new employer that they can work with you.
• Using the wrong letter format: Counter offer letters should be formatted like other formal correspondence during the hiring process. A letter that is too informal or isn’t organized can come off the wrong way during negotiations. The examples of job counter offer letters from earlier in this article will help avoid this.
• Negotiating issues one at a time: While it may seem better to negotiate parts of the offer one at a time, it can drag out the process, especially when a company needs to make a hiring decision quickly. Instead, present every aspect of the offer you want to negotiate in the first email or letter.

Accepting the offer

Accepting a job offer requires the same professionalism that you put into your counter offer. Most companies will want an official job acceptance letter to confirm your commitment to the role.

A great way to start this letter is to thank the hiring manager for the offer and express your excitement about the opportunity.

You should also confirm any essential parts of the offer in writing, especially parts that you negotiated. A good way to word this would be something like, “As we agreed on in our last meeting on April 2nd, my starting salary will be $78,000, and I’ll have 16 days of annual PTO.” A confirmation like this will ensure everyone’s on the same page when you start.

Rejecting the offer

When negotiations don’t meet your needs, you should still send a formal email or letter officially withdrawing yourself from consideration. Even though things didn’t work out, keep a professional tone throughout and remain grateful that the company considered you.

An example of how to phrase this would be, “Thank you for your offer to work as an accountant with Summit Capital Partners. I sincerely appreciate you taking the time to interview me and trying to put together a deal that works for both sides. After consideration, I’ve decided to accept another offer that better aligns with my career goals at this time.”

Being professional and showing gratitude in the final message will keep the door open for future opportunities with the company. You could also offer to connect on LinkedIn to stay in touch.