Free guide
How to negotiate with a competing job offer
Updated November 8, 2026. What to say when you have another written offer and a company you would rather join.
A real, written competing offer is one of the clearest reasons a hiring team can take back to get a higher base approved. It only works if the other offer is genuine and you stay honest. Never invent a competing offer, and do not imply you have one if you do not.
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1. Get both offers in writing first
Before you mention another offer, make sure you have it in writing: base salary, and any signing bonus, start date, or other cash terms you might reference. Do the same with the offer you hope to accept. Thank each side and ask for time to review, usually 24 to 48 hours. Do not negotiate from a verbal summary you might misremember.
2. Decide your first choice and your number
Pick the company you would rather join if the numbers can get close enough. Then pick one defensible base ask, grounded in the competing base and in market data for the role, level, and city. The free salary counteroffer calculator can help you sketch a starting figure. If the gap is large, decide your walk-away number privately and keep it to yourself.
3. Tell your first-choice employer, once, clearly
Keep the message short and warm. Name that they are your first choice, share the competing base (only the real written number), state the base you are asking for, and say you are ready to accept if they can get there. Then stop. Do not stack extra demands in the same note.
Example line: “Thank you again. [Company] is my first choice, and I'd love to make this work. To be transparent, I've received another written offer with a base of $X. I'd much rather join your team. If you can bring the base to $Y, I'm ready to accept.”
- “Let me check with the team.” Confirm when you will hear back. Stay warm and avoid adding new asks while they check.
- “We can't match that base.” Ask what they can do. A signing bonus, an earlier review, extra PTO, or remote days can close part of the gap if base is capped. See how to negotiate a signing bonus.
- They match or come close. Thank them and ask for an updated offer letter before you decline the other side or resign.
4. Do not run an auction
Take the improved number back to the other employer only if you would still consider them and you are being truthful about what you received. Playing two teams against each other with shifting numbers, or inventing a third offer, is how trust breaks. One honest update is enough.
5. Confirm every final term in writing
When you agree, ask for an updated offer letter that lists base, bonus, start date, and any extras you discussed. Do not decline the other offer, or resign from a current job, until that confirmation arrives. If you decline the other side, do it promptly and courteously so you leave the door open.
The Offer Kit includes a script for countering with a competing written offer, a value-based counter if you do not have one, a path if the base will not move, acceptance language that confirms every term, and Call Mode for the offer call. One-time $29, 14-day refund.
Related free tools
- How to negotiate a job offer
- How to negotiate a signing bonus
- How to answer salary expectations
- Salary counteroffer calculator
- Total compensation calculator
Should I mention a competing offer if I don't really have one?
No. Never invent a competing offer. Only mention another offer if you have it in writing and you would actually consider it. A fabricated offer can damage trust and, if discovered, can get an offer pulled.
Do I have to say which company made the other offer?
Usually no. Sharing the competing base (and bonus or other cash if it is written) is enough. You can name the other employer if you want, but you do not have to.
What if I prefer the lower-paying company?
Say that clearly. The point of mentioning a competing offer is to help your first-choice employer close a gap, not to start an auction. A line like "this company is my first choice" keeps the tone collaborative.
Is this legal or career advice?
No. It is practical communication guidance. Check the written terms of both offers and follow your own judgment.
Guidance only, not legal, financial, or tax advice. Results vary. This is a communication aid, not a guarantee of any outcome.