Questions to Ask Before Accepting Job Offer
Twenty questions about the offer itself: base pay and bands, how the bonus is calculated, equity terms, when health coverage starts, what you will be asked to sign, and which parts are negotiable. For the stage after the interviews, when a number has arrived and you have a few days to check it.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Could you put the full offer in writing, including anything we agreed verbally?
Why ask it
Verbal promises about a title, a start date, a working pattern or a review in six months vanish when the person who made them changes jobs. Asking for everything in one document is routine, and reluctance to write down something already said out loud is the clearest warning you will get.
What's the base salary, and where does it sit in the band for this level?
Why ask it
Position in the band matters as much as the number. Being placed at the bottom means your next two raises are catch-up rather than progress; being placed at the top means little room to grow without a promotion. Many employers will share the band range if you ask plainly.
How is the bonus calculated, when is it paid, and what did people at my level actually receive last year?
Why ask it
A target bonus is a projection, and last year's payout is data. Also ask whether the first year is prorated by start date and whether you must still be employed on the payment date, because a spring payout can quietly tie you to the company through the winter.
If there's equity, how many shares, at what strike price, and out of how many total?
Why ask it
A share count means nothing without the denominator. Without total shares outstanding you cannot work out what percentage you hold, and a grant quoted only as a dollar value depends entirely on a valuation the company chose. Private employers are not always obliged to answer, and how they respond is informative.
What's the vesting schedule, and is there a cliff?
Why ask it
Four years with a one-year cliff is common, but back-weighted schedules exist and change the value of leaving early. Ask what happens to vesting during a leave of absence, since parental and medical leave are treated differently from company to company.
What happens to unvested equity if I leave, and how long would I have to exercise?
Why ask it
Short exercise windows after departure are the detail that turns paper gains into a decision you cannot afford. Ask about the window in days, whether early exercise is permitted, and what happens on an acquisition, because none of this is negotiable later.
When does health coverage start, and what would I pay each month to cover my family?
Why ask it
Coverage that begins on the first of the following month can leave a gap of several weeks, which matters if anyone in your household has ongoing treatment. Ask for the actual premium and deductible figures rather than a benefits brochure, since family premiums vary enormously between employers.
What's the retirement match, and when does it vest?
Why ask it
A match on a vesting schedule is money you do not own yet, and leaving before that date forfeits it. The match formula, the cap and the vesting timeline together are often worth more than the difference you are negotiating over base pay.
How much paid time off do I get, and how many days did the team actually take last year?
Why ask it
The second half is the real question, particularly where leave is described as unlimited, since those policies often produce fewer days taken than fixed allowances. Ask whether accrued days are paid out when you leave and whether holidays sit inside or outside the number.
Could I see the parental leave policy in writing, and is there a service requirement?
Why ask it
Many policies only apply after a year of employment, so timing matters if you are planning a family. Written policies also distinguish between primary and secondary caregivers, and between fully paid and topped-up statutory leave, in ways that verbal summaries flatten.
Is there a signing bonus, and does it come with a clawback if I leave inside a year?
Why ask it
Signing bonuses are usually repayable pro rata if you resign early, which makes them a retention device rather than a gift. Read the repayment clause before you count the money, and check whether it is triggered by redundancy as well as resignation.
Will you cover relocation, and is it paid up front or reimbursed?
Why ask it
Reimbursement means fronting several thousand of your own money and waiting. Ask what is covered specifically, whether temporary housing is included, whether the payment is taxable to you, and whether it must be repaid if you leave within a set period.
Is this offer contingent on anything: references, a background check, a degree verification?
Why ask it
You need to know before you resign anywhere. Contingencies fail for boring reasons: a former employer that confirms nothing, a name change, a course you did not quite complete. Ask when each check will clear so you can time your notice accordingly.
Is this role exempt or non-exempt, and how is overtime handled?
Why ask it
Classification decides whether extra hours are paid, and it is set by the duties of the job rather than by preference. If a role involves regular evening or weekend work and is classified as exempt, the hourly value of the offer is lower than the headline suggests.
What will I be asked to sign on my first day?
Why ask it
Non-competes, arbitration agreements, IP assignment clauses and confidentiality terms are usually presented during onboarding, when refusing is awkward. Asking now gets you the documents in advance, and anything you object to is far easier to change before you accept.
Is there any severance at my level, and how much notice does the company give if the role is cut?
Why ask it
An uncomfortable question that recruiters answer more often than people expect. What you want is whether a written policy exists or whether it is discretionary. Discretionary severance means you are relying on goodwill in the exact circumstances where goodwill is scarce.
Which parts of this package are flexible?
Why ask it
Better than asking whether the salary can move, because it invites them to point at the levers they control: signing bonus, start date, equity, title, remote days, an early review. When base pay is fixed by a band, these are usually where the real movement is.
When do you need my answer?
Why ask it
Get a date rather than a feeling. If the deadline is unusually short, ask what happens on that date, since the answer is often that nothing does. A genuine constraint, like a headcount that expires at quarter end, will be explained without difficulty.
What start date do you have in mind, and is there room if I need to give notice?
Why ask it
Start dates are commonly treated as fixed when they are not. Two weeks of notice is standard in many places and longer elsewhere, and asking for a week between jobs is easier now than after you have accepted. Note whether benefits and bonus eligibility hinge on the date.
Who should I contact between now and my start date if anything changes on either side?
Why ask it
Recruiters hand you off, managers go on leave, and offers occasionally get revised during hiring freezes. One named person with a direct line prevents the silence that makes candidates panic, and it also tells you who is accountable for the commitments in your letter.
Checking an offer before you sign it
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Read the letter twice before you talk about it
Most surprises are already in the document: a start date you cannot make, a bonus described as discretionary, a probation period, an equity grant subject to board approval. Read it once for the numbers and once for the conditions, listing every phrase that begins with 'subject to' or 'at the company's discretion'. Those phrases are the offer's soft parts, and they are the ones worth asking about, since the hard numbers are usually already fixed by a band.
Compare offers on annual cash you will actually receive
- Base plus the bonus people at your level really got, not the target figure.
- Employer retirement match, adjusted for whether it vests before you would plausibly leave.
- Health premiums for your household, subtracted rather than admired as a benefit.
- Equity valued at the last funding round if private, discounted heavily, and only counting what vests in the first two years.
- Commuting, parking or childcare costs that differ between the two jobs.
- One-time payments amortised across the period they lock you in for, not counted as year-one income.
Asking for more without souring things
- Ask once, in a single message, with everything you want in it. Serial requests are what makes employers cool on a candidate.
- Name a number, not a range. Ranges get answered at the bottom.
- Tie the request to scope or market data rather than to personal need.
- If they cannot move base, ask for a signing bonus, an earlier review date, extra leave, or a remote day in writing.
- Say clearly what you will do if they agree. An employer who believes yes follows the money moves further than one negotiating in the dark.
- Do not invent a competing offer. It is checked more often than people think, and it ends badly.
The parts people forget to check
- Whether the first bonus is prorated, and whether you must be employed on the payment date.
- Whether accrued leave is paid out on departure, which is the practical difference between a fixed allowance and an unlimited one.
- The gap between your start date and the day coverage begins, and whether you need cover for those weeks.
- Whether the title in the letter matches the title people will use, since titles govern future job searches.
- Whether the working pattern is in the letter or was only mentioned in an interview.
- Whether any part of the package depends on a person rather than a policy.
If the offer comes with a deadline you cannot meet
Say what you need and why, in one sentence, and propose a date. Something like: I want to accept, and I need until Tuesday to confirm one thing with my family. Most employers agree. If they refuse outright while the role is permanent and the team is not on fire, treat that as information about how the place handles reasonable requests. It is a small refusal now and a preview of larger ones later.