Hi <recruiter name>, how's your day been? Thank you for sharing time with me today, and squeezing me in between your calls on short notice. I'm super excited about the prospect of joining <company name> and looking forward to hammering out some final details.

Just wanted to check in, do you have a sense of how much time you have for our phone call today? Wanted to be mindful of the time as we chat.

I have a series of questions, are you alright if we jump right in?

1. Performance review
   1. what does it look like?
   2. how often?
   3. is this when compensation reviews also happen?
2. PTO
   1. process for utilizing
   2. list of paid holidays?
   3. unpaid vacation available?
3. Tuition reimbursement
   1. what are the requirements?
   2. can apply to past education or just future?
   3. what are the maximum amounts?
4. WFH/Flex
   1. WFH question: I have a sister who's giving birth soon, living in DC. if we're still WFH, does <company name> mind if I head to DC and work from there? In other words, when I WFH, is <company> expecting that I stay at my current address to do the work?
   2. Does it make sense to get this in writing? I'm hoping to avoid any confusion later in the process as we begin to decide expectations and goals
5. Annual Bonus
   1. Do you have more detail on how they are calculated?
   2. Is there a maximum cap at my level?

Transition: these answers are great. I was also hoping to discuss compensation.

After connecting with folks like <names of future coworkers>, <company name> has really emerged to be a #1 choice for me. Based on my understanding of the role expectations and my research on market rates, I was hoping to see a total compensation of $85,000. Is there any flexibility to increase compensation?

PAUSE

Options

I recognize that you might have certain constraints and want to be flexible, so I thought of two options that I believe would work for me. I'm really excited about <company name> and hope we can work together to find something close to either of these:

Option 1: $80k in base with the sign-on bonus of $5k

Option 2: $70k in base, sign on bonus of $10k, $10k in equity

I am bringing my 12 years of project management, design thinking, and product strategy experience, so I know my ramp-up time would be quicker. Also, I will be halfway through my MBA program, which I see as a big plus for contributing to the strategic and operational aspects of the role. I'm confident that I'll make an impact as I join the team, as it stands, this offer is just off my expectations.

Possible follow ups:

"Why do you deserve higher pay?"

I am truly excited about <company name> and the team and opportunity to provide value. I'm also joining <company name> after 4 years of director management level experience, which has given me the insider perspective on managing teams, expectations, and decision making. I know this experience will enable me to have an impact internally and externally more quickly, especially as digital is such a cross-functional space that flourishes on influence type of conversations.

"Unfortunately, there's no flexibility."