The Offer

What to look at

• Base, and whether it's paid weekly, biweekly, or semi-monthly
• Bonus: target percentage, how it's calculated, discretionary or formula-driven, when it pays, and whether you have to be employed on the pay date to receive it
• Vehicle: company truck, allowance, or mileage. Fuel card or not
• Per diem: amount, taxable or non-taxable, and what triggers eligibility
• Travel expectations as a percentage, and who books it
• PTO, how it accrues, and whether it carries over
• 401(k) match and the vesting schedule
• Health premiums — the employee contribution, not just the plan name
• Relocation, and whether there's a repayment clawback if you leave inside a year or two
• Non-compete, non-solicit, and any training repayment agreement
• Start date

How to handle it

• Ask all your questions in one round. Drip-feeding questions over four days makes a company nervous.
• Respond inside 24 to 48 hours. Silence after an offer reads as shopping it, because usually it is.
• If you're going to negotiate, negotiate once. Bring a number and a reason tied to market or scope, not to what you need to cover your mortgage. Be specific and be pleasant: “I'm at $X today with a truck. If we can get to $Y I'll sign it and give notice tomorrow.”
• Ask about the parts that aren't money. Reporting structure. Project assignment. Who's on the team. Those determine whether you're still there in three years.

When you accept

You're done. Stop interviewing. Withdraw from the other processes with a phone call, not a ghost. The power and mission-critical world is small and the hiring managers all know each other.

The point

Read the whole offer, not the base.