[Magmalgebra]

> I had to answer within 3 days.

If you re-read the transcript, I hope you will come to the understanding that this is a lie. The company is trying to leverage your desperation for a job.

> Last time I got a job offer the hiring process took ~4 months with seven steps

Just like increased compensation, gettting the timeline you want requires leverage. When interviewing I always communicate that I expect an offer from a peer competitor within the next few weeks - this expedies my interview process. I always end up with a minimum of 4 competing offers to use as a BATNA.

Something the article winks at here is that negotation has only a small expected payoff if you've navigated your career such that you're a "small fish in a big pond" so to speak.

Someone who can barely pass a FAANG interview likely can't negotiate much with Google but probably could negotiate at lower tier company like SAP.

*edit* I do this strategy 12-18 months whether or not I leave a company, it has never failed me

[Aurornis]

> If you re-read the transcript, I hope you will come to the understanding that this is a lie. The company is trying to leverage your desperation for a job.

From the hiring side: It’s not a lie at all, it’s just that we have other serious candidates we also like. If you’re not serious about taking the job then we need to move on to the next candidate quickly.

Generally you can come back and ask if they’ll re-issue the offer letter past the expiration. Most companies will happily do it if the position hasn’t already been filled, but you may have to wait for their second-choice offer letter to also expire (see why the expiration dates exist? It’s like locking a database row with a timeout added).

In my experience, the candidates who want to extend out the negotiation process for weeks or even months are rarely serious about joining the company. Statistically they’re a waste of time to continue holding up other hires.

[moregrist]

> From the hiring side: It’s not a lie at all, it’s just that we have other serious candidates we also like. If you’re not serious about taking the job then we need to move on to the next candidate quickly.

This would be a reasonable argument if the timeline was at least 7-10 days. Three days is a red flag: they’re clearly pressing you to make a bad decision.

Serious candidates have to talk things over with their family, and often have busy spouses. They often have to get legal advice, which can end up in a few days of phone tag.

[zdragnar]

So you'll take months of time from a candidate but won't give them at least a week?

A take it or leave it offer with a three day window to accept is, to be blunt, a terrible offer. That combined with the number of interviews to get that far show just how little the company respects the candidates.

You're selecting for a specific type of person, and you're going to get a culture that reflects it.

[octo888]

It's just strategy. They very likely do it to prevent candidates holding multiple offers

[dalyons]

In my experience on the hiring side, expiration dates exist mostly to prevent candidates stacking offers.

[flatline]

This was the standard advice 2-3 years ago when the market was hot, I can’t imagine this being feasible for most people right now.

[Magmalgebra]

This has never stopped working for me - I interview every year or so as a matter of course.

My experience helping others is that in a tightening labor market they are experiencing "small fish in a big pond" syndrome mentioned above.

Compensation for the bottom 50-75% of talent has dropped significantly since 2021* - if you are in that band and chasing the same comp you're dealing with the "small fish in a big pond" situation. If these people drop their compensation expectations back to 2017 levels many of them will find jobs much more plentiful - though the very bottom of the pool is being driven out of the industry entirely.

* this estimate pulled from conversations with engineering leaders and recruiters at large SV tech companies

[scarface_74]

Post 2022, there are hundreds of people applying for every job and they can easily find someone good enough to fill the position.

Have you tried your strategy in the last 2-3 years?

[Magmalgebra]

I have - it works.

I can also assure you that despite the 100s of applicants hiring remains hard even with competitive market compensation. Filling a generalist senior eng headcount with $500k liquid total compensation can take months. Many engineers have wildly inflated ideas about their own abilities.

[mixmastamyk]

Many shops have wildly inflated ideas about their ability to judge applicants.