Negotiating a Job Offer

It's really going to depend on the company. I'd say that for each of those things, you'd probably be able to find a company where those items are negotiable.

Depending on what field you're going into and the companies, you'll find that many younger companies or tech companies have "unlimited" time off. Some people will tell you that this is just in the company's best interest so that they don't need to keep time on the books, pay you out when you resign, etc. But I've personally found that I prefer the "unlimited" plans. I just don't have to worry about counting my hours, scheduling out months in advance to make sure I have enough, worry that taking a day here or there will then prevent me from a longer vacation later in the year, etc.

As far as working from home, this really depends on what your role is, as well as the company's attitude for it. Again in tech, many jobs can be done remotely, and your managers will often be ok with it, provided you get your work done. If you need to be on calls all day, then that might also be ok. However, if your job entails lots of face to face time, remote work may be less of an option. While interviewing, ask what your company's policy toward remote work is.

I've found that financial companies are much more strict in this area (think Wells Fargo, BofA, etc.) They're just older and more conservative. Startups and other tech companies (Google and the like) are a bit more flexible--though Yahoo famously revoked remote working a when Marissa Mayer became CEO.

If you do get the ok on remote work or your company is open to it, make sure that in the beginning, those first several days of remote work are far, far, more productive. If you can show them "hey, we'll get more out of abracadabra when they work from home!" they'll be far more likely to let you do it. When I started my first job, I was working on a sort of skunkworks project and told my boss, "I can do two more hours of work a day if I don't commute." There was a week that I put in 100 hours. It was killer at the time, but I was always trusted with working from home for the following 8 years I was there and never had any problems.

Good luck!

I had a negotiation workshop by someone at the Haas School of Business, and a number of us have used what we learned to successfully negotiate in new jobs.  Here are a few highlights:

- Negotiate it as a package, not piece by piece (not salary then vacation then start date, etc.)

- Establish trust, then say you want to find out more about what is most important to the other party and let them know a bit about what is most important to you so you can come up with an agreement that meets both parties needs better than the cookie cutter agreement.  For instance, they say what is important to them is start date and keeping their salary expenditures low.  You say what is important to you is their paying for professional development support (them paying for and giving you time for conferences and classes) and having flexibility in your hours.  Then you negotiate something where you get some of what you want and they get what is important to them.  I've phrased this as "I understand you have constraints about recurring expenses like salary, and I'm happy to be flexible up to a point, if you can be flexible with me around ____"

- You want to negotiate in such a way that it doesn't leave a bad taste in their mouths - this is the beginning of a relationship.  Show that you are interested in finding creative ways to meet their needs, as long as they will do the same for you.

- Everything is on the table, even if they say it isn't.  For instance, if they say vacation can't be negotiated, you still put it in the package of your wishes, and when they can't grant that, you ask them what they can offer you from the things they know you want instead (additional professional development days? ability to work short days when your spouse is out of town?).  Sometimes they'll verbally agree to something non-standard and say they can't put it in the offer letter.  Up to you how you feel about that.  In a case where there was a lot of trust, I wrote a thank you note by email thanking new boss for giving me permission to do X, Y, and Z specific thing, just so I had a record.  Probably wouldn't hold up with HR, but in case you get a new supervisor, good to have a record of it.

- One technique is to craft a few packages that are fairly equivalent to you, and then let them pick once you've had the conversations above.  

- In addition to the topics above, I would consider: other benefits (health for you/family, retirement), perks like a laptop for home or a separate phone for work, working title on your business card, work location (private office/window, as well as city), ability to take leave without pay before you can take vacation, ability to opt out of things you hate (presenting at conferences, working weekends), ability to opt into projects you especially want, taking your dog to work, reporting line, etc.

- Some places can tell you the dollar value of the full benefit package as a percent of salary, which is useful if you're comparing offers.  

- Working from home one day a week is pretty common.  Just to keep options open I'd ask about the option to work an adjusted schedule like 7-4 (to help with the commute) or working four 10 hour days if you think you'd have any interest. If they agree you can do these things it doesn't mean you have to, you just have more choices when the time comes.

I am a recruiter - here is what I advise. 

It does not hurt to negotiate anything up front--in my experience the most negotiable thing will be salary. Most companies build in "wiggle room" with their initial offers. 

Benefits are much harder to negotiate. Paid time off usually increases with tenure in the company.

Telecommuting is becoming much more common. I would first ask about their policy. Some companies let you telecommute 1 day a week right away. Others will want you to prove your reliability prior to granting it.

Please keep in mind that when you are negotiating these things, make sure you say something to the effect of " I am happy to receive the offer" and then start the negotiations. As an HR professional, I always appreciate that approach.