Direct answer
An offer is a package with a track record. The pre-signature diligence list takes two hours and predicts the first year: band, manager, turnover, policy, bonus, and equity — all verifiable in writing. The acceptance email confirms the terms in writing — the paper system is in the verbal promises guide .
Updated November 9, 2026 · Reviewed against US DOL — workplace standards
An offer is a package with a track record. The pre-signature diligence list takes two hours and predicts the first year: band, manager, turnover, policy, bonus, and equity — all verifiable in writing.
The Six Checks
- Team calls: ask the hiring manager the real roadmap, the last three departure reasons, and the on-call load. Peer calls reveal the culture answers.
- Band & level: the posted range, the band midpoint, and your placement. The band rules are in the bands guide and the total-comp scorecard in the offer evaluation guide.
- Turnover data: ask for the team's last-year attrition. High churn plus low posting frequency is the pattern to walk away from.
- Policy documents: remote charter, bonus plan terms (see the bonus plan guide), PTO definition, vesting schedule (see the vesting guide), and the non-compete language (see the non-compete map).
- Equity mechanics: the refresher policy, the PTEP window, and the grant size at your level — see the refresher guide.
- Start logistics: the 90-day criteria request in writing (see the 90-day guide), the equipment plan, and the relocation terms (see the relocation script).
The acceptance email confirms the terms in writing — the paper system is in the verbal promises guide.
Put the rule into action
Write the letter with the free Job Offer Letter (Employer) generator. The state pages carry the local payout and notice windows, and the application tracker keeps the follow-up date in writing.
Put the rule into action
Ask For Documents, Not Reassurance
Diligence is six verification tasks you can finish in a week without making the offer awkward. Each item is a question with a document behind it. Ask the recruiter to send materials, ask the hiring manager to answer on a call, then send a short recap email so the answers become a written record.
- Band and placement: request the posted range in writing. Where a pay transparency law applies, the range belongs in the listing and you negotiate from it, not from your salary history.
- Level mapping: ask which level the offer maps to and what the next level requires. A band number without a level definition is a number you cannot defend at review.
- Bonus plan: ask for the plan document, not the slide. Confirm the metric, the payout date, whether employment on payout day is required, and any clawback clause.
- Equity: confirm grant size, vesting schedule, cliff, and whether refresh grants follow a written policy or discretion.
- PTO: confirm accrual versus front-loading, the cap, the carryover rule, and payout at separation.
- Remote policy: ask for the policy page. A verbal hybrid yes reverses at the next manager change.
Red Flags That Predict Your First Year
Patterns predict churn. Each one is worth one more question before signature, and none of them is a reason to withdraw by itself.
- The requisition has been open for months and the interview timeline keeps slipping. Budget or headcount is contested.
- The team reorged twice in a year, and the roadmap changed during your interview loop.
- Two of the last three departures were peers at your level. Ask what changed for them.
- The recruiter cannot name the band, or the range quoted moves between calls.
- The offer sits above the posted range with no level bump. That is a retention number, and retention numbers get defended at the next review.
- Nobody can tell you when bonus actually pays. Ask for a dated payout example.
Ask for the band in writing with the compensation band request. Read the pay transparency definition before you accept a range that only exists on a call.
Turn Findings Into Written Asks
Diligence pays off only when it changes the package. Convert each gap into one ask, ranked by leverage, and send it as a single email the recruiter can answer in one reply.
- Fix the level first. A level bump moves base, bonus target, refresh grants, and promotion velocity at the same time.
- Ask for the base correction against the posted range and your comparable scope.
- Ask for a signing bonus where the loss is one-time, such as unvested equity you forfeit by leaving.
- Ask for a written comp review with measurable targets and a checkpoint date.
Model the delta in the salary counteroffer calculator so the number in your email is the number in your arithmetic. Confirm every accepted term in the acceptance email, in the hiring, references and non-compete section workflow: signed letter first, confirming email second.
| Item | Document To Ask For | What It Changes |
|---|
| Compensation band | Posted range and level definition | Whether the base is negotiable |
|---|
| Bonus plan | Plan document with payout date | Real cash versus target cash |
|---|
| Equity refresh | Written refresher policy | Year-four total comp |
|---|
| PTO policy | Handbook accrual and payout clause | Money owed at separation |
|---|
| Remote rule | Policy page or written approval | Days you must be onsite |
|---|
| Non-compete | Signed agreement copy | Where you can work next |
|---|
For the current text behind these numbers, start with the New York Severance Offset rule page and the New Jersey Severance Offset rule page, along with the Severance Pay definition and the compensation negotiation guide hub. Those sources state the rule in full; this page only points at them.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How long should offer due diligence take?
- About a week of asking and two hours of reading. Request the plan documents by email, take one call with the hiring manager, and send a recap email. Delaying signature a few days is cheaper than discovering the terms after you resign.
- Is asking for documents risky at the offer stage?
- No. Requests for the band, the bonus plan, and the remote policy are ordinary and routine. Ask plainly, ask once, and give a decision date so the recruiter knows the timeline is not open-ended.
- What if the employer refuses to share the band?
- Treat the refusal as information. Negotiate against market data for the same title and location, put your number in writing, and get the level definition from the hiring manager rather than relying on the recruiter's summary.
- Should I disclose a competing offer during diligence?
- Say you are weighing more than one opportunity and give a decision date. Do not invent a number. A verifiable competing offer raises urgency; a fabricated one collapses the moment someone asks who the employer is.
Sources (official record — verify before filing)
US DOL — workplace standards