How to Negotiate an Offer for a Faculty Position

Step 1: Prioritize

Think of signing the offer as agreeing that you have everything you need to do the work comfortably. You may not get everything you ask for, so it's important to get clear on what you definitely need. Ask yourself:

  • What is a dealbreaker?
  • What is very important?
  • What is a preference?

To learn more about the things people commonly negotiate, visit "What Can You Negotiate for a Faculty Position?".

Step 2: Do Your Research

Gather information both from the institution and other sources that can further contextualize each of your asks. This approach helps to ensure you're not asking for too much or too little.

For example, to help you make a case for negotiating a higher salary, consider:

  • Reading the faculty handbook to know the institution's faculty title structure
  • Researching the cost of living in the area

Step 3: Discuss the Impact

Think about how getting (or not getting) each of your negotiation requests will impact your productivity. The Chair is your ally in the negotiation process and they need to know what problem you are trying to solve in order to work with you on finding a creative solution.

Remember that well-being and personal situations affect productivity, too!

Step 4: Be Flexible

Stay focused on solving the problem, bringing the Chair into the decision, and being flexible with finding creative solutions. Instead of saying "I want this," say "If I don't get this, this is what happens. Do you have a suggestion?"

Be ready to resist the pressure to make decisions right away—you can thank them and ask for more time to think.

Review our Sample Script for a Faculty Negotiation Conversation to see what an actual negotiation conversation might look like!

Strategies for Specific Situations

Handling multiple offers

Express enthusiasm. Throughout the process, reiterate how happy you are to have this offer and the prospect of working with them.

Tell. When you get a second offer, you'll want to tell the first institution. Also, tell any other institutions when you get a new offer (if you have at least advanced to the interview stage) so you can ask them what their timeline will be. 

Ask for more time. Ask all institutions if you can have more time to make a decision because "you owe it to yourself to consider all offers." Ask for that extra time at anytime in the process, when it seems you may need it.

Disclose wisely. Give each institution the chance to make a competitive offer. Tell them if the startup or salary at the other institution is more appealing. You do NOT have to prove you have another offer, or provide the name of the other institutions, the offer letter, or specific details. But it's important to be honest—faculty talk to each other across institutions.

Turn down after you sign. You can wait until after you have signed an offer to turn the other ones down officially via email. See "Turning down an offer" below for more guidance and example language.

Turning down an offer

Keep the conversation or email timely and brief with these 3 things:

  1. State the job you are talking about
  2. Clearly state that you are declining the offer
  3. Express appreciation and well wishes

Note: If you are turning down an offer because you have accepted a different one, it helps if they already knew that you had multiple options.

Examples

  • "Thank you for your patience in this process. I want to let you know that I have accepted the offer from xx. [Language about what you appreciated about the Chair, the department,...]."
  • "Thank you very much for your offer of [position] at [university]. I regret that I must decline this offer as I have just accepted an offer at another university. I truly appreciate the time and effort that went into the recruitment process."

When you accept an offer, don't forget to withdraw from any ongoing interview processes.

  • "Thank you for considering me for [position] at [university]. I appreciate the opportunity to interview but am writing to withdraw my name from the recruitment process. I wish you a successful search."

Recommended Resources

  • Want to read more about how to negotiate?  Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by R. Fisher, W. Ury, and B. Patton is a very popular starting point for learning about negotiation.
  • Seeking more perspectives? Talk to people you trust! Just as you've done at prior stages of the academic job search process, it is critical to use your network during the negotiation stage. Consult new faculty who have recently gone through this process and ask them how they navigated the negotiations, what strategies they found to be effective, and what they wish they had done differently.
  • Looking for personalized support? Schedule a 1:1 appointment or visit office hours to talk with a CPD career consultant! If you need to meet with us sooner than our next available appointment or office hours, please email [email protected] and let us know about your deadline.