# Handle a candidate's counteroffer or competing offer

A plan to understand and respond to a counteroffer or rival offer without overpaying or losing a strong candidate.

- Topic: HR & Hiring
- Framework: RTF
- Level: Standard
- Tags: HR & Hiring, Fill-in Template
- Source: https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/prompts/handle-a-candidate-s-counteroffer-or-competing-offer

## Prompt

```text
Help me handle a candidate who has a counteroffer or a competing offer.

**Our offer:** [base, bonus, equity, benefits, title, work model, start date]
**What they told me about the other offer or counteroffer:** [DETAILS - and how confident I am in them]
**Why they started looking in the first place:** [REASONS]
**What they care about most:** [RANKED if possible]
**Our room to move:** [approved flexibility, band limits, internal equity concerns]
**Deadline:** [WHEN they need to decide]

Give me:
1. Questions to uncover the real decision factors (not just the numbers) and the candidate's timeline.
2. A side-by-side comparison table of the offers on what they value, with total compensation and non-pay factors. Mark unknowns as [CONFIRM].
3. For a counteroffer: talking points that respectfully revisit their original reasons for leaving, without pressuring or disparaging their current employer.
4. Whether and how to improve our offer: options ranked by cost and impact (e.g. sign-on bonus, start date, title, remote days), plus internal equity risks to raise with the hiring manager or compensation team.
5. A walk-away point and how to exit gracefully if we can't compete.

Keep it honest - no false claims about the other company or our offer.
```

## What to fill in

- base, bonus, equity, benefits, title, work model, start date
- DETAILS - and how confident I am in them
- REASONS
- RANKED if possible
- approved flexibility, band limits, internal equity concerns
- WHEN they need to decide
- CONFIRM

Free to copy and use. From ThinkWithPrompt (https://www.thinkwithprompt.com/), a library of 2,663 curated AI prompts.