Nothing strikes fear into a recruiter's heart quite like hearing: "I really like your opportunity, but I have two other offers I'm considering."

You've spent weeks finding this candidate, selling them on the role, and now you're competing with other companies at the offer stage. Time to navigate the negotiation without panicking, overpaying, or losing your best candidate.

Here's how to handle it.

First: Confirm The Other Offers Are Real

Not every candidate who says "I have other offers" actually has other offers. Some are bluffing to get higher compensation. Some have informal conversations they're treating as offers.

How to verify without being aggressive:

"That's great you have options. Congrats on the other opportunities. Are those formal written offers, or are you in the negotiation phase with them too?"

This tells you:

• Formal written offers = Real competition, you need to move fast
• Verbal offers or late-stage conversations = Less urgent, they're weighing options
• "I'm expecting offers soon" = Not real yet, but could be

You're not interrogating them. You're understanding the timeline and urgency.

If they're vague or defensive, that's a signal the offers might not be as solid as they're presenting.

Don't Panic And Overbid Immediately

Your instinct might be to throw money at the candidate to win them. Don't do this.

Why:

1. You might not need to outbid competitors to win
2. You set a precedent of paying above band for new hires (creates internal equity issues)
3. You lose negotiation leverage for future conversations

What to do instead:

"I appreciate you being transparent. Before we talk numbers, can I ask—what's most important to you in choosing between these opportunities? Compensation is part of it, but what else matters?"

This shifts the conversation from pure salary competition to value proposition. Maybe your role offers:

• Better career growth potential
• More interesting projects or impact
• Stronger team culture
• Flexibility and remote work
• Stability (if competitors are early-stage startups)

Sometimes you can win without matching the highest offer if you're stronger in other areas.

Understand What The Competing Offers Look Like

You need intel. What are you competing against?

Ask directly:

"Can you share what the other offers look like in terms of compensation structure? I want to make sure we're competitive, but I also want to understand if we're comparing apples to apples."

What you're listening for:

• Base salary - The most straightforward comparison
• Equity - Early-stage startup offering big equity packages vs. your cash-heavy offer
• Bonus structure - Guaranteed vs. performance-based
• Benefits - Health insurance, 401k match, perks
• Sign-on bonus - One-time payment to make their offer look bigger

A $150K offer with 10% bonus and great benefits might be better than a $160K offer with no bonus and mediocre benefits. Help candidates see total compensation, not just base salary.

If they won't share specifics:

"I understand if you can't share exact numbers. Can you at least tell me if the other offers are significantly higher, roughly the same, or lower than what you're hoping for from us?"

This gives you directional information without requiring them to disclose competitor details.

Know Your Walk-Away Point Before You Negotiate

Before you enter negotiations, know your limits:

• What's your approved salary range for this role?
• How much flexibility do you have (can you go 5% over? 10%?)
• What non-salary items can you offer (extra PTO, sign-on bonus, earlier review cycle)?
• At what point does hiring this candidate stop making financial sense?

If you don't know your limits, you'll either:

1. Overpay in the moment and regret it later, or
2. Lose the candidate because you couldn't make a decision fast enough

Get approval in advance for flexibility. "If this candidate has competing offers, can I go up to $X or offer Y as a sign-on bonus?" Don't wait until you're in the negotiation to figure this out.

Make Your Best Offer (Not Your Opening Offer)

When candidates have multiple offers and limited time to decide, don't lowball and plan to negotiate up. You won't have time for multiple rounds.

Make a strong offer upfront:

"Based on your experience and the market, we're offering $X base salary, $Y equity, and Z benefits. This is a competitive offer that reflects how much we value what you'd bring to the team."

Candidates with multiple offers don't want to play games. They want to compare real numbers and make a decision.

If you lowball and they accept another offer, you don't get a second chance to come back higher.

Highlight What You Offer That Money Can't Buy

Compensation matters. But it's not the only factor in accepting offers.

Remind them of:

Career growth: "In this role, you'd be positioned to move into [leadership role] within 18-24 months based on performance. What's the growth trajectory at the other companies?"

Impact: "You'd be employee #15 on this team, which means your work directly shapes our product direction. How much influence would you have at the other companies?"

Team quality: "You'd be working with [impressive team member] who previously [notable achievement]. Who would you be working with at the other places?"

Culture fit: "You mentioned in our conversations that you value [X]. That's core to how we operate here. Do the other companies align with that?"

Work-life balance: "We have flexible hours and real work-life balance. What's the expectation at the other companies?"

Money gets people in the door. Everything else keeps them there.

Use A Sign-On Bonus To Close The Gap

If your base salary can't match a competitor's offer, a sign-on bonus can bridge the gap without blowing up your compensation structure.

Example:

Competitor offers $160K base salary. Your range is $145K-155K. You're approved for $152K but don't want to go higher on base.

Offer this:

"We're at $152K base salary, which is at the top of our range for this level. But we can offer a $15K sign-on bonus to make your first-year total compensation $167K. After year one, compensation will be based on your performance and impact."

Sign-on bonuses work because:

• They close the short-term gap without permanently inflating your salary structure
• They don't affect internal equity (existing employees don't see the sign-on)
• They signal you really want this candidate

Just make sure sign-on bonuses have a clawback clause if the candidate leaves within 12 months. Standard practice.

Set A Decision Timeline (Politely)

Candidates with multiple offers are on tight timelines. You need to match their urgency.

After extending your offer:

"I know you're evaluating multiple opportunities. What's your timeline for making a decision? We're excited about the possibility of you joining the team and want to be respectful of your process."

Then add:

"If there's anything we can do to help you make a decision—answer questions, set up calls with team members, clarify details—just let us know."

If they're dragging it out beyond a reasonable timeline:

"We're holding this role open for you, but we do need a decision by [date] so we can move forward one way or another. Does that timeline work for you?"

You're not pressuring them. You're setting boundaries. Offers can't stay open indefinitely.

Know When To Walk Away

Sometimes you lose good candidates to better offers. That's okay.

Walk away if:

• The candidate demands compensation 20%+ above your approved range
• They're using your offer purely as leverage to get more from their preferred choice
• They keep moving goalposts ("if you can match this, I'll accept... actually, I need more")
• You'd have to make promises you can't keep (promotions, responsibilities, flexibility)

Better to lose a candidate than to:

• Overpay and create internal equity problems
• Make promises you can't deliver and have them leave in 6 months
• Compromise your compensation structure for one hire

If they choose another offer, stay professional and positive:

"I'm disappointed, but I appreciate you considering us. If things don't work out at [other company] or if you're open to opportunities down the road, I'd love to stay in touch."

Keep the door open. Sometimes candidates accept other offers and realize they made the wrong choice.

The Post-Negotiation Follow-Up

Once they accept your offer, send a follow-up confirming the details:

"Excited to have you join the team. Just to recap what we discussed:

• Base salary: $X
• Equity: Y shares
• Sign-on bonus: $Z
• Start date: [date]

Your formal offer letter will arrive within 24 hours. Looking forward to working together."

This prevents any misunderstandings about what was agreed to.

The Bottom Line

Negotiating with candidates who have multiple offers isn't about winning at all costs. It's about:

• Understanding what they value beyond salary
• Making a strong, competitive offer without overpaying
• Highlighting your unique advantages that competitors can't match
• Moving quickly while respecting their decision timeline
• Knowing when to walk away if the numbers don't work

You won't win every negotiation. But if you're losing every candidate with multiple offers, the problem isn't the candidates—it's your compensation structure, your value proposition, or your offer strategy.

Win the candidates you can afford. Let go of the ones you can't. And always, always make candidates feel valued throughout the process, whether they accept your offer or not.