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I recently got a job offer from a company for $x per year. I would have probably accepted it at that amount (as I really liked the company), but I still wasn't completely satisfied with the salary.

So, I asked them for an increment of $y, making my proposed salary $(x + y). They got back to me saying they could give me $(x + y/2) - that is half the increment that I was expecting. But I am satisfied with that and I want to accept the offer.

I have two options for this:

  1. Simply saying "I accept the offer" without thanking them seems a bit insensitive.
  2. On the other hand, saying "thanks for the increased salary, I am ready to accept the job now" seems like I am only changing my decision based on the money - which isn't true - as I said above, I really liked the company.

What would be a professional "in-between" response. I'm thinking something like "Thanks for the updated offer, I would be happy to be on board", but this still seems too close to option 2 above. Any ideas?

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  • "half the increment that I was expecting". That you were expecting, hoping for, or was your opening counteroffer that you wern't expecting to get?
    – mattumotu
    Aug 30, 2019 at 10:12
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    I smell overthinking here. I say thank you to the store clerk or the bus driver, but acknowledge it's just their job and they did what they were supposed to do. It's just the same with your recruiter. Kudos for wanting to thank him, you're surely a kind person and people always appreciate that, no matter how repetitive is their job.
    – Cris
    Aug 30, 2019 at 11:01
  • The proper behavior depends on whether it was an in-house or external recruiter. If it's an in-house recruiter you thank them for "coming to an agreement" (or words to that effect). Since external recruiters are often paid a percentage, based on compensation, they got their thanks in the form of a higher commission.
    – Julie in Austin
    Aug 30, 2019 at 22:20

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Simply saying "I accept the offer" without thanking them seems a bit insensitive.

Trust me, you won't hurt any feelings. "I accept the offer" is professional enough. If you really want to say something, say something like I am happy we managed to reach an agreement, I am looking forward to joining the team.

On an unrelated note: You could also say $(x + 3*(y/4)) to keep it going. They are willing to negotiate!

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    It seems like a lot of employees do not seem to realise that employers won't give you a salary if they don't think it's worth it. They will make more from your work than what they're paying you, that's how they turn a profit. They're not doing anyone any favours out of the goodness of their heart. It's just good business. Especially recruiters, they've no power over what you get, they're simply the middle man. They're making money off you accepting this offer. It's all just business, nothing is personal in a professional setting. Makes me sad how deprived employees are these days.
    – user14492
    Aug 30, 2019 at 9:14
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What would be a professional "in-between" response

Your motivation here seems to be to thank the recruiter out of gratitude for having got your salary bumped. If so, you have 2 options:

  1. Reply I accept the offer on the initial mail (which may have other people in thread). Then, send another individual mail to the recruiter / call them to thank them for their efforts in seeking a better compensation.

  2. Reply along the lines of I accept the offer. Thank you <Recruiter-XYZ> for helping me with the opportunity. This way, you express general thanks to the recruiter, not specifically for bumping your comp.

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