Offer letter
The written document stating the terms of employment — and the only version of the offer that binds anyone.
Everything agreed verbally must appear here: title, level, base, bonus structure and whether it's discretionary, equity grant and schedule, start date, work location and remote terms, notice period, and any signing bonus with its clawback conditions. A term that was promised on a call and isn't in the letter does not exist once the recruiter you spoke to changes jobs.
Read the clauses people skip. Clawbacks on signing bonuses if you leave inside a year, non-competes and their enforceability where you live, IP assignment scope, and probation terms all have real consequences and are occasionally negotiable.
It is also the moment your leverage is at its peak and about to end. Once you sign, every subsequent request becomes a favor. Before you sign, a considered counter on one or two specific terms is expected and rarely damages anything — offers being withdrawn over a polite negotiation is far rarer than the fear of it.
Total compensation
Everything an offer is worth in a year — base salary plus bonus, equity, and benefits — rather than the headline salary alone.
Competing offer
A second live offer, which is the strongest and most honest source of leverage in a compensation conversation.
Vesting and the cliff
The schedule on which granted equity actually becomes yours — commonly four years, with nothing vesting until a one-year cliff is passed.
Notice period
The time you're contractually required to keep working after resigning — two weeks by convention in the US, one to three months by contract in much of Europe.