For candidates with an offer in hand · Before the recruiter call
You have the Levels.fyi screenshot. Rehearse what happens when they say “that’s the top of the band.”
The written offer is in your inbox. You still don’t know what you’ll say on tomorrow’s call.
You cleared the loops. The recruiter sent $142k base and asked for a decision by Friday. You’ve read three script blogs and bookmarked a competing-offer thread on r/cscareerquestions. What you can’t picture is countering at $158k and then sitting there while they say the band is fixed, the role is scoped at this level, and they need an answer before the req closes. Kommi puts you on that call first — with a recruiter who pushes back the way real ones do — so tomorrow isn’t your first take.
The script isn’t the hard part.
Every negotiation guide has the same opener: thank them, state your number, anchor to market data. You have the email drafted. What you don’t have is muscle memory for when the recruiter says “I wish I could, but this is genuinely the top of the band for this level” and you have to decide in real time whether to push on base, pivot to signing bonus, or fold without sounding desperate.
-
What’s at stake
A single counter that lands $12k higher on base compounds across four years — and sets the reference point for your next raise. Accepting the first number because the call felt awkward costs more than a year of Kommi.
-
Why you freeze
They sound friendly. You don’t want to lose the offer. You keep rehearsing your opening in your head but skip the part where they push back and you apologize mid-sentence or accept a signing bonus without asking for more base.
-
What scripts can’t do
Template blogs give you the words. They can’t simulate the recruiter going quiet for four seconds while you wonder if you just killed the deal.
-
What a coach costs
One hour with a negotiation coach runs $200–500. You need three reps across tonight and tomorrow morning — not one polished monologue you deliver once and forget under pressure.
Sample roleplay · 3 minutes
“That’s genuinely the top of the band for this level.”
You’re Priya. You thanked them for the offer and countered at $158k base. Now the recruiter pushes back.
You (Priya)
“I’m really excited about the team and the scope. Based on market data for this level in the Bay Area and the competing signal I have, I was hoping we could get to $158k base. Is there flexibility there?”
Recruiter
“I appreciate you being direct. The offer we sent is already at the top of the band for senior IC in this org. The role is scoped at this level and I genuinely don’t have room on base. We could look at a signing bonus to bridge part of the gap — would that work?”
Your move
- → Ask what signing bonus range they can do before accepting the pivot
- → Probe the band: “What would need to change for this to be a staff-level scope?”
- → Hold the line calmly: “Base is my priority — what would it take to revisit in six months?”
Each choice changes how the recruiter responds. The tone stays professional but the pressure is real. You practice not apologizing for asking, not accepting the signing bonus dodge without a number, and not saying “okay, I guess that works” when you still have leverage.
Then the coach reads you back to yourself.
Not a salary calculator. Not a list of tactics from a negotiation book. One observation about what you did, one adjustment for next time, one sentence you can carry into tomorrow’s call.
Sample coach debrief
“You opened strong — clear number, market anchor, no apology. When the recruiter offered a signing bonus, you immediately said ‘oh, that could work, thank you’ and dropped your base ask entirely. That signals you didn’t believe your own counter.
Try next time: Pause after the pivot. Ask one clarifying question: ‘What signing bonus range can you do? I want to understand the full package before I move off base.’
Carry into tomorrow: ‘I appreciate the flexibility on signing. Base is still my priority given the scope we discussed — is there any path to revisit compensation at the six-month review if I hit the milestones we outlined?’”
Questions before you counter
- Is this different from negotiating a raise with my current manager?
- Yes. A job-offer counter is a recruiter call with a clock on the req — different tone, different levers (signing bonus, equity refresh, start date), and different risk profile. Kommi has a separate scenario for internal raise talks if you need that too.
- I already have scripts from a blog. Why practice?
- Scripts tell you what to say. They don’t prepare you for the moment the recruiter sounds disappointed, offers a signing bonus to close you, or says they need an answer by end of week. Kommi is where you hear yourself respond under pressure — and fix the fold before it costs you $15k a year.
- Do I need a written competing offer to practice this?
- No. The roleplay covers the pushback patterns whether your leverage is a verbal offer, a late-stage process, or market data alone. You practice the conversation, not the paperwork.
- Will practicing make me over-negotiate and lose the offer?
- The coach flags tone, not just tactics — when you sound adversarial vs. collaborative, when you’re asking once vs. grinding, when you’re folding too fast. One calibrated counter is the goal, delivered calmly.
$11.99 a month.
A coach with a calendar runs two hundred dollars an hour. Kommi runs roughly forty cents a day — and is awake when you can't sleep, which is when most of these conversations are actually being rehearsed anyway.
We don't have a free tier, a team plan, or a premium upsell. One price, no pricing page riddle. If we add tiers later, we'll do it because users asked — not because a growth deck did.
About forty cents a day.
- Two free sessions before billing starts
- Then $11.99 a month — about forty cents a day
- Unlimited sessions — any conversation you can describe
- A coaching read after every session, and your progress over time
- Cancel in two taps; 7-day refund if you change your mind
One conversation you’d have talked yourself out of is worth years of this. Or just sleep better on Wednesday. Either way.
Run your first rehearsal — free →US only at launch. We'll get to the rest of the world.
The conversation is on Thursday. Begin tonight.
Three minutes. Two free. 7-day money back after that.