Or can you continue to successfully negotiate? How flexible are signing bonuses and vacation days for a Big 4?

If someone says their offer is a "final" one, then what that really means is "you're really cheesing me off now!"I on many occasions have pushed people past their "final offer". I once got to "Best and final offer version 4.2" with a salesman...So you have to trade off pushing for more money vs starting to affect relations...Just make sure they don't withdraw the offer...

[quote]Or can you continue to successfully negotiate? How flexible are signing bonuses and vacation days for a Big 4?[/quote]Final offers are final. On the basis that negotiation is about getting you to the best possible point for all parties, the final offer reflects the least best possible outcome for the hiring organisation. Push past that and you are in rapidly diminishing returns where you are now asking for best possible outcomes for you and that they accept less than acceptable outcomes to compensate.

Building on that, as far as I know vacation days are non-negotiable. Sign-on bonuses are usually the only flexible item once they've run out of other options. The question is, do you want to risk losing the offer in order to get a one-off sign-on bonus, or the reverse, is the final offer without extras sufficiently interesting for you?

Additionally, weigh up the burden of expectation on you (for the offer) and what that would look like if you did successfully push it further. No point in 'winning' the battle (ie getting the highest offer you can without losing the offer altogether) only to lose the war (not meet expectations you have set in that negotiation for your performance and losing your position).

Challenging final offers is pretty difficult. If the final offer? a) the actual final offer and best available? or b) a negotiating tactic to get you to accept less than the best offer available? If it's option a then you're in danger of making it look like you don't believe the person telling you it's a final offer or if it's b then then potentially there was room for movement. When final offers have been made, especially when going for a job then I've never challenged it, for two broad reasons:a) generally you will end up working for the person you're negotiating with. Doubting their credibility isn't a good start! b) secondly, I've completed my due diligence. I know what package I'm willing to move for and understand whether the company I'm interviewing with can meet my expectations. I will have made the interviewer aware of my expectations, there’s no point in going through a lengthy recruitment process if there is no chance of my package expectations being met. When negotiating for one off purchases, where maintaining a relationship isn’t important, then I always push even when a ‘final’ offer is made.

There was an interesting case with my brother. He's been looking for an "ideal" job for him and when found and received the offer, it appeared that the salary was somewhat less than he expected. He started to negotiate and at this place was hired another man. I'm sure it is to the best, but sometimes there are big risks.