The Offer Scorecard — LifeSketch
LifeSketch Coaching

THE OFFER SCORECARD

An offer is not a verdict. It's a term sheet.

The Closing Kit
between their yes and yours

The offer call is the moment relief tries to make your decision for you. After months of searching, a yes on the phone would make the searching feeling stop — and that is exactly why you don't give one. Three moves stand between their yes and yours: say the script, price the whole deal, score it against what you said you needed. This page holds all three.

Section 1

The Call

Often a phone call. Sometimes at 4:45 on a Friday. You will feel enormous relief and the urge to accept on the spot. Instead, you say this:

The Script
"Thank you so much — I'm genuinely excited about this. I'd like to review the full offer carefully and talk it over at home. When do you need my decision?"
Gratitude
Thank them, and mean it. This is good news.
Enthusiasm
Let them hear you want it. Buying time is not playing cold.
Timeline
Ask for their deadline, then take the time. Three business days to a week is normal and professional. A thoughtful pause signals judgment, not doubt.

Get it in writing

A verbal offer is real intent — and you evaluate nothing until it's written. A complete written offer includes:

If something's missing: ask for it plainly — "Could you send the full offer in writing, including [X]? I want to review everything properly."

Clarifying questions starters
"Could you tell me more about the day-to-day of the role?" · "Can you walk me through the full compensation and benefits?" · "Could you confirm the start date and the remote/on-site expectations?" · "Who would I report to, and how is the team structured?" · "What does growth from this role typically look like?"
Practical FAQs the logistics of the call
They want an answer on the phone.Say the script anyway and ask for the timeline. Reasonable employers grant days; genuine exploding offers are rare — and extreme pressure to skip diligence is itself data for your scorecard.
How much time can I ask for?Three business days to a week is standard. More is possible if you're transparent ("I have another process concluding on [date]").
Do I mention my other live processes?If another offer exists in writing — yes, transparently (your Exception Update template). Never bluff one that doesn't.
Who do I talk it over with?The people the decision touches, plus one clear head — your coach counts. Set the conversation before your deadline, not the night of.
It's a contract / agency / internal role — does this still apply?All of it. Contract roles: price the benefits you'll now carry yourself. Agency roles: clarify who the employer of record is. Internal offers: the script and scorecard hold; familiarity is not evaluation.
Section 2

Price the Whole Deal

Base salary is one line of the deal, not the deal. Two offers with identical salaries can differ by five figures once the whole sheet is priced. Estimates are fine — visible beats precise.

Component
Offer 1
Offer 2
Offer 3
Total compensation
$0
$0
$0
The matrix decides; the flattery of being wanted twice doesn't.

Contract or freelance? Add rows for what you now buy yourself — health premiums, self-employment tax share, unpaid time off — and subtract them from the sticker rate before comparing.

Section 3

Score It Against Your Own Documents

Open your Wants & Needs List and your Ideal Job Description — you wrote them before any of this was real, which is exactly why they can be trusted now. The question is not "is this offer good?" The question is: does it meet what I said I needed, when I was thinking clearly?

My needs — pass/fail; a need is a need

Straight from your Wants & Needs List — the non-negotiables: the floor number, the schedule that makes life work, the location, the conditions you require to function well.

Need
Offer 1
Offer 2
Offer 3

My wants — weighted: how much does each matter?

The strong preferences: growth path, culture, flexibility, mission, title, team. Weight 3 = shapes the decision · 1 = nice to have.

Want
Weight
Offer 1
Offer 2
Offer 3
The Discrepancy List — auto-built

Every gap below is not a disappointment — it's an agenda item. This list is the raw material of your negotiation. Carry it forward.

Nothing here yet — the list builds itself as you score. Every GAP and PARTIAL you mark above lands here, already pointed at the next conversation.

One honest note: if an offer scores well and still feels wrong, the question may not be the terms — it may be the vision the terms are being measured against. That's a coaching conversation, and it's worth having before your deadline, not after.

Relief is not a reason. You wrote down what you need — hold the offer to it.

Rehearse the script this week, while no offer exists — print the wallet card and keep it where your phone lives. When a real offer lands: script on the call, offer in writing, price the whole deal, score it against your own documents. Whatever lands in the discrepancy list goes with you to the Deal Sheet — that's the next conversation. Your entries save automatically on this device.

THE CLOSING KIT — Close Map · Story Bank · Interview Gameplan Card · Game Day Kit · Offer Scorecard (you are here) · Deal Sheet

Job Search Accelerator · LifeSketch Coaching · lifesketch.co

The Script · Offer Call
"Thank you so much — I'm genuinely excited about this. I'd like to review the full offer carefully and talk it over at home. When do you need my decision?"
Gratitude
Thank them, and mean it.
Enthusiasm
Let them hear you want it.
Timeline
Ask their deadline, then take the time.
✂ cut along the dashed line — lives where the phone lives
Saved