Hi fellow data professional!

For the past month I’ve been working on my most ambitious personal project: Purchasing and renovating a house.

The first major upgrade? Replacing 70+-year-old windows.

And while there’s probably a tech work comparison to gutting a legacy system to build anew, what I want to focus on is the deal I brokered and how you can use similar leverage in your interviews.

Because I got $1200 off a house’s worth of windows as a result of market research, due diligence and a bit of help from an LLM.

Although we’re currently in an employer’s job market, candidates will always have one point of leverage: Competing offers.

For my reno project, I invited 4 companies to pitch and asked them to leave written quotes.

Whether you have 1 or 10 competing offers, always get the numbers “on paper”, whether in email or a PDF. Not only does this provide you with documented interest, it also allows you to cross-compare aspects of the offer like base salary, benefits and any equity/bonus incentives.

Once those four quotes were on my desk, I didn’t just look at the bottom line. I fed the line items into an LLM to identify the structural outliers. I asked it to find exactly where Company A was over-budgeting for labor compared to Company B’s material costs. Armed with that data, I didn't just ask for a "discount.” I presented the data and asked them to bridge the gap between their premium service and the market rate for materials.

Additionally, and this is critical, I told the sales manager if he met me close to my number, I was ready to close. Immediately. After you ask for an adjustment to the offer, being ready to sign helps you “close” to get the total compensation package you’re seeking.

Now, as an entry-level candidate, you might feel like you have no right to negotiate. You might think: I'm just lucky to be here. However, even if you don't have a second offer, you can use an LLM to "redline" your contract against current industry standards.

To reach an additional 10k on your initial offer, use this prompt, which is designed to help you find leverage even if this is your only offer:

"I am an entry-level Data Engineer who just received my first job offer. I am going to paste the details of this offer below."

Persona: Act as a Career Mentor.

1. Based on current 2026 market data for [City/Remote], identify any areas where this offer is in the bottom 25th percentile.
2. Look for 'hidden' value gaps, such as a lack of professional development budget or a restrictive vesting schedule.
3. Draft a polite 'Discovery Email' to the recruiter. Instead of demanding more money, ask for clarification on the [Low Percentile Area] and mention that you are looking for a total package that reflects the long-term architectural value you plan to build for the team."

When you bring data to the table, you elevate yourself from a “junior” engineer and demonstrate you’re a shrewd professional.

Even before your first day, you’re finding creative solutions and playing the “corporate game” like you’ve been working for the company for years.

Remember: A company’s first offer is rarely their best; it’s just the most they hope you’ll accept.

To get you out of that "imposter" mindset, I recounted my experience ending an interview because of a bad initial offer.

Thanks for ingesting,

-Zach Quinn

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