---name: Offer Comparison Analyzer description: Compare multiple job offers side-by-side with total compensation analysis

version: 2.0.0 author: Eric Andrade category: career risk: safe platforms: [github-copilot, claude-code, codex, opencode, gemini, antigravity, cursor, adal]

Offer Comparison Analyzer

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

Has multiple job offers to compare
Needs to evaluate total compensation
Wants to make a data-driven job decision
Is weighing different opportunities
Mentions: "compare offers", "multiple offers", "which job", "offer comparison", "deciding between jobs"

Core Capabilities

Compare total compensation across offers
Evaluate non-monetary factors
Create weighted decision frameworks
Calculate true offer value
Identify hidden costs and benefits
Guide the decision-making process

The Comparison Challenge

The Problem: Comparing offers is hard because:

Different compensation structures
Non-monetary factors matter
Hidden benefits and costs
Emotional factors cloud judgment
Information asymmetry

The Solution: Systematic comparison framework that considers:

Total compensation (not just salary)
Career growth potential
Work-life factors
Risk assessment
Personal values alignment

Total Compensation Calculator

Components to Include

Cash Compensation:

Base salary
Signing bonus (one-time)
Annual bonus (target %)
Commission (for sales roles)
Relocation assistance

Equity Compensation:

Stock options (value = current price - strike price)
RSUs (value = current price × shares)
Vesting schedule
Refresh grant expectations

Benefits Value:

Health insurance (employer contribution)
401(k) match
HSA/FSA contributions
Life/disability insurance
Other insurance benefits

Perks Value:

Vacation days (can assign $ value)
Remote work (saves commute costs)
Professional development budget
Equipment/office stipend
Meals, gym, etc.

Calculation Template

OFFER A - TOTAL COMPENSATION

CASH
Base Salary:                    $150,000
Signing Bonus (year 1 only):     $25,000
Target Bonus (15%):              $22,500
--------------------------------
Cash Compensation:              $197,500 (year 1)
                               $172,500 (ongoing)

EQUITY
RSU Grant: $200,000 over 4 years
Annual Value:                    $50,000
--------------------------------
Equity Compensation:             $50,000/year

BENEFITS
401(k) Match (4%):               $6,000
Health Insurance:                $15,000 (employer portion)
HSA Contribution:                 $1,000
--------------------------------
Benefits Value:                  $22,000/year

PERKS
Vacation: 20 days (vs 10 standard)
  Extra 10 days × ~$575/day:      $5,750 value
Remote Work Savings:              $3,000 (commute, lunch)
Professional Dev:                 $2,000 budget
--------------------------------
Perks Value:                     $10,750/year

TOTAL YEAR 1:        $280,250
TOTAL ONGOING:       $255,250/year

Side-by-Side Comparison Template

# OFFER COMPARISON

|                          | Company A | Company B | Notes |
|--------------------------|-----------|-----------|-------|
| **CASH**                 |           |           |       |
| Base Salary              | $150,000  | $160,000  | B +$10K |
| Signing Bonus            | $25,000   | $10,000   | A +$15K |
| Target Bonus             | 15%       | 10%       | A +$6.5K |
| **Cash Total (Yr 1)**    | $197,500  | $186,000  | A +$11.5K |
|                          |           |           |       |
| **EQUITY**               |           |           |       |
| Grant Value (4yr)        | $200,000  | $300,000  | B +$100K |
| Annual Equity            | $50,000   | $75,000   | B +$25K |
|                          |           |           |       |
| **BENEFITS**             |           |           |       |
| 401(k) Match             | 4%        | 6%        | B +$3.2K |
| Health Insurance         | Good      | Premium   | B better |
| PTO                      | 20 days   | Unlimited | Varies |
|                          |           |           |       |
| **TOTAL COMP (Yr 1)**    | $280,250  | $285,000  | B +$4.7K |
| **TOTAL COMP (Ongoing)** | $255,250  | $275,000  | B +$19.7K |

Non-Monetary Factor Framework

Career Growth (Weight: High)

Questions to Consider:

Which role offers more learning?
Which company/brand helps future job search?
Which has better promotion track?
Which offers more scope/responsibility?
Which manager will develop you more?

Scoring:

Company A: Growth Score
- Learning opportunity: 8/10
- Brand/resume value: 7/10
- Promotion potential: 6/10
- Scope: 8/10
Average: 7.25/10

Company B: Growth Score
- Learning opportunity: 7/10
- Brand/resume value: 9/10
- Promotion potential: 8/10
- Scope: 7/10
Average: 7.75/10

Work-Life Balance (Weight: Personal)

Factors:

Expected hours
Remote/hybrid flexibility
Vacation usage culture
On-call requirements
Travel requirements
Commute time

Team & Culture (Weight: High)

Factors:

Manager quality (crucial!)
Team health/dynamics
Company culture fit
DEI considerations
Company stability/growth
Values alignment

Risk Assessment (Weight: Medium)

Startup vs. Established:

Funding runway
Market position
Company trajectory
Equity risk (could be worth $0)

Questions:

What happens if company struggles?
How stable is this role?
What's the severance policy?

Weighted Decision Matrix

Step 1: Define Your Priorities

Factor                  Weight
------------------------------------
Total Compensation       25%
Career Growth            25%
Work-Life Balance        20%
Team & Culture           20%
Location/Commute         10%
------------------------------------
Total:                   100%

Step 2: Score Each Factor

                    Company A   Company B
Factor              Score (1-10)
------------------------------------
Compensation        7           8
Career Growth       7           8
Work-Life           8           6
Team & Culture      9           7
Location            8           5

Step 3: Calculate Weighted Score

Company A:
(7 × 0.25) + (7 × 0.25) + (8 × 0.20) + (9 × 0.20) + (8 × 0.10)
= 1.75 + 1.75 + 1.60 + 1.80 + 0.80
= 7.70

Company B:
(8 × 0.25) + (8 × 0.25) + (6 × 0.20) + (7 × 0.20) + (5 × 0.10)
= 2.00 + 2.00 + 1.20 + 1.40 + 0.50
= 7.10

Result: Company A scores higher (7.70 vs 7.10)

Red Flags to Watch

In the Offer

❌ Vague bonus language ("up to 20%")
❌ Equity with no liquidity path
❌ High base but no equity (at startup)
❌ Cliff longer than 1 year
❌ Vesting acceleration absent
❌ Non-compete restrictions
❌ Verbal promises not in writing

About the Company

❌ High turnover (check LinkedIn)
❌ Recent layoffs or reorgs
❌ Manager seems checked out
❌ Glassdoor patterns in bad reviews
❌ Funding concerns
❌ Unclear path to profitability

About the Role

❌ Vague responsibilities
❌ Role seems to change during interviews
❌ Red flags in why position is open
❌ No growth path discussed
❌ Unrealistic expectations set

Questions to Ask Yourself

The Gut Check

Which offer excites me more?
Which would I regret not taking?
Which aligns with my 5-year goals?
Which would I brag about to friends?

The Monday Morning Test

Which job do I want to wake up for?
Which team do I want to work with?
Which problems do I want to solve?

The Learning Test

Where will I grow more?
Which skills will I develop?
Which looks better on my resume in 3 years?

The Risk Test

What's the downside of each?
Which failure would I regret more?
What's my backup plan for each?

Progress Tracking

Display progress before each comparison phase:

[████░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░] 25% — Phase 1/4: Collecting Offer Details
[████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 50% — Phase 2/4: Calculating Total Compensation
[████████████░░░░░░░░] 75% — Phase 3/4: Scoring Against Priorities
[████████████████████] 100% — Phase 4/4: Delivering Recommendation

Output Format

When comparing offers:

# JOB OFFER COMPARISON

## Offers Being Compared
- **Offer A:** [Role] at [Company]
- **Offer B:** [Role] at [Company]

## Total Compensation Comparison

| Component | Offer A | Offer B | Difference |
|-----------|---------|---------|------------|
| Base | $X | $X | |
| Bonus | $X | $X | |
| Equity (annual) | $X | $X | |
| Benefits | $X | $X | |
| **Year 1 Total** | $X | $X | |
| **Ongoing Total** | $X | $X | |

## Non-Monetary Comparison

| Factor | Offer A | Offer B | Notes |
|--------|---------|---------|-------|
| Career Growth | X/10 | X/10 | |
| Work-Life | X/10 | X/10 | |
| Team/Culture | X/10 | X/10 | |
| Risk Level | X/10 | X/10 | |

## Weighted Analysis

Using your priorities:
- Offer A Score: X.XX
- Offer B Score: X.XX

## Key Differences
1. [Key difference 1]
2. [Key difference 2]
3. [Key difference 3]

## Recommendation

Based on your stated priorities of [X, Y, Z], **Offer [A/B]** appears to be the stronger choice because:
- [Reason 1]
- [Reason 2]
- [Reason 3]

## Things to Clarify Before Deciding
- [ ] [Question for Company A]
- [ ] [Question for Company B]

## Negotiation Opportunities
- [Opportunity 1]
- [Opportunity 2]

Error Handling

Error	Likely Cause	Action
Only one offer provided	User asks to compare but shares only one option	Proceed as single-offer analysis; ask if user has other offers or is considering staying in current role
Incomplete offer details	Missing salary, equity, or benefits information	Flag gaps explicitly; ask user to fill in what they know; estimate where possible and flag estimates
Non-standard equity structure	RSUs vs. options vs. profit sharing vs. warrants	Ask for clarification on equity type, cliff, vesting schedule, and last valuation
High uncertainty in startup equity	Private company with no known valuation	Calculate a range using conservative and optimistic scenarios; explain assumptions
Offers in different currencies	One offer in USD, another in EUR or BRL	Convert to common currency at current exchange rate; note exchange rate risk
Non-monetary factors hard to compare	Culture, commute, growth potential are subjective	Create scoring rubric with user-defined weights; let user rate each factor

Comparison Checklist

✅ Calculated total comp (not just base)
✅ Included equity with realistic valuation
✅ Factored in benefits value
✅ Considered tax implications
✅ Weighted non-monetary factors
✅ Assessed career growth potential
✅ Evaluated team and manager quality
✅ Checked company stability/risk
✅ Aligned with personal priorities
✅ Gut-checked the decision