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Example Role Play Exercise

Purpose

This structured role-play exercise helps PhDs practice and refine their negotiation skills in a low-stakes environment before engaging in actual job offer negotiations. The simulation provides realistic scenarios that address common challenges PhDs face when transitioning from academia to industry.

Instructions

Setup

  1. This exercise can be conducted with a friend or colleague playing the employer role, or using an LLM as your negotiation partner.
  2. Choose one of the scenarios below based on your career interests.
  3. Review the context, your objectives, and the employer's perspective.
  4. Conduct the role-play conversation for 15-20 minutes.
  5. Analyze your performance using the assessment criteria.

Scenario 1: Research Scientist Position at a Biotech Startup

Context

You've received an offer for a Research Scientist position at GeneTherapy Innovations, a Series B biotech startup with 75 employees. The initial offer includes:

  • Base salary: $95,000
  • Annual bonus target: 10% of base salary
  • Stock options: 5,000 shares (vesting over 4 years)
  • Standard benefits package
  • 15 days PTO
  • Relocation assistance: $3,000
  • Start date in 4 weeks

Your research indicates that comparable positions in your area pay $105,000-$120,000 with 15-20% bonus potential. You're also concerned about the limited PTO and would prefer at least 3 months before starting to finish your current projects.

Your Objectives

  • Increase base salary to at least $110,000
  • Improve bonus structure to 15%+
  • Increase stock options
  • Negotiate for 20+ days PTO
  • Extend start date by at least 2 months
  • Maintain positive relationship with future employer

Employer Perspective (for your partner or LLM)

As the hiring manager, you're excited about this candidate's expertise but have budget constraints. Your priorities are:

  • Keeping base salary increases minimal (budget allows up to $105,000)
  • Maintaining standard benefits for equity among team members
  • Getting the candidate started ASAP due to project timelines
  • You have more flexibility on stock options and can potentially double the initial offer
  • You can be somewhat flexible on start date but need them to begin within 6 weeks

Scenario 2: Data Scientist Position at a Tech Company

Context

You've received an offer for a Data Scientist position at TechAnalytics, a mid-sized tech company with 500 employees. The initial offer includes:

  • Base salary: $115,000
  • Annual bonus target: 12% of base salary
  • No equity
  • Standard benefits package
  • 18 days PTO
  • Hybrid work schedule (3 days in office/2 days remote)
  • Professional development budget: $1,500/year
  • Start date in 3 weeks

Your research indicates that comparable positions in your area pay $125,000-$140,000 with similar bonus structures. You're particularly interested in additional remote work flexibility and a higher professional development budget to attend conferences related to your research expertise.

Your Objectives

  • Increase base salary to at least $130,000
  • Add equity compensation
  • Negotiate for more remote work flexibility
  • Increase professional development budget to $5,000+
  • Extend start date by 4-6 weeks
  • Maintain positive relationship with future employer

Employer Perspective (for your partner or LLM)

As the hiring manager, you see great potential in this candidate but need to balance their requests with team norms. Your priorities are:

  • Base salary increases are possible (budget allows up to $125,000)
  • No equity is typically offered at this level, but a sign-on bonus is possible
  • In-office presence is important for team collaboration
  • Professional development budget can be adjusted based on specific plans
  • You need the position filled within 5 weeks maximum

LLM Prompt for Role-Play

Use the following prompt with your chosen LLM to initiate the role-play:



I'd like to practice negotiating a job offer I've received as a PhD transitioning to industry. Please role-play as the hiring manager, responding realistically to my negotiation attempts.

Scenario: I've received an offer for [position] at [company] with these terms:
- Base salary: [amount]
- Annual bonus: [percentage]
- [Other key offer elements]

I've researched that market rate for this position is [range] and I'd like to negotiate for a better package.

Please begin by congratulating me on the offer, briefly explaining why you're excited to have me join, then ask for my thoughts on the offer. Respond naturally to my negotiation points, sometimes showing flexibility and sometimes pushing back. Consider creating some unexpected challenges or counteroffers to help me practice handling difficult situations.

I'll begin by thanking you for the offer, then starting my negotiation.

Assessment Criteria

After completing the role-play, evaluate your performance on these dimensions:

  1. Preparation and Knowledge
    • How well did you understand the market value of the position?
    • Did you clearly prioritize your negotiation points?
    • Were you prepared with specific justifications for your requests?
  2. Communication Skills
    • Did you express appreciation while still advocating for yourself?
    • How clear were your counteroffers and requests?
    • Did you listen effectively and respond to the employer's concerns?
  3. Strategic Thinking
    • Did you effectively leverage your strengths and unique qualifications?
    • How well did you identify which items were more vs. less negotiable?
    • Did you make strategic tradeoffs between different components?
  4. Emotional Management
    • How well did you maintain composure during challenging moments?
    • Did you keep the conversation positive and collaborative?
    • Were you able to be assertive without becoming aggressive?
  5. Outcome Assessment
    • What did you successfully negotiate?
    • What did you concede and why?
    • How could you improve your approach next time?

Reflection Questions

  1. Which aspects of negotiation were most challenging for you?
  2. What surprised you about the process?
  3. How did your academic background influence your negotiation style?
  4. Which negotiation techniques were most effective?
  5. What will you do differently in an actual negotiation?

Sample Role-Play Dialogue

Hiring Manager: "Hi Dr. Chen, I'm thrilled to offer you the Research Scientist position at GeneTherapy Innovations! Your work on CRISPR applications for rare diseases is exactly the expertise we need for our upcoming projects. I've sent over our offer package - what are your thoughts?"

You: "Thank you for the offer, Dr. Smith. I'm excited about the possibility of joining GeneTherapy Innovations and contributing to your groundbreaking work. I've reviewed the offer carefully and while I'm enthusiastic about the role, I'd like to discuss a few aspects of the compensation package."

Hiring Manager: "I understand. What specific points would you like to discuss?"

You: "Based on my research of similar roles in the industry and considering my specialized expertise in gene editing technologies, I was hoping for a base salary closer to $115,000, which aligns better with market rates for someone with my qualifications."

Hiring Manager: "I appreciate you bringing this up. Your expertise is certainly valuable to us. While $115,000 exceeds our budget for this position, I might be able to go up to $105,000. Our compensation package also includes the bonus potential and stock options, which can add significant value over time."

You: "I understand your constraints and appreciate your flexibility on the base salary. The stock options are certainly attractive. Given the importance of this role to your upcoming projects, would it be possible to increase the stock option grant to 10,000 shares to help bridge the gap from my salary expectations?"

The dialogue would continue with discussions about PTO, start date, and other elements...

Remember, effective negotiation is a balance of assertiveness and collaboration. Focus on creating value for both sides rather than just claiming value for yourself.