# Offer Stage — Elaboration

## Criteria Guidance

### Good criteria — concrete and verifiable

- "Compensation analysis benchmarks the candidate against internal equity bands and external market data with documented rationale for positioning"
- "Offer letter includes all material terms: base, bonus, equity, start date, and any negotiated accommodations"
- "Contingency plan documents fallback candidates and timeline if the primary candidate declines"

### Bad criteria — vague (no clear check)

- "Offer is sent"
- "Compensation is fair"
- "Candidate accepted"

