Post by Shreya Mehta 🚀

Someone I worked with got an offer at a FAANG company for $170K. I told her to say no. Her family thought I was crazy. Her friends had already started congratulating her on LinkedIn before she'd even signed the paperwork. Who turns down a FAANG offer at $170K? Here's the thing most candidates don't realize: The number on an offer letter is not the number in your bank account. A brand name on your LinkedIn is not the same as a career move. An exciting title is not the same as an exciting role. There were 4 specific red flags in her offer, things that looked fine on the surface but were signaling something much bigger underneath.  Most candidates would have missed all of them. She almost did too. She turned it down. Spent two weeks second-guessing the decision. Almost called the recruiter back three separate times. 3 months later, she signed an offer somewhere else. Same base. Better bonus structure. Meaningful equity in a company actually growing. Higher scope.  A hiring manager who could clearly articulate what success looked like in 6 months. Total comp: $185K. In this week's newsletter, I broke down: → The 4 red flags I spotted in her $170K offer that most candidates would have missed. → Why the top-line number is almost always the wrong lens for evaluating an offer. → The one question that separates a role you'll grow in from a role that will quietly stall your career. If you have an offer coming in, or you're evaluating one right now, this one is for you. Subscribe to Get Hired with Shreya Mehta 🚀 for weekly insights on how to land interviews and offers in this market.