First Offer: A 3-Month Career Program for University Students

1. Program Introduction & Benefits

Program Essence: "First Offer" is a 3-month, experiential career program designed to transform university students from anxious job seekers into confident negotiators. Based on world-class negotiation frameworks, the program moves beyond theoretical knowledge to build practical, applicable skills. Through a structured progression of self-assessment, market research, simulated role-plays, and guided reflection, students learn to systematically evaluate and negotiate their first professional job offer. The core methodology prioritizes active, hands-on learning—adapting the 70-20-10 rule—where 70% of the experience is dedicated to practice and simulation, 20% to peer and mentor feedback, and 10% to foundational instruction.

Strategic Benefits for Students:

• Build Unshakeable Confidence: Mitigate negotiation anxiety and fear of rejection through progressive, low-stakes practice in a supportive peer environment, transforming a daunting conversation into a manageable professional skill.
• Maximize Career Launch Value: Gain the ability to accurately assess total compensation packages, identify personal and market-based BATNAs (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement), and negotiate for improved salary, benefits, and role conditions, leading to a stronger start to one's career.
• Develop a Critical Professional Skill: Master a structured, strategic approach to negotiation—including preparation, communication, and tactics—that is applicable not only to job offers but to a wide range of future professional and personal scenarios.
• Make Informed, Rational Decisions: Overcome emotional and impulsive decision-making by learning to identify psychological biases, establish clear walk-away points, and utilize analytical tools like ZOPA (Zone of Possible Agreement) to navigate offer discussions logically.
• Create a Personal Negotiation Playbook: Graduate with a customized, actionable guide that documents personal value, strategies, scripts, and reflections, ready for immediate use in real-world job offer scenarios.

2. Program Expansion Strategy

Evaluation: The primary program goal is "Gain the skill to evaluate and negotiate the first job offer." While the core program is built on peer-based simulations and feedback (the 20% in the 70-20-10 model), a supplemental Mentorship layer would significantly enhance outcomes by providing personalized guidance, industry-specific context, and accountability.

Value of Adding Mentorship: University students often lack professional networks and real-world context. Adding mentors—alumni or early-career professionals—bridges this gap. Mentors can provide:

• Industry-Specific Insight: Context on realistic salary bands, company cultures, and negotiation norms within specific fields.
• Personalized Strategy Coaching: One-on-one feedback on a student's personal BATNA, negotiation approach, and communication style.
• Accountability and Encouragement: Support to complete program milestones and boost confidence before real negotiations.

Implementation Note: Integrate a "Mentor Connect" component in Weeks 4-11. Students are matched with a mentor based on career interest. Structure includes: 1) an introductory session after Module 1, 2) a strategy review session before the Week 9 mock negotiations, and 3) a final playbook review in Week 11. Utilize simplified mentorship software (see Approved Tools) to manage matching, scheduling, and provide conversation guides aligned with program modules.

3. Implementation Roadmap

Launch Phase (Pre-Program to Week 1)

1. Program Marketing & Recruitment: Target university career centers, student clubs, and alumni networks. Messaging focuses on "Don't just accept your first offer—shape it."
2. Participant Onboarding: Conduct a pre-program survey assessing baseline knowledge, confidence levels, and career interests. Distribute pre-work (e.g., introductory articles on negotiation myths).
3. Cohort Formation & Tech Setup: Create cohort groups (15-20 students) for peer support. Enroll all participants in the selected Learning Management System (LMS) and set up communication channels.
4. Mentor Recruitment & Training: Recruit alumni mentors. Provide a 90-minute virtual training on the program framework, their role, and effective feedback techniques.

Tracking & Operations (Weekly During Program)

• Weekly Cadence: Release module content (videos, readings) every Monday. Schedule live virtual workshops for Wednesdays/Thursdays (e.g., facilitator-led role-play sessions). Assign peer feedback exercises via the LMS.
• Progress Monitoring: Use the LMS dashboard to track completion of quizzes, submission of reflection journals, and participation in forums.
• Mentorship Coordination: Send automated reminders for mentor/mentee meetings. Provide session checklists to guide conversations.
• Facilitator Check-Ins: Bi-weekly sync with program facilitators to address cohort challenges and adapt simulation scenarios as needed.

Success Measurement

• Quantitative KPIs:
  • Knowledge Gain: Average score increase of ≥30% from pre-program to post-program quiz on BATNA/ZOPA/core concepts.
  • Skill Application: ≥80% of participants achieve a score of 75% or higher on the final mock negotiation rubric.
  • Behavioral Change: ≥75% of participants complete a personalized negotiation playbook.
  • Program Completion: Achieve an 85% program graduation rate (defined as completing all major milestones).
• Qualitative Feedback Mechanisms:
  • Weekly Reflection Journals: Submitted via LMS to track evolving confidence and understanding.
  • Mid-Point Survey (Week 6): Gauges comfort with evaluation skills and clarity of content.
  • Final Exit Survey & Net Promoter Score (NPS): Measures overall satisfaction and likelihood to recommend the program. Target NPS ≥ 8.
  • Mentor Feedback: Post-program survey to assess student engagement and gather insights for improvement.

4. Approved Tools List

• Learning Management System (LMS): Primary Tool. This is non-negotiable for delivering structured content (videos, readings), hosting quizzes, collecting assignment submissions (reflection journals, playbooks), and tracking participant progress/completion. It centralizes all learning materials.
• Mentorship Software: Secondary Tool (for expanded strategy). Justified to efficiently manage the mentor-mentee matching process (based on industry), schedule meetings, provide structured conversation guides, and log interactions. This adds scalability and structure to the supplemental mentorship layer.
• Internal Social Network: Supporting Tool. Justified to foster community within and across cohorts. A dedicated program group allows for peer-to-peer questions, sharing of resources (e.g., salary research links), and general support, enhancing the collaborative "20%" of the learning model.

(Note: Coaching Software, ERG Program Software, Personality Tests, and Onboarding Platforms are less relevant. The core activity is structured, cohort-based learning with peer/mentor feedback, not 1:1 professional coaching. An LMS handles onboarding.)

5. Resource & Content Library

General Program Content

Module 1: Job Offer Evaluation Fundamentals

• Video: "Decoding the Offer Letter: Salary, Equity, Benefits, and Red Flags"
• Interactive Guide: "How to Research Your Market Value: Tools and Databases"
• Worksheet: "BATNA & ZOPA Analysis for Your Target Role"
• Article: "5 Psychological Biases That Sabotage Your First Job Decision"

Module 2: Preparation and Strategy Development

• Video Lecture: "From Interests to Anchors: Building Your Negotiation Strategy"
• Template: "Negotiation Preparation Canvas" (Mapping interests, constraints, priorities)
• Case Study Packet: "Evaluating Two Competing Offers in Different Industries"
• Briefing: "Cultural and Contextual Factors in Negotiation"

Module 3: Negotiation Skills and Tactics

• Video Demonstrations: "Effective Opening, Framing, and Responding to Objections"
• Library of Role-Play Scenarios: (e.g., "Negotiating a Higher Base Salary," "Asking for a Remote Work Stipend")
• Peer Feedback Form: Structured rubric for evaluating role-play performance.
• Quick Reference: "Tactical Phrases and What They Mean"

Module 4: Advanced Application and Reflection

• Capstone Simulation: "The Full-Cycle Negotiation" (Integrating all skills)
• Template: "My Personal Negotiation Playbook"
• Guide: "Post-Negotiation Review and Relationship Management"
• Webinar Recording: "From Simulation to Reality: Alumni Stories"

Supplemental Mentoring Content Table

To support mentors in guiding students toward the primary goal of evaluating and negotiating a job offer, the following soft skills and conversation guides are recommended.

Mentoring Session Focus	Key Soft Skills for Mentors	Discussion Prompts & Resources for Mentors
Initial Connection & Goal Setting (Week 4)	Active Listening, Building Rapport	"What are your top career interests and anxieties about the job search?" "Let's review your initial BATNA worksheet together."
Strategy Review & Role-Play Prep (Week 8)	Constructive Feedback, Strategic Questioning	"Walk me through your strategy for the upcoming mock negotiation. What's your anchor point?" "How can you frame your ask based on your research?"
Playbook Review & Confidence Boost (Week 11)	Encouragement, Accountability	"Review the student's draft Negotiation Playbook. Does it feel actionable?" "What is one thing that would make you feel more confident walking into a real negotiation?"
General Support	Empathy, Sharing Experience	Share a brief, relevant personal story about a early-career negotiation or learning experience. Normalize the process.