• Offboard
  • Posts
  • The Art of Saying Nothing: Keeping Your Negotiation Leverage

The Art of Saying Nothing: Keeping Your Negotiation Leverage

Recruiter deflection tactics, Walmart layoffs, R&D job drops, and 3 new tools to level up your search.

May 29, 2025

In partnership with

👋 Welcome, Jobseekers

"Your reputation is the only magnet strong enough to make them come to you."

This week’s vibe? Say less, earn more.

We’re breaking down the quiet power move that can make or break your offer—plus fresh layoff intel, a shakeup in science jobs, and three tools to sharpen your edge. Let’s get after it.

  • 📉 Layoff Report: Walmart Eliminates ~ 1,500 Jobs on Its Technology Team 

  • 🧑‍✈️ Career CoPilot: The Art of Saying Nothing: Keeping Your Negotiation Leverage

  • 📈 Trends & Data: Science Is Getting Laid Off - R&D postings have dropped 18%

  • 🔧 Jobseeker Tools: Code Signal, Resume Genius, Yoodli AI Interview Prep

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

  1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

  2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

  3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

The Art of Saying Nothing: Keeping Your Negotiation Leverage

This week we held our inaugural community event on Zoom where we had the co-founders of YourNegotiations.com come on and they gave an action-packed presentation of their core negotiation principles followed by a Q&A.

A common thread that stood out to me and seemed to permeate throughout the presentation was to not show your cards, especially early on, so you don’t unknowingly give away your leverage. That concept seemed like a good one to dive into this week, so let’s go!

Recruiters are trained to gather intel they can use later to anchor you low. Your job on that first outreach is to be polite, curious, and radically short-on-details. Protect your leverage early and you’ll have more room to maneuver when real numbers hit the table.

Why silence pays

  • Anchors win negotiations. The first hard number usually sets the playing field. If they don’t have yours, you’ve denied them an anchor.

  • Info is one-way ammunition. Every data point you share—current pay, competing offers, start-date urgency—helps them design the cheapest acceptable package.

  • Scarcity looks valuable. Mystery around your expectations signals confidence. Recruiters read it as “They probably have other irons in the fire.”

What they might ask (and how to glide past)

Recruiter Probe

Your Low-Info Response

“What’s your current salary?”

“I’m focused on finding the right role and total fit. Happy to discuss compensation once we both know more about responsibilities.”

“Any competing offers we should know about?”

“I’m in a few confidential conversations. Timing depends on mutual fit rather than a set deadline.”

“What range are you targeting?”

“I trust your team has a range for this level. Let’s be sure the role is aligned first, then we can see if comp lines up.”

(Copy-paste-able. Practice them aloud so they feel natural.)

Three ground rules

  1. Flip the script. Ask clarifying questions instead of answering theirs. Duties? Team size? Success metrics? Make them do the talking.

  2. Use vague timeframes. “In the next month or so” buys flexibility without lying.

  3. Take notes, not positions. Jot down every hint they give on pay bands, benefits, or urgency. That becomes your ammo later.

Looking for more tips?

These tips just scratch the surface of negotiating effectively during the interview process. If you’re looking for more, you won’t find better coaches than Alex and Gerta with YourNegotiations.com. You can check out their site, or book a free call directly with Alex.

🧑‍🔬 Science Is Getting Laid Off - R&D postings have dropped 18%

Overview:

Research jobs are getting crushed—and Washington D.C. is feeling the squeeze. Real-time data from Indeed paints a sharp picture: changing federal policies are already making waves in the job market.

The Details:

  • 🔬 Scientific R&D postings have dropped 18% since Jan 20 — now 27% below pre-pandemic levels.

  • 🏛️ Washington D.C. job postings are down 17% since January, and now sit 32% below pre-pandemic norms.

    • Biggest D.C. declines:

      • Administrative assistance: -21.3%

      • Human resources: -20%

      • Accounting: -18%

  • 🛠️ Construction, manufacturing, and hospitality jobs are holding steady — for now — despite looming risks from trade and immigration shifts.

  • 💼 R&D consulting roles like enterprise architect and data collector saw the steepest cuts, showing the ripple effects of reduced federal contracts across private-sector employers.

  • 🧠 87% of R&D posting drops occurred outside the D.C. metro area — hitting California, Pennsylvania, and Texas hard.

Why It Matters:

This isn’t just a D.C. problem — it’s a sneak peek at a broader contraction in federally funded work. If you’re in research, consulting, or admin-heavy roles, this could be the canary in the coal mine. The resilience in blue-collar fields may offer a temporary buffer, but the cuts in innovation-focused roles could bottleneck future economic growth. If you're job hunting, be mindful of your industry’s exposure to federal spending—and consider pivoting to sectors less sensitive to sudden political headwinds.

Code Signal

Whether you want to level up your skills or build a great team, CodeSignal’s AI-native skills assessments and learning tools get you where you need to go.

Resume Genius

Make your professional resume in minutes

Try our free resume builder and create a resume with the power of AI. Let the Genius resume maker help build your resume quickly and effortlessly.

Yoodli AI Interview Prep

AI Interview Coach

Practice interview questions and get real-time feedback from your private and judgment-free AI Interview Coach

Reply

or to participate.