<i>"Recruiters and hiring managers like to present an offer in terms of “your total compensation package” or “total comp” because that number is usually quite a bit bigger than the base salary. It often includes target bonuses, stock options, etc. I recommend ignoring target bonuses or stock options when you negotiate your salary because the real value of those things is often unknowable."</i><p>This actually sounds like bad advice for most companies I've worked with. Many financial companies offer contract-guaranteed 1st year bonus amounts, and there's a strong expectation that in future years, if you're doing even a reasonable job, your successive bonuses will keep growing higher. In big tech firms like Google/FB, you get a guaranteed number of RSUs that vest over 4 years, which sets a floor on your yearly bonuses for at least the first 4 years. For senior employees, this bonus can be just as big as the salary itself.<p>Ultimately, the only number that matters is how much money you're going to get. Whether this money comes in the form of salary, cash bonus, or RSUs, is mostly irrelevant. It's good to be cynical about any unwritten promises the recruiter gives you. But going to the other extreme and optimizing for base salary, instead of total-comp, is a classic case of optimizing for the wrong metric.