College Experiences That Helped a Founder at YourNegotiations.com Succeed
A STEM major, specifically mathematics, provided the foundation for Gerta's career success by instilling "first principles thinking," a logical approach that informs their negotiation strategies, such as recommending job candidates only negotiate after receiving a written offer because "there's only one written offer that goes out," signifying preferred candidate status and maximizing negotiation leverage. This deductive reasoning, honed through a STEM education, is central to the methodology of YourNegotiations.com.
Negotiation, STEM, Problem-Solving, Analytical Thinking, First Principles
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Gerta Malaj
Founder
YourNegotiations.com
Wellesley College
MIT
Mathematics, Data Science, Statistics
Coaching, Speaking & Writing
Entrepreneurship and Business Owner
International Student, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. Majoring in a STEM field (math or computer science) cultivates first-principles thinking, enabling data-driven decision-making and logical problem-solving in career choices and negotiations.
2. Negotiating job offers only after receiving a written offer is a strategic approach based on the fact that only one written offer exists for each open position, ensuring the candidate's preferred status.
3. A STEM education provides a foundation for strong analytical and logical reasoning skills, leading to confident and effective negotiation strategies in professional settings.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
The number one thing that set me up for success was my STEM major. I majored in math.
If I had to do it again, I might have majored in computer science, as it gives you more tools to build. But nonetheless, I'm very grateful for that STEM education. Math and STEM in general help you think from first principles. Your thinking is deduced from things that are as true as possible.
So when I make decisions now in my business, or even when I consult people on how to do their negotiations, I do them off of first principles. When I make a recommendation, I have so much confidence because I deduced it from things that are true.
I can give you an example to make this clearer. When I consult people for job offers, I recommend that they do not negotiate until they get a written offer.
The logic is that for every open seat in a company, there is only one written offer that goes out. If there's more than one, two people would be signing for the same open seat, which is illegal.
Because there's only one written offer that goes out, if you get that written offer, it means you are the absolute preferred candidate. This is how you know the team loves you more than anyone else. They've invested time in you, and they've aligned with leadership, peers, the hiring manager, recruiters, and HR.
Now you have more security to negotiate from that point, rather than earlier. Earlier, you don't know for a fact. Now, you definitely know.
When you're negotiating, the risk of your offer being rescinded just because you're negotiating is as low as it gets. The chances of you getting what you want are as high as they get. There are higher chances if you get another offer.
All of this, I came up with just based on first principle thinking. No one taught me this; I was just thinking through it. If there's only one written offer, and they give it to you, that means you're the preferred candidate, so you should negotiate after getting a written offer. This has been truly life-changing.
Having this logical thinking, which I trained through my math major, and other STEM fields are also very logical. That's why I highly recommend STEM degrees to everyone I meet.