Although the recent September job report was positive, the in-house market has not yet recovered. But even so, the Wall Street Journal reports signing bonuses are still possible. How can you do it?

1. You must ask. Always ask for a signing bonus, “even in a soft market.”
2. When to ask? 70% of those who got signing bonuses asked AFTER they got the offer.
3. How do you ask? Point out to the employer a critical skill you have that’s hard to find. WSJ lists things like AI and cybersecurity experience. My equally important add: you must ask nicely, like “Would you consider a sign-on of $X” with a good reason, like you are leaving money behind, whether it’s equity or an upcoming bonus or raise.

So why would a company consider a sign-on in this market? I agree with the WSJ article that a company trying to recruit you has put in a lot of time and money and doesn’t want to lose you at the end. And (I often see this) if an employer can give you more money via a sign-on, they can close  you in a way that won’t upset the current pay structure of their existing team.