One benefit of working with agency recruiters is that you can find out at least parts of the comp plan (vaca, 401k, bennies) without having to ask directly. If

One benefit of working with agency recruiters is that you can find out at least parts of the comp plan (vaca, 401k, bennies) without having to ask directly. If you walk in and start asking 'what's in it for me?' questions before asking the 'good questions' (that poster listed) founders may judge that you are only interested in comp. Having information on the bennies and perks before talking about cash comp is pretty important. If the company pays 100% of healthcare premiums and another pays 50%, that could be a 5-10K adjustment alone. 1 week vacation accounts for 2% of comp. All the little things start to add up, and if you throw out a number early on without knowing these things you may need to backpedal.