Imagine you’re selling your house.
You list it for $600,000. Someone tours it, loves it, and makes an offer.
You accept!
Then the buyer says, “Great. One more thing. I’d actually like to pay $550,000.”
Um.
That’s not a particularly compelling negotiation strategy.
Yet, this is essentially how some people approach salary negotiation.
They get an offer, celebrate for 14 seconds, and then announce:
“I was hoping for $15,000 more.”
Why?
Because they want $15,000 more.
That’s understandable, but wanting more money isn’t an argument for getting more money.
Salary negotiation works better when you approach it the same way you approached the interview: understand the person on the other side, understand what matters to them, and connect what you’re asking for to the value you provide.
First: Celebrate!
You got an offer!
This company just spent weeks sorting through applicants, interviewing candidates, discussing qualifications, and figuring out whom to hire.
They picked you.
That’s important because the dynamic has changed.
Earlier in the process, you were one of several candidates they were considering. Now they’ve decided they want you.
That doesn’t mean you suddenly have unlimited negotiating power, but it does mean you have some leverage.
So, please don’t panic at the thought of negotiating.
Research suggests candidates may perceive negotiating as considerably riskier than hiring managers do. SHRM’s compensation resources consistently frame salary negotiation as a normal, expected part of the hiring process from the employer’s side, not an adversarial act. A professional, reasonable negotiation is a normal part of the hiring process.
You aren’t being difficult.
You’re having a business conversation.
Don’t Say Yes Immediately
Getting an offer is exciting, particularly after a long job search.
You may want to scream, “YES! WHEN DO I START?”
Resist.
Thank them. Express your enthusiasm. Then ask for the complete offer in writing and some reasonable time to review it.
You need to understand what you’re being offered before deciding whether to negotiate it.
And salary is only one piece.
Look at the whole package: base salary, bonus structure, equity if applicable, retirement contributions, insurance costs, paid time off, remote or hybrid arrangements, schedule flexibility, professional development, and anything else that’s important to you.
A $150,000 offer isn’t automatically better than a $145,000 offer.
What does each package actually provide?
Know What You’re Worth Before You Negotiate
Please don’t pick your counteroffer because it sounds nice.
Research the market.
What do similar roles pay in this location and industry? How does company size affect compensation? How does your level of experience compare? Do you have specialized expertise that’s particularly difficult to find?
Ideally, you’ve done some of this work before the offer arrives.
Then look at the job itself.
What are they actually asking this person to do?
Maybe the title sounds like a $120,000 job, but after interviewing, you’ve discovered you’ll be responsible for functions typically split between two roles. Maybe you’ll manage a larger team than the job description suggested. Maybe the company’s biggest priority happens to be an area where you have unusually deep expertise.
That information matters.
Remember what we’ve been doing throughout this entire interview series?
Understanding what they need.
Don’t stop now.
Make a Case, Not a Demand
Suppose they offer you $125,000 and you’d like $140,000.
You could say:
“I was really hoping for $140,000.”
Okay.
But why should they pay you $140,000?
Instead, connect the request to the information you’ve gathered throughout the interview process.
You might say:
“I’m really excited about the opportunity, particularly after learning more about the team’s plans to expand into the healthcare market. Based on the scope of the role, the market range I’ve researched for comparable positions, and my experience building the healthcare vertical at ABC Company, I was hoping we could get closer to $140,000. Is there flexibility in the base salary?”
Now you’ve given them something to work with.
You haven’t made the conversation combative. You haven’t threatened to walk away. You haven’t explained that your mortgage is expensive or that you’d really like to renovate your kitchen.
You’ve made a business case.
Here’s what the role requires. Here’s the value I bring. Here’s the market information. Here’s what I’m asking.
Then stop talking.
Let them respond.
Your Personal Expenses Aren’t Their Compensation Strategy
This one deserves special attention.
Your employer does not determine your salary based on how much money you need.
Your rent may have increased.
Childcare may cost a fortune.
You may be moving to a more expensive city.
You may really, really want to buy a house.
All of those things are legitimate considerations when you decide whether the compensation works for you.
They’re generally not persuasive reasons for an employer to increase the offer.
Keep the negotiation focused on the role, the market, your experience, and the value you can provide.
This is another version of the me-to-you shift.
“I need more money” is about you.
“The scope of this position and the relevant value I bring support a higher number” gives the employer a business reason to consider your request.
What If They Say No?
They might.
Sometimes there’s more money available.
Sometimes there isn’t.
A company may have salary bands, internal equity considerations, budget limitations, or policies that make the base salary difficult to change.
Don’t immediately assume the negotiation is over.
Get curious.
If they can’t move on base salary, what can they move on?
Could there be a signing bonus?
A performance bonus?
Additional PTO?
A professional-development budget?
A different title?
Remote or hybrid flexibility?
An earlier compensation review?
Equity?
The things worth negotiating will depend heavily on the company and the role. A startup, a university, a government agency, and a Fortune 500 company may have very different degrees of flexibility.
That’s why salary negotiation shouldn’t be approached as:
I say a number. You say a number. We meet somewhere in the middle.
You’re trying to understand what’s possible and build a package that works for both sides.
Know What Matters Before You Start Negotiating
Here’s where people can accidentally negotiate against themselves.
Before the conversation, decide what actually matters to you.
Maybe another $5,000 in salary would be nice, but working remotely three days a week would dramatically improve your life.
Maybe you care much more about four weeks of PTO than a signing bonus.
Maybe you’re joining a startup and equity matters significantly.
Maybe the salary is perfectly acceptable, but you’d like the company to pay for a certification that will cost several thousand dollars.
Know your priorities.
Don’t negotiate seven things simply because someone on TikTok told you that everything is negotiable.
You’re trying to improve the offer in ways that genuinely matter to you while preserving a positive relationship with people you’re about to work with.
Make Your Requests Together
If you have several things you’d like to discuss, don’t negotiate them one at a time like you’re ordering tapas.
Imagine the employer increases the salary.
“Great! Now I’d like another week of PTO.”
They agree.
“Wonderful! One more thing. I’d like a signing bonus.”
At some point, the person on the other end may start wondering when this will end.
Instead, look at the offer as a whole, identify the items you want to discuss, and bring them into the conversation together.
This gives the employer a better understanding of what you’re trying to accomplish and can create room for trade-offs.
Maybe they can’t get anywhere near your preferred salary, but they can offer you additional PTO and a signing bonus.
Now you have information you can actually use to make a decision.
Don’t Bluff
Please don’t invent another offer.
Don’t claim you’re prepared to walk away unless you’re actually prepared to walk away.
Don’t manufacture competing deadlines.
Negotiation isn’t poker.
You’re potentially talking to your future boss or colleagues. You want to start the relationship with credibility.
You can be enthusiastic about the job and still advocate for yourself.
In fact, those two ideas work beautifully together:
“I’m really excited about this opportunity, and I’d like to see whether we can get the package to a place that works for both of us.”
That’s a negotiation.
Not a hostage situation.
Know When You’re Done
At some point, they’ve given you their best offer.
Now you need to make a decision.
Is the compensation enough?
Does the role move your career in the direction you want?
Will you learn something valuable?
Do you like the people?
Does the environment fit the way you work?
Are the expectations reasonable?
What will this opportunity make possible in two or three years?
Money matters tremendously, but your next job is more than a paycheck.
Similarly, don’t accept a job you already resent because you “won” another $7,000 in negotiation.
The goal isn’t to beat the company.
The goal is to reach an agreement that excites you to join and excites them that you’re coming.
Deciding Whether to Say Yes Goes Beyond the Number
That list of questions above is really the same evaluation worth running before you even apply, not just before you accept. If you’re weighing whether a role is genuinely right for you, it’s worth asking that question directly the same honesty that helps you decide whether to apply in the first place is exactly what helps you decide whether to say yes at the end.
Remember the House?
Our buyer didn’t make a compelling argument when they said, “I’d like to pay $50,000 less.”
But imagine they came back with comparable home sales, inspection information, and a reasonable explanation for their counteroffer.
You still might say no.
But now you’re having a legitimate negotiation.
Approach your salary the same way.
Research the market. Understand the complete offer. Know what matters to you. Connect your request to the scope of the role and the value you provide. Ask what’s flexible when something isn’t. Be reasonable, be credible, and remember that you’re negotiating with people you may soon work alongside.
Most importantly, don’t abandon the mindset that helped you get the offer in the first place.
Throughout the interview, you worked to understand what they needed and demonstrate how you could help.
Now you’re simply figuring out what you need from them to make the relationship work, too.
That’s not greedy.
That’s good business.
Need Help Navigating an Offer?
I’m Kyla Duffy, a career coach and professional resume writer. Learn more about working with Nail Job Interviews and me at kyladuffy.com. You can find more strategies like this one on the blog.
