Negotiation 😱
You may have already tensed up just from that word.
You've probably read a ton of resources on it already.
But when it comes down to actually doing it, like me, you end up sifting through all your past saved resources, taking phrases from one book or article and wording from another. Just winging it.
No more! This guide will succinctly take you through the beginning of the process all the way to the end. We'll handle edge cases and what to do when things go wrong at each step of the way.
Through that, you'll learn how you can potentially 1.5x your salary through proper negotiation, even without competing offers (and yes, I do have proof of this happening).
⭐️ Main takeaways
A mindset to relieve stress from the negotiation
How to increase your salary even without competing offers and the exact wording you can use
Personally vetted bonus resources
❗️"What are your salary expectations?"
The dreaded question. The negotiation actually begins here.
This question is super frustrating but handling it well can really set you up for success.
How to respond
"Yeah, I have some thoughts around it but I was actually wondering what the salary range for the position is?"
Most states are required by law to tell you now, and I've never had a recruiter decline to share this.
After getting the range
If the top of the range is lower than you were hoping, be honest and tell them.
"I see. I actually had a number in mind that was higher than the top of the range. Do you think there would be additional flexibility?"
Otherwise, it was matching or it exceeded your expectations. You can say…
"Cool, that's within what I was thinking. I was leaning toward { top end of the range }."
The truth is, recruiters just want to know if this will be a waste of time based on your expectations. That's why they ask you.
However, they often "double dip" and try to get you to give a number first rather than offering their range. But when you ask for the range in response, it's almost certain they will tell you.
If they don't give a range
I've never had this happen, but if they're refusing to give a range, you can…
Ask for them to map the position to a FANG company
This works because you have more data on FANG companies. If they say it matches an L5 at a FANG then you can expect something in that range.
Give a HIGH anchor salary
Do this when you have a rough idea of their salary range and you know that the number you give will be just barely above the top of their range.
Delay the conversation
"I'd like to wait on sharing my salary expectations until I have more discussions with the team about the role expectations."
💭 Mindset for the final negotiation
Negotiation can be stressful just thinking about it.
I think the top 3 reasons for this are that we worry about…
Losing the offer
Coming off as greedy
Not knowing what to say
Here's what I've found helpful to get past these worries.
Losing the offer: Approach the conversation with a collaborative mindset. Imagine you are chatting with a friend. It's not like the movies. It's a conversation, not a negotiation.
Coming off as greedy: Understand that the recruiter is on your side in that they want you to accept an offer. It's their job to help you feel comfortable doing it. Asking for more increases your perceived value and helps you gain respect. Finally, if you have a genuine personal reason like student loans, medical bills, wanting to buy a house, needing to take care of kids, etc. you can be honest about this to come off as less greedy.
Not knowing what to say: This article contains over 10 examples of how to phrase things. But in general, if you approach it with collaboration and empathy first, it will come naturally.
💸 How you can get a better offer
You've got the offer and you're ready to talk to the recruiter.
📞 Phone or ✉️ email?
Between the two, I'd recommend chatting on the phone instead of email for 2 reasons.
Text in email can often come across less personal. It can put you two on opposite sides of the table. Chatting on the phone brings personability into it and will make it more collaborative.
Chatting on the phone will help build your skills in the long term for these types of conversations.
Regardless, it's better to negotiate than not at all. So you can't go wrong!
The below advice will apply to either choice.
Starting off the conversation
The start of the conversation is the most important.
It sets the tone and can get the recruiter on your side.
You want to make the conversation as collaborative as possible. It's just a conversation with a friend.
Here's how:
Do some small talk initially. Ask how they are and see if you can find a common interest in what they bring up to talk about for 30 seconds - 1 minute.
Once you move to business talk, express happiness with the process led by the recruiter and the company.
"I wanted to thank you again for all your help through this process and for building a great experience for me as I met the team (this makes the recruiter feel great). I'm super excited about the opportunity to work with everyone (this shows your happiness with the company)."
You can say any variation of this that makes you feel comfortable.
That's it! Now we get into the ask.
When you don't have other offers
Too often I see advice saying that unless you have other offers, you can't negotiate. This is plain wrong.
Just by receiving an offer, you have leverage. Here's how:
Time: The company wants you to sign as quickly as possible
Loss: The company has declared they want YOU over another candidate (or they may not have other candidates at all)
Investment: The company wants you to be as invested as possible. Additionally, they have spent thousands of dollars getting to this point. If you don't accept and they have no other candidates, they will have to keep spending time and money.
Knowing the leverage you have, here are the options for negotiation:
Time: Offering to "accept right now" at a certain compensation
"The number I had in mind was closer to $200,000. Do you think we'd be able to bridge that gap? If we could, I'd feel comfortable signing right now."
Loss: Mentioning you have other upcoming interviews
This one is incredibly powerful because the company does not want to get into a bidding war. Make sure you prepare extra hard for your interview to maximize the value of this one and ensure the company views you highly.
"I have a few more interviews with Adobe and Pinterest to finish up this week and next week. After I hear back, I think I'd have a bit more clarity. However, I'd love to get your thoughts on if we can get the offer to $200,000. If you think we could get there, I'd be excited to drop the interviews and accept right now."
Investment: The company benefits from you being more invested
"I'm super happy with how the interview process went and I'm excited to bring { skillset that you have that the company is looking for } to the company. I'm the type that intends to stay at a company for multiple years. I also get very passionate on the day-to-day, and I'd like the compensation to reflect that investment. The number I had in mind was $200,000. Do you think we could bridge the gap to that number?"
I mixed the wording a little bit across each example to show you it doesn't need to be exact. It's more important how you say it. Focus on empathy and collaboration.
When you do have other offers
Getting another offer increases your leverage.
⬆️ More leverage = ✅ Easier negotiation
The main thing here is to keep it collaborative and think about what you actually want.
Will you take the highest offer you get?
Do you know you'll never accept one company regardless of how much they offer?
Do you want a different compensation structure (higher cash, lower equity)?
You have the power here. You just need to be upfront about what you want and ask the recruiter if they can match or do better. Here are some examples:
Change compensation structure
"I'd like to join your company; however, what's making the decision challenging is I have another offer that is offering a much higher salary. I know that here we like to give a lot of equity. For me, what would make me most comfortable is moving some of the equity to more cash compensation. Do you think that would be possible?"
Increase the total offer
"Right now I'm between you and one other company. The other company offered $200,000 in total compensation. I'd really like to make it work with { Company you are talking to } though because I feel really aligned with { what you like about the company }. The compensation is an important part for me because I really want to buy a house in the next year (this sentence is optional and can be replaced by any personal reason. It helps make you come off less greedy and gives them an emotional reason). Do you think we'd be able to increase the salary to match the other offer?"
What if they aren't budging?
Sometimes you'll work with companies that seemingly really want to stick to their initial offer. They will make it seem like the offer they gave is the best offer they can do and there is nothing more that's possible.
This is rarely ever true.
Maybe they are right that the base salary is the highest they can give.
But negotiation isn't just about base salary.
You can also negotiate…
Additional equity
A signing bonus
A relocation bonus
Extra time off (if not unlimited)
Remote work options
Again, Bring those into the conversation using empathy and collaboration.
"I understand we aren't able to increase the base salary. However, I still feel like there's a gap and I'd really like to make something work. What else do you think would be possible?"
You can leave it here or you can mention any of the above factors to negotiate.
📖 TL;DR
Ask for the salary range before sharing your expectations.
Make negotiating easier by building leverage
Get other offers
Line up interviews to use your future interviews as leverage
Your willingness to "sign right now" rather than wait
Prepare extra hard for the interviews to make them really want you
If you're working now, use your current salary to get at least 10% more
Treat any negotiation like a conversation. It's not like the movies. Just chat with them and tell them what you would expect based on your experience and what you will bring to the team.
Don't be afraid of negotiation. If you treat it like a conversation, there's practically no way your offer gets rescinded. If it does, that's a red flag for the company. If anything, negotiation increases your perceived value and builds respect.