01Learn It
What you need to know before you negotiate anything
Most first offers are not the employer's best offer. Hiring managers expect negotiation and rarely rescind an offer because someone asked professionally. The worst that can happen is they say no — and you're exactly where you started. Not negotiating is the only guaranteed loss.
If the salary is fixed, you can often negotiate: signing bonus, extra PTO days, remote work flexibility, start date, title, professional development budget, or a 90-day salary review. Always ask what's possible — not just what the number is.
When asked "What are your salary expectations?" deflect politely: "I'm flexible and open to discussing what's appropriate for the role. What's the budgeted range?" Whoever names a number first is at a disadvantage. If you must go first, always anchor high — you can always come down, you can never go up.
Don't bring up salary in a first interview unless they do. The ideal moment is after you have a written offer in hand. That's when your leverage is highest — they've already decided they want you. Take 24–48 hours to review any offer before responding.
Walk into every negotiation knowing: your floor (the minimum you'll accept), your target (what you actually want based on research), and your stretch (the high anchor you'll open with). You'll calculate all three in the next section.
02Research It
Know your market value before you negotiate anything
You cannot negotiate confidently without data. Research what others in your role, location, and experience level are earning — from multiple sources. Then you can say "based on my research" and mean it.
10th–25th percentile
50th percentile
75th–90th percentile
03Your Three Numbers
Know your floor, your target, and your stretch before you pick up the phone
04Script It
Write out exactly what you'll say — word for word
Improvising a salary negotiation is how you leave money on the table. Write your script, practice it out loud until it sounds natural, and you'll walk in ready for anything. Use the example scripts below as a starting point — then write your own in the fields below.
"Thank you so much — I'm really excited about this opportunity and the team. I'd like to take 24 hours to review the full offer carefully before responding. Is that okay?"
"I'm very excited about this role and I want to make it work. Based on my research into market rates for this position in [city], and the experience I bring in [specific skill], I was hoping we could get to [stretch number]. Is there any flexibility there?"
"I completely understand. In that case, I'd love to explore whether there's any flexibility on [PTO / signing bonus / remote work / 90-day salary review]. Is any of that something we could discuss?"
"I really appreciate you working with me on this. I want to be transparent — [target number] is where I need to land to make this work for me. I'm confident I'll bring real value to your team, and I'd love to find a way to make this happen."
Read it out loud after writing it. If it sounds stiff or unnatural, rewrite it. Then practice until you can say it calmly and confidently without reading.
05Refine With Claude
Let AI polish your script and prep you for pushback
Once you've written your script above, generate a Claude prompt below. Claude will refine your counter-offer script, make it sound natural and confident, and give you 5 likely responses from the employer — with suggested replies for each.
06Mock Negotiation
Practice with Mom or Dad before the real thing
Ask Mom or Dad to role-play as a hiring manager. Give them the offer number below and have them call you on the phone — salary negotiations often happen by phone, not in person. Use your script. They should push back at least twice before agreeing to anything.
Give them a number below your target so you actually have to negotiate up. That's the point.
- I thanked them for the offer before countering
- I asked for 24 hours before jumping to a counter
- I cited market research when making my ask
- I named my stretch number — not my target — as the opening ask
- I stayed calm when they pushed back
- I didn't apologize for asking for more money
- When salary was stuck, I pivoted to other negotiables
- I knew my floor and didn't go below it
- I closed professionally — whether I got what I wanted or not
07Reflect On It
What did this teach you?
This becomes part of your end-of-year presentation. You'll stand up and say "based on my research, I will negotiate for X because..."