It's not uncommon for employers to offer you the lowest salary possible in order to save money or to give themselves room to negotiate. Remember, you're selling your skills in return for appropriate payment. Salary negotiation doesn’t have to be complicated! Sometimes it’s as simple as saying, “Any chance you could go up to X salary?” or “Any chance you could include relocation fees in the job offer?”. Read on to find out what you can ask for and how to ask for it.
Best Practices
Here are our top recommendations for the best outcome of an offer negotiation:
Don’t Negotiate with Everyone
Only negotiate with your top-choice employer where you would be comfortable accepting a quality offer.
Make a Good Case for Yourself
- If possible, find out what other people in similar roles have been paid to compare with the job offer you received. Is the salary you were offered too low or competitive with others in the field? Resources like Glassdoor can help you find this information.
- Have you interned with this company before? That means you're already familiar with its culture and may be ready to jump into your work with less training. It also means you probably enjoyed working for this employer and are likely to work there for longer.
- Do you have any unique skills or experience in this professional area that set you apart from other candidates? Express what you can do for the company. Highlight past internships or side projects that show how your skills can be an advantage for this employer.
Be Enthusiastic and Courteous
If an employer has made you an offer that means they have enjoyed their interactions with you. Continue to be respectful and kind to your recruiter! They'll be the ones fighting for you. It's also important to make it clear that you are excited about working at this company. Make it clear that you're not a lost cause and would accept a good job offer.
Negotiate Simultaneously
Think carefully about which parts of the employment package are most important to you and make your requests at the same time. This gives your recruiter options if they aren’t able to offer some of the things you want. It may be helpful to rank your requests in order of importance.
Don’t Ask for the Impossible
Companies have budgets for different levels of seniority, often without much wiggle room. Your goal should be to get to a higher point in their set salary range. Doing research on websites like Glassdoor can help you figure out whether the offer you received is competitive or not.
What Can I Ask For?
Base Salary isn't the only thing you can negotiate. In fact, many employers have more wiggle room to negotiate other parts of your compensation package other than salary. Here are some common areas of compensation packages that you could negotiate:
Base Salary
When asking for a higher salary, provide them with a specific number. Your employer may come back with another offer if they aren’t willing or able to pay what you have requested. When negotiating base salary, keep in mind that different cities have different costs of living. If you plan to move, make sure to factor in how your salary needs will change in a new location.
Signing Bonus
Companies may be more willing to negotiate your signing bonus than base salary if their budgets are tight. It's a one-time payment that won’t affect other things like yearly bonuses or future raises.
Flexible Schedule and Remote Work
This is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace so don’t be afraid to ask about their policies and if there are opportunities for you to work remotely.
Location and Relocation
If the employer has another location you would prefer to work at, ask about the possibility of being assigned there. If the employer is located in a different city from the one you live in, will they help pay for the cost of relocation?
Support for Continuing Education
Some employers may offer to help pay for a graduate degree. This is a great opportunity if you want to pursue an education that would also benefit the company. Keep in mind that if a company supports your education, it'll likely require a commitment from you to return to the company for an amount of time after completion of the degree.
Vacation Time
Employers vary in how much time off they offer. Ask about how much paid time off per year you may receive.
Making the Ask
These email templates are meant to serve as a starting off point to tailoring your own email asking for an offer deadline extension request or to start the salary negotiation process.
- Make sure to be clear and formal
- It’s important you know exactly how much value you can offer an employer before you begin the process of negotiating a salary. Take things such as geographical location, career level, education level and skills into account!
Offer Negotiation Email Templates
Look at the different templates available to see which one suits your situation the best:
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