Most job seekers can expect to negotiate salary throughout their careers. Salary negotiation isn’t just for senior professionals–Career changers and new grads should negotiate salary as high as possible, too. After all, negotiating salary at a new job will generally net you far more wealth than getting steady raises at the same role.
Professionals often think you need multiple job offers to negotiate salary. And they certainly do help: competing offers give you leverage to negotiate salary with your preferred role. However, what if you don’t have another offer to use as leverage? In this case, negotiation isn’t off the table; it simply needs to take a different form.
Let’s take a look at how to negotiate salary, even without a competing offer.
1. Don’t Mention A Number During Interviews
Salary negotiation starts during the interview process. If you tell the recruiter an exact salary number or range, it becomes very difficult to negotiate salary later.
Never give the recruiter a number or range when asked for an expected salary. Instead, play it close to the chest by saying “Negotiable, within reason.” If they require a number, put 0. If the recruiter asks you on the phone screen or in an interview, you can say:
- “I’m not familiar with the market in this area. I’d like to do some research on the average salaries for this role in this city before I answer that question.”
- “I haven’t considered salary yet. At the moment, I am just focusing on doing well in my interviews because I’m just really excited about <company>.”
Not only will not giving a number make negotiation infinitely easier, but also it shows that you are enthusiastic and eager to actually do your homework. In almost all cases, these responses will be more than fine. But if the recruiter really presses you, pick a very high number and explain you believe that is the market rate.
Try saying, “I think the market rate base for sales development representatives in <insert area here> is around <$xxx>, so I guess my expectations lie around there. But, I will definitely go do some research and let you know when it comes time. Right now I’m really focusing on giving it my all in these interviews.
2. Know Your Value (with Data)
Know your worth! Research the salary for similar positions. Look at the requirements and qualifications of those careers, and highlight the accolades that make you qualified to take the company to another level.
Sites like Glassdoor, Paysa, and Payscale can help you find the average salary for your target role based on your area and experience. The salary of a software engineer in San Francisco can be twice the salary of a software engineer in Wyoming.
While you should use these figures in your salary negotiation email, we also recommend you commit a rough range to memory. That way you can back up your ask with data if you have to negotiate your salary over the phone. It’s easy for a recruiter to dismiss a request for a salary increase because you “need it” or “deserve it”. But recruiters can’t easily dismiss hard salary data.
3. Highlight Your Unique Skills
Speak in terms of how you will help the company succeed. When highlighting a skill, make sure you’re tying it into a tangible benefit for your employer. This strategy is especially effective when you focus on how your skill set will make their job easier as well.
Your education can also impact your expected salary. Do you have any prestigious bootcamp certifications or technical certificates? Any of these most in-demand technical skills or top programming languages? Your education proves you have the skills to make an impact.
If you are looking for a sample negotiation request, use this annotated negotiation email template to make sure you hit the right points to sell yourself in the negotiation.
4. Prepare To Hear a No
If you don’t have a competing offer, the best thing to do is to be prepared for what may happen. Go into the negotiation with a minimum number in mind that you’d like to accept. Have three different numbers that you will offer:
- Your stretch number
- Your ideal number
- Your minimum number
Suppose your first request for a higher salary is declined — which is a likely scenario. Your salary negotiation efforts haven’t necessarily failed, as your new employer may come back with a different number. If they propose anything above your minimum, you can graciously accept it. If they will not take anything at or above your minimum number, it may be time to start considering non-salary negotiations.
5. Think About Non-Salary Negotiations
When negotiating with smaller startups, your salary might start low in the first offer. Therefore, you should always negotiate your salary unless they explicitly state that they can’t go higher. You can usually negotiate a higher salary at Amazon and similar companies. But some bigger companies like Facebook and Google may have firm salary ranges. What do you do when negotiating salary is impossible? Turn your attention to bonuses, equity, and other benefits.
If you don’t get the base salary you want, you may be able to negotiate big ticket items such as relocation, signing bonus, equity, work schedule, or vacation and PTO.
If relocation is offered as an option and you’ll have to move for the job, it’s worth asking how much of your moving costs will be covered by the company.
Equity can significantly increase your salary. Negotiating is also more common than you might think, especially at small or mid-sized companies. Explain that you’d like an “owner’s mindset” in the company’s performance and that equity like stock options will improve your performance. You can also ask that equity be tied to specific performance goals, that when completed, result in your shares vesting.
Another important negotiation item is your schedule. See if your schedule can be adjusted to work around your personal needs. Some employers are willing to offer more flexible hours in exchange for working on weekends or late nights. It might also be possible to trade some paid time off for overtime.
While you might not have been able to negotiate base salary directly, you can ask for a raise in 6 months to a year. Your manager may be more likely to say yes since they know you were seeking a higher salary upon accepting the offer. Meaning you can still have a higher salary plus the non-salary benefits in very little time.
6. Stay Calm and Confident
Even if you have a competing offer, it can be hard to negotiate a higher salary. Above all else, confidence and poise speaks volumes in negotiation.
Some candidates worry that asking for a higher salary will make your manager dislike you. But recruiters and managers expect salary negotiation. If anything, not even trying to negotiate your salary could make you look worse to your manager.
Remembering that salary negotiation is expected will help you negotiate with confidence. And confidence is key to salary negotiation. Every word in negotiation will have more impact when said with confidence. This is especially important when you make your value proposition known to the company. Employers will respond to your conviction and be more likely to trust you to take the company to the next level.
Don’t Leave Money on the Table
Recent polls show that only 44% of employees even attempt to negotiate salary. Eighty-four percent of employers in that survey reported they expected a negotiation attempt from their candidate.
Pathrise can match you with an experienced negotiator to help you negotiate 10% to 20% more money on average, with or without a competing offer. Apply today.
