Resume, LinkedIn & Interviews
A simple preparation process and ten word-for-word scripts to negotiate a higher salary, from the first recruiter call to the final offer, plus an email template.
Most people accept the first salary offer they receive. They’re relieved to get the job, worried about seeming greedy, and unsure what to say. Yet in many cases, employers expect some negotiation and leave room for it. A short, polite conversation can raise your pay for years, because every future raise usually builds on your starting salary.
This guide gives you a simple preparation process and ten word-for-word scripts for the moments that matter: when a recruiter asks your expectations, when the offer arrives, when they say no, when you’re changing careers and when you’re asking for a raise. Adapt the words to your own voice, but keep the structure.
The reasons are almost always emotional, not logical:
Remember the math: a difference of a few thousand per year compounds through every future raise, bonus and job change. Ten minutes of discomfort can be worth a lot over a career.
You don’t get paid what you’re worth. You get paid what you negotiate, so prepare like it matters.
Step 1
Check salary data for the exact role, level and location (or the company’s pay policy for remote roles). Use salary sites, the ranges in job posts, official labor statistics and conversations with people in the role. Write down a low, middle and high figure.
Step 2
Step 3
Write three reasons you deserve the higher end: results you’ve delivered, skills that are rare in the role, experience that reduces risk for them. You’ll use these as your justification, not your personal needs.
Remember Base your request on the role’s market value and your results, never on what you need to pay rent. Employers pay for value, not for need.
Use several sources and look for where they overlap:
For remote roles, ask early whether the company pays the same everywhere or adjusts by location. That single answer changes your research.
Script 1
Script 2
Script 3
Script 4
Script 5
Script 6
Script 7
Script 8
Script 9
Script 10
Many negotiations happen by email, which gives you time to choose your words. Keep it short:
Subject: [Role] offer – a quick questionHi [Name],Send it within a day or two of receiving the offer, and follow up politely if you haven’t heard back within a few working days.
Here’s an illustrative example of how the scripts fit together. A project coordinator moving into a project manager role at a remote software company has researched the market and set three numbers: walk-away 72,000, target 80,000, anchor 84,000.
First recruiter call. Asked about expectations, she uses script 1 and learns the budgeted range is 70,000 to 82,000. She says that sounds aligned and moves on, without naming her number yet.The offer. A week later the offer arrives at 74,000. She thanks them and asks for two days to review (script 4).The counteroffer. She replies by email (template above), mentioning that she delivered a system rollout for 200 users on time and holds a project management certification, and asks for 82,000, the top of their own range.The response. The hiring manager comes back with 78,000 and says that’s the maximum for the band. She uses script 6 and asks for a signing bonus and a salary review after six months. They agree to a 3,000 signing bonus and a written six-month review.The result. In about fifteen minutes of conversation, she added 4,000 a year to her base, a one-time bonus and a path to a further raise, and the relationship with her new manager started on a respectful, professional note.If the base salary is truly fixed, many other parts of an offer can move. Choose the ones that matter most to you:
Even if the offer is great, ask for a day to review. You’ll often spot details worth discussing.
Share a researched range, and only after trying to get theirs first.
“My rent went up” isn’t a business reason. “My results and the market rate” is.
Ultimatums and pressure damage relationships with people you’re about to work with. Stay warm, curious and specific.
If they call your bluff, you lose credibility and possibly the offer. Only mention real alternatives.
Verbal agreements get forgotten. Ask for the final terms in the written offer before you resign from your current job.
Negotiation is a skill, and it gets easier with practice. Before the call:
Most people find that the real conversation is much calmer than they imagined. Recruiters and hiring managers negotiate every week; to them it’s a normal part of the process.
It's rare when you're polite, prepared and reasonable. If a company withdraws an offer over a respectful request, that tells you something important about how it treats people.
Base it on your research rather than a fixed percentage. Aim for the upper part of the market range for the role, and make sure your anchor is something you can justify with results.
Yes, especially if you bring transferable experience. Use script 7 to frame your background as an advantage.
Ask how they set pay for remote employees, check the market in both locations, and clarify the currency, contract type and who pays taxes and benefits.
Negotiating your salary isn’t about being pushy. It’s about being prepared. Research the range, define your three numbers, list your value, then use the scripts: ask for their range first, give a justified number, and stay warm when they push back. A single conversation can shape your income for years.
And if you’re still working on getting the offers in the first place, The 6-Figure Career Switch gives you the full plan.
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