Salary negotiation: how to ask for what the role is worth

Most candidates accept the first offer. Those who negotiate usually get more, and a fifteen-minute conversation can change your earnings for years. Here is how to approach it.

Know your numbers before the conversation

Use AmbitionBox, Glassdoor, Levels.fyi and LinkedIn Salary to find the market range for your role, level and city. Have three numbers ready: the minimum you would walk away below, your target, and a stretch ask.

Never share your current salary first

If asked, redirect: "I'd rather focus on what the role is worth in the market — what range did you have in mind?" The question goes back to them.

The sentence that works

When the offer comes: "I'm really excited about this role. Based on my research and experience, I was hoping we could get to [X]. Is there flexibility there?" Then stay quiet. Whoever speaks first gives ground.

Negotiate the whole package

Base pay is not the only lever: joining bonus, equity and its vesting, leave, a remote or hybrid arrangement, a learning budget, relocation, and the start date are all negotiable.

Get it in writing before you resign

A verbal offer is a commitment to negotiate, not a commitment to hire. Have the final terms in a written offer letter before you resign from your current job.

Counteroffers from your current employer

Be careful. Many people who accept a counteroffer leave within the year anyway. If money was the only reason you were leaving, a counter might be fine; if it was not, the underlying problems return.