When to negotiate, and when there is little room
The best moment is after you have a written offer and before you accept it. At that point the company has chosen you, and the cost to them of losing you is highest. Negotiating in the first interview, before they know whether they want you, rarely works.
| Situation | Room to negotiate |
|---|---|
| Experienced hire with a written offer | Usually some, on salary and other terms |
| Your skills are scarce or you have another offer | More than usual |
| Graduate schemes, campus hiring and large new-grad classes | Little or none on salary; packages are set for the whole intake |
| Government, union and public-sector roles | Usually none; pay follows set scales |
| Internal promotion | Some, especially with evidence of market rates |
Even when salary is fixed, you can often ask about the start date, location or other terms. New graduates can check our interview questions for freshers and new grads guide for how to answer the salary question politely when the package is standard.
Find your number before they ask
Your request needs to be grounded in what the role pays in the market, not in what you would like to earn. Gather evidence from several sources:
- Job posts that list salary ranges for the same title, level and city. Several US states, including California, New York, Colorado and Washington, require employers to post pay ranges, so these are easier to find than they used to be.
- Salary comparison sites that collect self-reported pay by company and role. Treat them as rough guides; samples can be small.
- People in similar roles: former colleagues, classmates, people in your network. Ask about ranges, not exact figures, if that is more comfortable.
- Recruiters, who usually know the going rate for a role and will often tell you if you ask directly.
From this, set three numbers before any conversation: your target (what you will ask for, near the top of the realistic range), your acceptable figure, and your walk-away point below which you would turn the offer down. Write them down. It is much harder to think clearly about money on a live call.
Read the whole offer, not just the salary
Two offers with the same headline number can be worth quite different amounts. Ask for the full breakdown before you negotiate, and compare like with like.
| Component | What it is | Questions to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Paid every paycheck; the core of your pay | Is it the number future raises are calculated from? |
| Bonus | Paid only if targets are met | What share was actually paid out last year? |
| Retirement match | 401(k) match in the US, pension contribution in the UK | What percentage, and when does it vest? |
| Health insurance | Medical, dental and vision cover | What do the premiums and deductible cost me? |
| Paid time off | Vacation, sick days and holidays | How many days, and does it grow with tenure? |
| Signing bonus | One-time payment | Is there a clawback if I leave early? |
| Equity / RSUs | Shares that vest over time | What is the vesting schedule and the current valuation? |
The base salary is usually what to negotiate first, because raises, bonuses and future offers are calculated from it.
If you're in India: CTC vs in-hand
Indian offers are usually stated as CTC, cost to company, which includes things you won't receive as monthly salary: variable pay, the employer's PF contribution, gratuity (paid only after years of service) and insurance. Ask for the monthly in-hand figure after deductions, check whether PF and gratuity sit inside the CTC, and negotiate the fixed component.
Answering “What is your expected salary?”
This often comes up early, in the first call with a recruiter. You have three reasonable options:
- Ask for their range first: “Could you share the budgeted range for the role? I'd like to make sure we're aligned.” Many recruiters will.
- Give a researched range, with your target near the bottom of it: “For a senior analyst role in Chicago, I'm looking at $95,000 to $105,000 base, depending on the overall package.”
- Defer politely if it is very early: “I'd like to understand the role better first, but I'm sure we can find a number that works if it's the right fit.”
Current salary is a different question. Many US states and cities ban employers from asking about your pay history, so you can say: “I'd rather focus on what this role pays. Based on the scope, I'm looking at $95,000 to $105,000.” Where it is asked, as it usually is in India, share it honestly and then move the focus to the role: “My current fixed pay is ₹14 lakh. For this role, with the larger scope, I'm looking at ₹18–21 lakh.” Never inflate your current salary; it is easy to check through payslips and background verification.
Raises are often discussed as a percentage of current pay, especially in India. If your current pay is below market, argue from the market rate for the new role instead of from a percentage of what you earn now.
What to say: phone and email scripts
Open with enthusiasm, make one clear request with a reason, and then stop talking. Silence after the number is uncomfortable, but it is the other side's turn.
Thank you, I'm really pleased to get the offer and I'm excited about the role. I've looked at the package carefully. Based on the scope we discussed, leading the analytics team for two business units, and what similar roles in Chicago are paying, I was hoping for a base salary closer to $105,000. Is there flexibility there?
Subject: Re: Offer – Senior Data Analyst Dear Ms. Carter, Thank you for the offer for the Senior Data Analyst role. I'm excited about joining the team and the work on customer retention we discussed. I've reviewed the package carefully. Given the scope of the role, including leading two analysts and owning the retention dashboards, and the market rate for similar roles in Chicago, I'd like to ask whether the base salary could be raised from $92,000 to $102,000. If that is difficult, I'd also be glad to discuss a signing bonus to offset the annual bonus I'll give up by leaving my current employer in March. I'm keen to make this work and look forward to hearing from you. Best regards, Aditi Rao
Email works well when you want to choose your words carefully or when the recruiter needs to take your request to someone else. A call works well for a quick back-and-forth. Either way, get the final agreed terms in a revised written offer.
What else you can negotiate
If the base salary can't move much, other terms often can, and some are worth a lot:
- Signing bonus, especially to cover a bonus or unvested stock you lose by leaving.
- Notice-period buyout (India and some UK roles): the new employer pays your current employer so you can join early.
- Start date: more time to serve notice, take a break, or relocate.
- Work arrangement: remote or hybrid days.
- Job title, which affects future offers.
- Extra paid time off, often easier to give than salary.
- An early salary review, for example after six months instead of at the annual cycle, written into the offer.
- Relocation support: travel, temporary housing or a relocation allowance.
- Learning budget for courses and certifications.
When you're ready to resign, our two weeks notice letter is ready to adapt. On a long notice period, the notice period email to your manager guide covers how to ask for an early release.
If they say no, or your employer counter-offers
If the company can't move, ask whether anything else can (see the list above), and ask when the salary would next be reviewed. Then decide against your walk-away number. Accepting a fair offer after a polite attempt to improve it is perfectly normal; you don't need to win every point.
If your current employer makes a counter-offer when you resign, think about why you started looking in the first place. More money rarely fixes the reasons people leave: the work, the manager, the growth. If you do accept a counter-offer, tell the new company promptly and courteously; don't keep both offers open.
Once you have agreed the terms, our guide on how to accept a job offer by email has templates for confirming them, and our resignation letter for a better opportunity helps you leave your current role well.
Mistakes to avoid
- Accepting on the spot. It is fine to say thank you and ask for a day or two to review the offer.
- Negotiating against yourself: giving a number, then lowering it before they respond.
- Making it personal. Your rent or EMIs are not the employer's reason to pay more; the role and the market are.
- Bluffing about another offer. If you mention one, it should exist.
- Inflating your current salary. Payslips and background checks will show the truth.
- Negotiating after accepting. Once you have signed, reopening the salary damages trust before you start.
- Forgetting to get it in writing. A verbal promise of a review or bonus is easily forgotten.
Not at the offer stage yet? Strengthen your position first: a resume with clear, measurable results gives you evidence to point to. See our resume examples for how others show impact, and send a thank-you email after each interview to stay front of mind.