how to negotiate salary after a job offer

by Alison Green on March 19, 2019

I recently wrote about how to ask for a raise, but the easiest time to get more money is actually before you’ve been hired, while you’re still negotiating your job offer.

1. Research salary before the interview process.

Before your first interview for any job, make sure you’ve researched the market rate for this type of job, in this industry, and in your particular geographic area. It’s crucial to do this because the employer could ask you what salary you’re looking for at any point, including as early as the initial phone screen. You don’t want to be cut off guard and end up winging it, because if you do, there’s too much chance that you’ll inadvertently lowball yourself or name a number so unrealistically high that it takes you out of the running.

Researching salary can be time-consuming and frustrating, because there’s rarely one single, easily accessible source that will give you the info you need. Because the same job title can mean very different things from company to company, salary websites are generally more of a rough starting point than a definitive answer to what a job should pay. You’ll often get more precise numbers by talking to people in your field and asking, “What would you expect a job like X at a company like Y to pay?” Recruiters and professional organizations in your field can also be good sources of data.

Once you have a good feel for the market rate, think about the factors that might move you up or down within that range – how much experience you have, whether you have additional qualifications that the employer seems excited about, and whether there’s any special hardship attached to the job, like a lot of travel. Those can also factor into the salary for a given position.

2. How to answer questions about your salary expectations

Assume that at some point in the interview process, you might get asked what salary range you’re looking for. There’s a lot of advice out there recommending that you duck the question and respond with something like, “I’m seeking a fair salary that’s in line with the market” or “I’d like to learn more about the job and your benefits package before I answer that.” But I’ve got to tell you – an awful lot of interviewers aren’t going to let those answers stand. You’re very likely to get pushed to name a number, because employers don’t want to waste their time if you’re wildly outside of their ballpark. (If you’re thinking, “Well, then they should name their salary range first and we can both figure that out,” you’re absolutely right. And in fact there’s a movement toward more companies being up-front about their salary ranges. But it’s still very, very common for companies to play coy and insist you name a number first.)

You can try saying, “Can you tell me what the range for the position is?” And some interviewers will tell you, so it’s worth asking. But in other cases, you’ll need to be prepared to name a number yourself if you want to move forward in their process.

That’s why you did your research beforehand! Ideally you’ve come up with a range that you think reflect the market rate for this kind of work in your geographic area. If you’re pressed to name the range you have in mind, one option is to say, “I’m still learning about the job, of course, but based on what I understand so far, I’d be looking for a salary in the range of $X. Are we in the same ballpark?” (And yes, this is infuriating! The company knows what it plans to pay, and could just tell you instead of making you go through this guessing game. But this is how it often goes.)

3. How to bring up salary yourself

Sometimes the employer might not bring up salary at all, and you might find yourself wishing for some idea of how much the job pays, particularly if the interview process is a lengthy one. There’s a long-standing – and inexplicable – tradition of frowning on candidates who ask about salary, especially at early stages of a hiring process. This is ridiculous, as obviously you work for money and what a job pays is highly relevant information that might affect your decision to continue on in a hiring process of not. And yet, the convention persists.

That said, this is starting to change, and it’s becoming more accepted for candidates to ask about salary. Be aware, though, that if you bring up the topic yourself, some old-school interviewers may hold it against you.

The safest time to bring up salary yourself is if it’s clear that you’re asking to spare both you and the employer from investing time or money if you’re too far apart on salary – like if you’re being asked to fly in from out-of-town for an interview, or if it’s clear that the interview process will be lengthy with many steps to it. In a case like that, you can say, “Before we fly me in, can we make sure we’re in the same ballpark on salary?” Or, “Since it sounds like this is a multi-step process, I wonder if you can give me a sense of the salary range since I want to respect your time if we’re not in the same ballpark?”

Of course, if you do this, be prepared for the interviewer to turn it around on you and say something like, “Let me know what you’re looking for and I can tell you if it’s in our range.” So again, you’ll want to have done your research beforehand and be prepared with an answer.

4. What to say when you get the offer

Once you receive an offer, and you want to ask for more money, the biggest thing to know is that most of the time, you don’t need to present an elaborate justification for why you’re asking for a higher salary. In most cases, you can just say one or two sentences: “Any chance you could go up to $X?” Or, “Do you have any room on the salary? I was hoping you’d be able to do $X.” Truly, that’s it! I’ve made many job offers, and the majority of candidates who negotiate are just doing it with one or two short sentences.

Once you say that, stop talking. You’ve made your request, and now you’re waiting for an answer. It might take the person a minute, and during that minute you might feel uncomfortable and be tempted to fill the silence. Don’t do that! You risk undercutting the request you just made.

5. Most of the time, it’s smart to ask for more money.

If you’re wondering whether or not to ask for more money when you get an offer, most of the time the answer is yes. Employers often have a bit of wiggle room when they make an offer, and at this point in the process, getting more money in your salary is often as easy as just asking for it.

That said, there are times when you generally shouldn’t try to negotiate. For example,  if you and the employer had discussed salary earlier in the process and the offer meets or exceeds what you said you asked for, generally it’s going to be seen as bad faith if you ask for more now (unless the job has changed in some significant way since then). Similarly, if the offer is unusually generous for the market, you might look out of touch if you ask for more. But in most cases, it makes sense to see if there’s room to bump the offer up.

If your market research has left you still uncertain about how much is reasonable to ask for, you’re generally not going to look unreasonable if you ask for a bump of around 10% more. There might be room to ask for even more than that, depending on what you learned from your market research. But if you’re unsure, consider 10%. (Don’t say “10%” – use the actual dollar figure you’re asking for – but that’s a decent guideline for your thinking.)

6. What to do if the answer is no

If you ask for more money and the answer is no, you can still accept the job if you want it! People sometimes worry they’ll look foolish accepting at this point, but you won’t; people accept offers after thwarted negotiations all the time. All you need to say it, “I appreciate you considering it! I’m interested enough in the job that I’d love to accept regardless.”

And remember, negotiating salary is very normal! Sometimes it works and other times it doesn’t, but don’t take a “no” as reason not to try in the future.

This piece of mine was originally published at New York Magazine.

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{ 67 comments }

{ 67 comments… read them below }

  1. Doug Judy*

    My latest job offer I used these approaches to negotiate a higher salary. I got the offer which was lower than I was hoping. I replied, I was very excited about the job was was hoping they’d could do $X for salary, which was 10% more than the offer. They came back with $Y amount which was 6.5% more than their original offer plus an extra week of PTO. I accepted and it was a very fair rate for the position.

    I definitely doesn’t hurt to try in most cases!

  2. TexasThunder*

    I’m looking to change jobs, and because my skills are relatively in demand, I have just responded to any initial approach with “I would need X to consider moving, and also for family reasons I can’t travel above 10%”
    The weird thing is I get more pushback about the travel. Sometimes they seem to view it as an opening position rather than an explicit requirement.

  3. Syfygeek*

    I had an interview last July- I had used Alison’s examples of how to write a cover letter, and got called to set up an interview. During the interview, I was told the job was listed at X per year, but it needed to be adjusted up to X + 3K to match similar positions in the company. Considering X would have been a 25% increase from what I was currently making, I channeled my inner Alison and said I could manage with X, but my skills and experience were absolutely worth X+3K.

    When I got the job offer (via text) it was for x + 4K. It was the first time I had ever negotiated a salary increase. And without AAM, I would have happily settled for x, and probably said, “oh, just pay me what you want, thank you ever so much”. The world didn’t end, and my job rocks.

  4. soupcold57*

    I applied to a job where the pay range was disclosed on the job description. During salary negotiations, I gave a number at the 75%ile of the range. They then proceeded to offer me at 25%ile of the range. The weird excuse they gave me was that because I needed a little time and training to get up to speed, other team members would not feel comfortable with me getting a higher pay. I had never heard of this kind of response , that indicates the salary is public info within the company. I ended up not accepting due to other non-monetary reasons, but this left a bad taste in my mouth as to whether the hiring manager was negotiating in good faith.

    1. Sloan Kittering*

      I have definitely had employers tell me they can’t pay what I’m asking because it would create inequality with other employees. I’m always like, you need to take that up with them, not me! If other people haven’t negotiated market rate, that’s sad, but it’s not a reason why I shouldn’t be paid fairly. (This is why you have to have enough research to know what is fair, of course).

    2. Fortitude Jones*

      Yeah, sometimes pay equity amongst team members is taken into account. That said, if they knew everyone on the team only made X, then they shouldn’t have posted a range on their job ad – they should have said, “Position pays X, and budgetary restrictions won’t allow for negotiations.” Or something like that. This way, all applicants know what to expect upfront and the hiring manager doesn’t have to have the awkward conversation of saying, “Well, we’re underpaying the rest of the team, so, sorry, we can’t give you more or there will be a revolt.”

  5. Sloan Kittering*

    It’s hard not to frame it as a “failure” if you ask for more and don’t get it. But to be honest, it’s still a win, because now you know for sure you’re not leaving money on the table. I know several people who only realized much later than they could have gotten more for their jobs and their employer was probably happy that they were getting them so cheap. If you’ve done your diligence and tried to negotiate, you can rest easy that at least you’re not in that camp.

  6. NewlyHired*

    I recently accepted a job offer and tried to negotiate, but was told that my job offer was based on a formula that factors in years of experience and things like that. I didn’t push too hard because the offer was only slightly under what I was hoping for, but I was a bit miffed! It’s a university system, though, so I guess that’s just one of the quirks of government jobs. Is that right?

    1. Harvey 6-3.5*

      I don’t know about universities, but for the Federal Government, the salary is usually precise in my agency. Occasionally, they can match the current salary if it exceeds the amount but is within the grade (GS) range (by pushing the person up a couple of “step increases”), but if the salary is higher than the current salary they can’t go up at all, usually.

      1. NewlyHired*

        For those jobs, though, aren’t the grade ranges and step increases usually published? I looked and looked and looked for this job and there was nothing of that sort, just a posted salary range.

    2. Fergus*

      I had a job offer and they said x number and there is no negotiation. I withdrew knowing working for them would have not been good.

    3. Elizabeth Proctor*

      Absolutely. If it was a state university, there is likely much less room for negotiation. Good to try though!

    4. Teecha*

      It helped me to ask *how* the salary was calculated.

      I work in a private school–so obviously not the same as a state university–but when I was negotiating my offer I was told that the pay was a formula dependent on years of experience and was firm. The number seemed a little low based on my research for that city so I asked how many years they were counting for me, and they said 12 years. Since I have 14 years of teaching, I briefly explained how what I was doing those years was in fact classroom teaching experience, and they came back few days later agreeing to honor my extra years with a number that was 7% higher than the original offer. If I had just asked for a higher salary, I would’ve been turned down.

  7. Sloan Kittering*

    One thing I had to do last time was practice asking out loud with a friend. I had to spit out the actual number I wanted. It took me several tries before I felt sure I’d be able to say the line I’d practiced, and I’m glad I did. It’s really hard in the moment to get it out.

  8. Sleepytime Tea*

    I lived in the Seattle area and it was incredibly hard to figure out what a good salary was for the area you were working. The thing was that literally a 10 mile difference in location could make a huge difference in salary. In short, people frequently wanted Amazon money working at places that were not Amazon and weren’t in downtown. If you want Seattle limits money, you had to work in Seattle (for the most part). Salary negotiation was just ridiculous sometimes. Everything was compared to Amazon and it skewed the numbers. Keep in mind when negotiating salary to exclude the outliers when you’re trying to figure out what market rate is. If you want Amazon money, you’ve got to work at Amazon.

    1. Just stoppin' by to chat*

      I currently live in the Seattle-area (actually born and raised here), and work for a software company that competes with Amazon in some areas. It’s possible I would make more at Amazon, but no way in heck do I want to leave my current comoany! Agreed though that the local tech companies and their salaries are quite different than the rest of the industries in the area!

  9. Elizabeth West*

    Salaries are often non-negotiable in lower-level jobs, but it’s handy to know if you’re trying to make a change, especially the salary research. I do wish companies would be more upfront about it.
    Plus, if you’re trying for a job in a higher-COL area, it’s really helpful to know if it’s even possible to live there on what they’re paying without having 500 roommates or sleeping in a closet (that’s a rant for another day).

  10. Laura*

    I’m currently being paid X, which I know makes me fairly underpaid for my role considering I have a couple of years’ experience (starting salaries for similar roles tend to be between X-5% and X+13%, roles in the same field requiring levels of technical expertise I don’t have tend to pay between X+65% and X+90%).

    I recently applied for a role advertised at X+18% (huge employer with amazing budget), made it clear I’d been underpaid for a while and was looking to realign with market rates, and told the recruiter I’d be looking for at least X+27%, ideally closer to X+42%.

    I just got the offer of X+42%. Struggling to believe it!

  11. Mbarr*

    The irony… I JUST got a call this morning offering me a job, and the call was to start salary discussions.

    I asked for another $10k on my original ask, because the interview made the job sound much more high level than I originally thought it was. Plus, I was told by an HR person to always ask for $5k more than what you want… So fingers crossed! I should hear back by end of week.

  12. Karen from Finance*

    For when they ask you about your own salary expectations: the other time I tried a script I read somewhere on this site (or was it the podcast?). I said “Oh, actually my current salary is below market and though not the main, it’s one of the reasons I’m looking at the possibility of leaving”. And then I gave a bit of context to why I’m earning below market right now.

    I recommend this script. It worked, they didn’t push. (It’s also true).

    1. Karen from Finance*

      I meant to say: for when they ask you how much you are making right now.

      Of course you should have salary expectations.

      1. Lucyloo*

        I feel lucky that I work in a state that has made it illegal to ask what you’re making now.

      2. Mbarr*

        I used a variation of this script this morning too! Hopefully it works out. I wish I had been less caught off guard by the call.

        I applied to a tech job in a tech company… However, right now I work in a large IT company, but I’m in the Finance department. Therefore we don’t make as much money as people in the IT departments/R&D departments make. So for them to ask my current salary isn’t fair. (I know of colleagues who moved from our own internal finance teams to the IT department, and got $20k increases to bring them in line with their new coworkers.)

  13. Fortitude Jones*

    Great advice as always, Alison. I hope I get to use this soon. I phone screened last Wednesday with a company that said they’d be in touch with me either this Wednesday, Friday at the latest, if the hiring manager was interested in bringing me in to meet the team – the HR rep contacted me yesterday afternoon and said he was very impressed with my skill set and wants to meet next Wednesday morning! This position is a proposal management role that pays between $80-90k, and I planned to ask for a number in the middle of the range based on some responsibilities that were added that aren’t typically required in the role, and now I have an idea of how to approach this.

    Also, I phone screened with a company Monday morning that, shockingly, told me what the range was for the proposal management position they’re hiring for is – they’re offering between $60-75k, and they’re in the same industry as the company I mentioned above. Same roles, totally different salary ranges. This is why I’m hesitant to state a range myself when asked because my position can pay anything it seems.

    1. Lily in NYC*

      My position is the same way! I’m an executive assistant, and the salary range is ridiculous – I’ve seen a range from 30K – 200K. I no longer wait to be offered a job before asking the range. If that offends them, tough noogies.

      1. Fortitude Jones*

        I agree. I’ve decided to just be upfront with it at this point because I’m in a comfortable position now, don’t need to move along anytime soon, so if they get upset, I can always x them off the list and move onto the next. In fact, I just did that to another company I spoke to last Thursday. It’s a totally different experience negotiating when you’re not too dependent on the outcome.

        1. Lily in NYC*

          I actually wrote in to Alison about this a couple of years ago and she responded! She said that it’s fine to ask and to try to spin it like you don’t want to waste their time if we are on wildly different pages. I agree it’s so much easier to negotiate and stand strong when you aren’t desperate. I have gotten most of my EA jobs through recruiters, which is helpful because they know my requirements and only offer interviews for the jobs that pay well.

  14. Abigael*

    I recently got a job offer via phone call from the company’s CFO. I said thank you, and that I was really enthusiastic and excited about the job, and then said, “Is there any flexibility on the salary?” (They offered me the lowest possible salary on their stated range). The CFO’s immediately said “no” and her attitude towards me totally changed after that. I also asked for a later start date (my industry standard is 3 weeks, and I asked for a month so I could have a week off between jobs). The CFO said I’d need to talk to the hiring manager, and told me to call the next day. When I called the HM, she was rude and cold to me on the phone, and said she was questioning if I was the right fit for the company due to my “concerns and “push-back” about salary and start date. She didn’t pull the offer, but seemed like she really wanted to, and I ended up turning down the job for that reason, even though I initially had every intention of accepting.

    Anyway…did I do something wrong here? I really didn’t think I was being combative or giving push-back. I was just asking questions that I thought were pretty standard-practice, but apparently it really soured the company’s opinion of me…

    1. Lily Rowan*

      You did not do anything wrong! And that does seem like a red flag on their part, although I have had testy negotiations (as the hiring manager) that turned in to a great working relationship, so I wouldn’t have pulled out of the situation, if that were the only reddish flag. (And you could work with the salary they did offer.)

    2. Environmental Compliance*

      I don’t think you did anything wrong, I think the company was a bit too harsh in how they handled a perfectly normal series of questions about salary.

    3. KHB*

      Sounds to me like you dodged a bullet. If they’d just said, “No, sorry, this is our best offer,” that would have been one thing, but to give you crap for even asking? It sounds like maybe passive-aggressiveness is the social currency at that workplace in general – as in, they discourage people from standing up for themselves by socially punishing those who do – and I know I wouldn’t want to work for a place like that.

      2. Fortitude Jones*

        Exactly. I once asked if it was possible to start at a later date when I accepted a position years ago as a claims adjuster. My manager said something to the effect of, “Sorry, we need you to start at the same time as our other new hire.” It made things easier from a training perspective and we were starting a couple of weeks before Christmas, so she wanted to make sure he and I were both in the system before everyone left on break. She was perfectly pleasant in her response – no attitude to be found – and I agreed to the original start date and had a wonderful time working for her. This really didn’t need to become A Thing, OP. Sorry this happened to you.

    4. ArtK*

      You did nothing wrong. You just ran into some people who felt that you should be grateful for any crumbs they might give you. As Alison says, you’ll run into folks like that occasionally. Frankly, you dodged a bullet (or the bullet dodged you.) You don’t want to work for people like that.

    5. Lucyloo*

      As others have said, you dodged a bullet! People are generally on their best behavior when trying to bring someone on board, so their behavior and treatment of you was only going to go downhill from there.

      What you were asking for was 100% reasonable. How are 5 business days so monumentally crucial to their operations that they would consider that “pushback”? How is it combating to be seeking fair pay?

      They’re jerks.

      1. Abigael*

        Thanks, everyone, for your feedback on this. I have been really in my head about it, wondering if I did something major to mess it up, so it’s reassuring to hear outside perspectives. I was actually planning to take the job as-is, even without flexibility for start date or salary, but when the Hiring Manager kept reiterating her doubt for whether I’m a “good fit for the company,” it made me feel like I’d already gotten off on the wrong foot with her, and that she would be watching for me to mess up, instead of trying to help me succeed.

  15. Lily Rowan*

    I love negotiating the offer! It just feels so easy and straightforward — but I guess I have to have a lot of difficult conversations in my actual job. “We’d like to offer you the job! At $X.” “YAY! But I was hoping for $X+10K.” “OK, here’s $X+$5K.” “YAY!!!!”

  16. Anne_Not_Carrot*

    This is so timely! I’m interviewing for a position on Thursday and I’ve had a really hard time figuring out average salary. It’s very all over the place for this kind of job (philanthropy director of a corporate foundation.) I gave a range in the pre-interview questions but I’m still worried that the number easily could have been double – or they could be thinking half that amount! I really wish more places would just post a range.

  17. AwkwardTurtle*

    Perfect timing! I got a phone call yesterday with a low ball offer and noted that the salary was a sticking point. It was about $8K less than what I make now and $6K less than the desired salary I specified on their application. I told them I would email them my current salary because I couldn’t remember the exact number off of my head. But instead I emailed them for a written offer with details on salary and benefits. Hopefully they’ll crunch their numbers and send me something better! Should I provide my actual salary in response or just leave things open ended in terms of numbers?

    1. WellRed*

      Do not give them your salary if you can avoid it. It has no bearing on what THEY should pay you.

    2. TL*

      Why not just phrase it as, “I really couldn’t see leaving my current role for less than $X.” That sort of implies you make more than that now but doesn’t give anything away, and you can name whatever number you actually want.

  18. CupcakeCounter*

    Good timing as I have decided to throw my hat in the ring for a couple of positions as well as talk with my boss about an internal promotion that would align with her vision for our department (would be a mix of my current role and a few of her pet projects that I happen to be really really good at). I might have a shot since she had a look of extreme panic when we were discussing an issue that came up a month or so back and I said that I seriously thought about walking out since it wasn’t the first incident like that.

  19. Long Time Reader, First Time Poster*

    Good tips in this thread. A few more that have served me well:

    1) I won’t respond in the moment. If I get an offer over the phone or in person, I will ask for two things — a written offer letter (email is fine) outlining all the details of the offer, and to for the opportunity to get back to them with my response/counter-offer the next business day. It’s not hard — I thank them for the offer and say I’d like to sleep on it before giving them a response. Nobody has ever said no to either request, and I’d rethink things if they did.

    2) My counter offer usually goes something like “I’m really excited about the offer, but I was hoping the salary would come in somewhere around X” — and my X = their offer + 2x the increase I want. So, if the offer is for 50K and I want 55K, I say 60K for X. Most times I’ve done this, the hiring manager will offer to “meet me in the middle” which is perfect.

    3) If there’s no further wiggle room on salary, I ask for more vacation! That’s more valuable to me than a few extra bucks a week anyway.

    1. Marion the Librarian*

      The first point is really helpful! I was surprised by an offer the other day (I’ve interviewed at several places recently), and asked for a few days to think it over. But I wasn’t sure how to ask for the whole written outline of benefits since they were vague about them in our interviews.

      1. Long Time Reader, First Time Poster*

        I ask for them to include all details of the compensation package in the offer letter, including specific details about PTO. If they don’t include it, I write back and ask them to update it. I might be kind of a hardass about this! But I really think it’s important to get it all in writing before I accept, and any manager that balks at doing it is providing me with some pretty clear information…

      2. Myka Bering*

        This is where I’m stuck as well. I’m in the final phases of interviewing at a couple different companies, and hope an offer will be forthcoming soon. But I don’t know when to ask about PTO, holidays, insurance, etc. The total package is more important to me than just salary.

        1. TL*

          Ask about it alongside the offer. Something like this: “Could you please send me the full benefits information? I’d like to evaluate the full package together.”

        2. Helena*

          The benefits thing is crazy-making, but recruiters don’t seem to understand math during salary discussions (or are playing dumb). I can accept a lower salary if the company medical insurance covers my spouse and kids, or I would need a higher salary if the company medical insurance doesn’t cover spouses and kids. Or, same thing if the company pays 100% of the insurance costs vs. 50% of the insurance costs. The difference can be $10-15K per year. Is it really that hard to understand?

  20. Small but Fierce*

    I provided a range for a recent interview I was in, but after the interview I thought about it and realized I would need more money to compensate for increased hours and losing the flexibility that comes with my fully remote position. Hopefully it won’t look terrible if I ask for more than my range if I get an offer.

  21. Monstera*

    Wondering what folks’ experiences have been in negotiating a salary when you have been offered the top end of a published range. And for hiring managers, what would be your response if a candidate asks for something higher than the published range?

  22. JD*

    I just got an offer this morning (yay!!!) and tried to negotiate salary. I can’t stop myself internally freaking out. It’s quite a problem. The internal monologue of, maybe I should have phrased it better, actually mentioned how excited I was instead of just gratitude, ugh. It’s tougher because I know I would take the initial offer without the ask, but I don’t want to leave money on the table.
    Time to wait, I suppose.

  23. Krickets*

    Any tips on how to negotiate for a job at a state university or state agency? Why is it that they have bands and ranges but only offer to you at the lower percentile? It’s like it’s wrong to ask for pay in the median or higher percentile. So confusing!

    1. Dr Wizard, PhD*

      Sometimes it’s because the pay range for a role is 30-50k, but what that actually means is that you start on 30k and progress towards 50k in annual increments over the next 15 years or so.

      The thing to do in this case is to make a case to start on a higher step than an initial recruit would. This is normal enough if you have more experience than expected for the role. If the role is normally recruited right out of college and you have 5 years’ relevant post-college experience, it’s reasonable to ask if you can start at the 5-year point of their scale.

      Some places will still say no (my current employer only ever recruits people at step one these days, for budget reasons), but it’s a very reasonable request.

      1. Krickets*

        Dr Wizard, thank you so much for this tip! This possibility did not even cross my mind.

  24. 4Sina*

    Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with a young woman who will be graduating in May and who was at my place of business preparing for a job interview across town. She needed to borrow a charger for her phone so she could navigate there, and while it charged we chatted about her interviews and what she wanted to do career-wise. As luck would have it, during this time she received an email from her top choice offering her a position, and I was the first to know about it (she did call her folks after her phone got to a certain percent, though). She had never had an office job before, and was concerned about things like salary negotiation and office etiquette. I have never been more pleased to recommend she seek out AAM.

  25. Organized Curiosity*

    I just –literally today — successfully negotiated a higher offer (I would have taken the original #, but asked for 5% more) and gleefully accepted the job when they met the request (note that I was gleeful on the inside and professionally enthusiastic on the outside). I give 100% of the credit for this to the negotiation advice I’ve learned on AAM. Alison’s podcast on this topic (https://www.askamanager.org/2018/04/what-should-a-salary-negotiation-sound-like.html) was particularly useful (and awesome); I’m pretty sure I used one of her suggested scripts verbatim!

  26. CourtJ*

    This was perfect timing. I got an offer yesterday for a job I really wanted but at a lateral salary level. I’d never negotiated salary before, but managed to get them to increase it slightly with a review promised for 6 months. It’s still slightly below what I was hoping, but pretty high for the field with good benefits and a 5 minute walk from my house (saving enough on transportation to basically make up the difference to the number I asked for).

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