How to Negotiate Salary After a Job Offer (With Scripts)
Short answer: almost always negotiate, even a little — most employers build room into their first offer, and the majority of people who ask for more get at least some of it. The risk of a good-faith counter costing you the offer is much lower than most candidates fear. Here's the exact sequence.
Never negotiate on the spot
When an offer comes in — by phone or email — thank them, express genuine enthusiasm, and ask for 24–48 hours to review it in full (comp, benefits, start date). This isn't stalling; it's standard practice, and it gives you time to build a real counter instead of improvising under pressure.
Anchor with a number, not a feeling
"I was hoping for something closer to $X" beats "I feel like this is a bit low." Pick a number based on real market data for your role, level, and location — not a round number pulled from nowhere. If you have a competing offer or a strong data point, you can cite it without needing to reveal exact figures from another employer.
A simple counter script
"Thank you again for the offer — I'm genuinely excited about this role. Based on my research into market rates for this position and level, I was hoping we could get closer to $X. Is there flexibility there?" This is direct, polite, and puts the ball back in their court without an ultimatum.
Negotiate the whole package, not just base
If base salary genuinely has no room (sometimes true at large companies with fixed bands), ask about sign-on bonus, additional PTO, remote/hybrid flexibility, a faster performance-review cycle, or a title adjustment — all of these have real value and more flexibility than base pay in many companies.
Know when to stop
If they come back with "this is our final offer" and it's a reasonable improvement on the original number, take it gracefully — a second round of pushing past that point risks souring the relationship before you've even started. One thoughtful counter is normal; three rounds of haggling is not.
Frequently asked questions
Will I lose the offer if I try to negotiate?
Extremely unlikely in most professional roles — employers expect some negotiation and typically build room into the initial number. Rescinded offers over a reasonable, polite counter are rare and usually a sign the employer would have been a difficult one to work for anyway.
What if I don't have a competing offer to leverage?
You don't need one — market-rate research (from sites that publish real compensation data) is a legitimate, sufficient basis for a counter on its own.
Should I give the first number?
Where possible, let them name the range first — if you're asked directly, give a researched range rather than a single number, anchored slightly above your real target.