How to Negotiate Salary: Scripts, Tips, and What to Say at Every Stage

TL;DR

• 73% of employers expect you to negotiate, yet only 42% of workers aged 18–34 actually do (Procurement Tactics 2025).

• Among those who negotiate, 66% receive a higher offer — with an average increase of 18.8%.

• Negotiating your starting salary can mean roughly $600,000 more in lifetime earnings over a 30-year career (Linda Babcock, Carnegie Mellon).

• This guide gives you word-for-word scripts for new job offers, raise conversations, and the dreaded "What are your salary expectations?" interview question.

An Externship is a short, real-world professional experience where you work on a company project with guided support from an industry mentor. Having one on your resume strengthens your negotiating position by proving you can deliver real results. Explore Externships that strengthen your negotiating position →

Why Should You Negotiate Your Salary?

Here's what's wild. 73% of employers expect candidates to negotiate. They're sitting there waiting for you to push back. But only 42% of workers between 18 and 34 actually do it.

So most companies are budgeting for a negotiation that never happens. And they're keeping the difference.

The data on what happens when people do ask is almost frustrating to read. Among those who negotiate, 66% get a higher offer. The average bump? 18.8%. On a $68,700 starting salary, which is the Class of 2025 average per NACE, that's roughly $12,900 extra in your first year. For one conversation.

But the real number that gets me is this one. Linda Babcock, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon, found that not negotiating your starting salary costs you approximately $600,000 over a 30-year career. Not because of one missed raise. Because every future raise, every bonus, every 401(k) match is calculated as a percentage of your base. A low starting number follows you for decades.

And look, the reasons people skip the conversation are totally valid. Fear of seeming greedy. Worry that the offer gets pulled. Not knowing what to say. But the facts don't care about the anxiety. Employers expect it. People who ask get more. That's the pattern.

Understanding why entry-level jobs require experience in the first place helps you see why your skills have genuine market value. You're not begging. You're pricing yourself accurately.

How Do You Research Your Market Value?

You can't negotiate if you don't have numbers. Before any compensation conversation, spend 30 minutes doing homework. That's all it takes.

Step 1: Check multiple salary databases. One source isn't enough. Use at least three:

• Glassdoor for reported salaries by job title, company, and location

• Levels.fyi for tech roles with detailed comp breakdowns

• Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook for government-verified medians

• Payscale for adjustments based on experience, education, and geography

Step 2: Aim for the 50th to 75th percentile. Don't just find the median and stop there. If you've got relevant experience, an Externship, or a project portfolio, you should be targeting the upper half of the range. The median is for people with zero differentiators.

Step 3: Write down what makes you different. What are you bringing that a generic applicant doesn't? The skills you put on your resume matter here. Technical skills, completed projects, industry knowledge. Each concrete thing you can point to moves you up.

For reference, NACE puts the Class of 2025 average starting salary at $68,700. But that's across all majors and all industries. Your number could be well above or below that depending on your field, location, and what you've actually done.

Build real-world experience that strengthens your market value →

How Do You Negotiate Salary for a New Job Offer?

This is the moment where most people freeze up. You got the offer. You're excited. And now you're supposed to ask for more money without somehow ruining everything?

You won't ruin anything. Here's the play.

Step 1: Don't respond right away. Thank them and buy yourself time. Say: "Thank you so much. I'm really excited about this. Could I take a day or two to review the full offer?" That's it. Completely normal.

Step 2: When you come back, lead with enthusiasm. Hiring managers are people. They want to know you actually want the job before they go to bat for you on budget.

Step 3: Name a specific number. Not a range. Ranges hurt you because the employer anchors to the bottom. If the offer is $65,000 and your research says $72,000 is fair, ask for $72,000.

Step 4: Back it up. Reference your research, your qualifications, and the value you'll bring.

Here's what this actually sounds like:

Script for phone or video:

Script for email:

Both scripts do the same things: gratitude first, then a specific number, then a collaborative tone. You're not demanding anything. You're proposing. And you're making it easy for them to say yes.

One more thing. After any negotiation conversation, send a thank you email. It keeps the relationship strong and reminds them you're a professional.

How Do You Answer "What Are Your Salary Expectations?"

This question shows up in interviews, sometimes before you even know if you want the job. It's designed to set an anchor. And if you go first with a low number, you're stuck with it.

The move: deflect early, anchor late.

Early in the process, you genuinely don't have enough info to name a fair number. The role might have responsibilities that weren't in the job posting. The benefits might be worth $10,000 on their own. You need the full picture.

Script to deflect early:

That flips it. Many states now require salary transparency in postings, so there's a decent chance they'll tell you the range anyway.

But what if they press you? What if you're deep in the process and they won't move forward without a number?

Script to anchor when you have to give a number:

Notice the word "targeting." Not "hoping for." Not "I'd be happy with." Targeting. Small word choice, big signal.

What If the Employer Says the Salary Is Firm?

Don't panic. "The salary is firm" doesn't mean the conversation is over. It means one line item is locked. But total compensation has a lot of other parts, and most of them are negotiable.

Here's where to redirect:

• Signing bonus. This one surprises people. 42% of new hires received signing bonuses in 2025, according to NACE. It's way more common than you'd think, especially for roles that are hard to fill.

• Extra PTO. Even 3 to 5 additional vacation days per year has real monetary value. And it costs the company less than a salary bump.

• Remote or hybrid flexibility. If the job was listed as in-office, asking for one or two remote days per week is a reasonable ask.

• Job title. "Analyst II" instead of "Analyst" affects your future earning power and how recruiters search for you. Titles compound, weirdly.

• Earlier performance review. Ask for a salary review at six months instead of twelve. This shortens the clock to your next raise.

• Professional development budget. Conference attendance, certifications, online courses. This one's good because it makes you more valuable, which gives you better ammunition for next time.

• Equity or stock options. More relevant at startups and tech companies, but if it's available, equity can end up being worth more than salary over time.

The framing matters. You're not complaining about the offer. You're adding to it. Something like: "I understand the base salary is set. Would it be possible to include a signing bonus of $[X] given the experience I'm bringing?"

How Do You Ask for a Raise at Your Current Job?

Asking for a raise is a totally different animal than negotiating a new offer. You're not comparing competing options. You're making a case based on what you've already delivered. And honestly, I think this one scares people even more than negotiating with a new employer.

Timing is everything. Good times to ask: right after a big project win, during annual review cycles, when you've absorbed responsibilities from a departing colleague, or when your role has clearly outgrown its original job description. Bad times: during company layoffs, right after a missed quarter, or when your boss just got bad news about something unrelated. Read the room.

Build your case before you walk in. Start keeping a "brag document." I know the name sounds silly, but it works. It's a running list of your wins, positive feedback you've gotten, projects you shipped, and metrics you've moved. Quantify everything. "Increased customer retention by 12%" is ten times more persuasive than "helped with retention."

Script for asking for a raise:

See the structure? Appreciation, evidence, ask, justification. No apologizing. No hedging. Just a professional case, delivered calmly.

What Mistakes Do New Grads Make When Negotiating Salary?

The biggest mistake is the one everyone already knows about: not negotiating at all. NACE data shows 53% of employers are open to negotiating entry-level salaries. When you don't ask, you're leaving money on the table that the company literally budgeted to give you.

But there are four more that trip people up constantly.

Mistake 1: Apologizing or hedging. "I'm sorry, but..." or "I don't know if this is reasonable, but..." These phrases tell the hiring manager you don't believe your own number. Just say the number. You don't need to apologize for having a conversation about money.

Mistake 2: Giving a range instead of a specific number. When you say "I'm looking for $65,000 to $75,000," the employer hears $65,000. Period. Name one number. Make it precise. $72,000 lands differently than "low seventies."

Mistake 3: Lying about competing offers. It's tempting. But it backfires. Hiring managers talk to each other. Industries are smaller than you think. Getting caught destroys your credibility permanently. If you have a real competing offer, mention it. If you don't, lean on your market research instead.

Mistake 4: Accepting verbally without reviewing the full offer. Benefits, equity, PTO, start date, title. All of that affects your total compensation. Ask for everything in writing. Take at least a day to review it. Nobody expects you to say yes on the spot, and if they do, that's actually a red flag.

So what if you're worried you don't have enough experience to negotiate from a strong position? That's a fixable problem. Read about how to get a job with no experience. And consider building your portfolio through Externships, which give you real company projects you can reference by name in a salary conversation.

For a deeper look at negotiation strategies built specifically for recent graduates, check out Extern's guide on how to negotiate salary as a new grad.

FAQs

Should you negotiate salary for your first job?

Yes. 53% of employers are open to negotiating entry-level salaries, and 73% of employers expect candidates to try. Even a small increase compounds over your entire career. The worst realistic outcome is the employer says no and keeps the original offer on the table.

How much higher should you counter offer?

Counter 10–20% above the initial offer for most roles. For entry-level positions, 10–15% is standard. Always use a specific number (like $72,000) rather than a range. Ranges let the employer anchor to your lowest acceptable number.

Can negotiating salary cost you the job?

It's extremely rare for a professional, respectful negotiation to result in a rescinded offer. Employers expect it. If a company pulls an offer because you politely asked about salary flexibility, that's a signal about the workplace culture, not a mistake you made.

When is the best time to negotiate salary?

After you have a written offer but before you've signed anything. That's when the company has already decided they want you and has invested time and money in the hiring process. Avoid bringing up salary before an offer is on the table whenever possible.

How do you negotiate salary over email?

Lead with enthusiasm and gratitude. State your proposed number with a brief rationale based on market data and your specific qualifications. Keep it to 3–5 sentences. Offer to discuss further on a call. Email gives you time to choose your words carefully and creates a written record.

What if you don't know the salary range?

Research before you negotiate. Use Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, Payscale, and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook to find the 50th–75th percentile for the role, industry, and location. If the employer asks for your number first, deflect and ask for their budgeted range. Never walk into a negotiation without data.