Salary negotiation: what to ask for and how to say it
Negotiation is mostly a few sentences said calmly: the number, the reason, and what you do when they say no. People who get more have usually said those sentences before.
These guides give you the words and the numbers, and let you rehearse against someone who deflects, stalls and counters.
Rehearse: Salary review with your managerRehearse: Negotiating a new offerRehearse: Asking for an overdue raise
Practice guides
- How to Ask for a Promotion: Scripts and RehearsalPromotion conversations work best when you leave with a decision, a named gap list, or a dated route to approval. Use a 15-minute preparation sprint to define the target role, select three evidence points, and write questions about missing criteria and timing. In the meeting, state the role you want, connect your current scope to measurable results, and ask who makes the final decision. If your manager says “not yet,” request the specific gap, evidence required, and a three-to-six-month review window. If extra work replaces a promotion decision, ask who will assess it and when. Rehearse the…
- How to Negotiate a Job Offer: What to Say Out LoudJob-offer negotiation works best with one ranked request, one fallback and a clear deadline. Open with: “Thank you for the offer. I’m genuinely interested in the role. I’d like time to review the full package, then discuss two points before I decide.” Anchor your counteroffer to role scope, relevant results and reliable market evidence, then pause. If salary is fixed, trade for one priority such as a signing bonus, review timing, flexibility or professional development instead of listing every preference. Check total compensation carefully: benefits can add 25–40% to salary value, while a…
Interview questions
Guides and articles
- Get the Raise: Salary Negotiation Script with Three AI RehearsalsSay your number once, back it with one proof point, then stop. Rehearse in three 10 minute AI sessions and turn offers into higher pay.
- Asking for a Pay Rise During a Pay Freeze: Scripts That WorkA pay freeze doesn't have to mean walking away empty-handed, but it does mean changing what you're asking for. This piece breaks down exactly what to say when your manager cites a frozen budget, starting with a two-part line that accepts the freeze while pushing for a named approver and a written review date. It covers the exception process most freezes quietly carry (federal law enforcement still saw 3.8% raises under a "governmentwide" freeze), a cash-equivalent menu ranking banding reviews above bonuses and leave, and the four things a deferred-raise agreement must specify in writing…
- How to Handle a Counter Offer Conversation: Exact ScriptsA counter-offer conversation should start with a pause, not a promise: “Thank you for putting this forward. Please send the full terms in writing, and I’ll respond after I’ve reviewed them.” Use a second question to test whether the offer solves the real problem: “What problem do you believe this offer solves?” Ask for salary, effective date, title, scope, reporting line, development plan, flexibility, benefits, equity and bonus terms. Replace vague promises such as “next cycle” with a month, decision-maker and written commitment. Score money, growth, manager, workload and flexibility from…
- How to Handle a Counter Offer Conversation: Exact ScriptsA salary counteroffer conversation needs a calm boundary before you discuss money: “Thank you for putting this forward. I’m willing to consider it, but I won’t decide in this meeting.” Request the complete proposal in writing, including salary, effective date, bonus terms, title, reporting line, workload and working arrangements. Use a 24-hour review period when practical, and keep your original notice position unchanged while you assess the offer. Compare confirmed terms with the role you accepted, marking each item written, approved, dated or verbal. A higher salary does not fix unclear…
- Negotiating Without a Competing Offer: A Practical GuideNegotiating without a competing offer works best when you replace rival-offer leverage with a clear scope, market and switching-cost case. Ask where the offer sits in the approved range before naming a figure, then make one evidence-based counter tied to a specific responsibility or result. Bring data from at least two compensation sources, adjust for level, location and total package, and separate uncertain equity from cash. Use this script: “I’m keen to join. Based on the role’s scope and the market data I reviewed, could we move the base to amount? If base is fixed, I’d like to discuss…