Nearly every offer has room, because the number in it was chosen by someone who expected you to ask. Most people do not ask, and the recruiter's own data says so. One ask, specific, with a reason from the market, made politely on a call within two days of the offer, gets a better number more often than not and costs an offer almost never. Two things lose offers: a bluff about another offer that does not exist, and an ask that keeps moving after they said yes. Everything else in this guide is the one ask, done well.
Key points
- Ask once, for a specific number, with a reason from the market. Not "can you do better".
- Within two days of the offer, on a call, after thanking them and saying you want the role.
- Ten to fifteen percent above the offer is the normal ask when the market supports it.
- If the base will not move, trade: signing bonus, start date, review date, title, holiday, equity.
- Never bluff a competing offer. Never reopen after you said yes.
Why there is room
A recruiter makes an offer inside a band the manager approved. The first number is rarely the top of the band, because the recruiter expects a counter and wants room to say yes. If you accept the first number, the room goes unused. The company does not thank you for it. The ask is expected, and a candidate who asks once, well, is read as someone who knows their worth, which is a thing they were hiring for.
The exceptions: a government pay scale, a union grade, a graduate scheme with a fixed number, and a company that says "this is our top and we do not negotiate" and means it, which some do and will say in the first call.
One ask, one number, one reason. Then stop.
The ask
A number, not a question. "Can you do better?" invites "no". "I would be glad to accept at 112" invites a yes, a counter, or a reason.
The reason is from the market, not from your rent. The wages page on this site has the median for the occupation and the state. The board has the ranges other employers are posting for the title. The H-1B page has what this employer declared it pays for the title, where it has. One of those is the sentence after the number.
Ten to fifteen percent above the offer is the usual ask when the data supports it. Above that needs a real competing offer or a real market gap.
The call
Within two days. On a call, not in email, because a call lets them say "let me check" and come back, and because tone carries.
"Thank you for the offer. I want to say first that I want this role, and I am going to accept it. One thing before I do. The offer is at 98. From the data I see for this title in [place], and given [the one thing you bring], I was expecting closer to 112. Is there room to get there?"
Then silence. Let them answer. The answer is yes, a number in between, or a reason it cannot move. A number in between is a yes. A reason is the cue for the trade.
Write the result in an email the same day: "Thank you for the call. To confirm: base 108, start date the 3rd, review at six months." The letter follows the email.
The trades
When the base cannot move, something else usually can:
| Trade | What to ask | Typical room |
|---|---|---|
| Signing bonus | A one-time payment to close the gap this year | Often the easiest yes, because it does not raise the band |
| Review date | A compensation review at six months instead of twelve, with the number named | Costs them nothing now |
| Start date | A later start, or an earlier one if you need the income | Flexible at most companies |
| Title | One step up, when the work justifies it | Matters more than it seems for the next search |
| Holiday | Extra days, or starting with the full allowance | Easy at companies with a policy for it |
| Equity | More options, or a shorter cliff | At startups, where cash is the scarce thing |
| Remote days | A written arrangement, not a verbal one | Cheap for them, and worth getting in the letter |
Ask for one or two. A list of six reads as a different ask than the one you made.
The two mistakes
The bluff. "I have another offer at 120" when you do not. Recruiters ask for the letter, or call the bluff by saying "take it", and either way the offer is at risk. A real competing offer is the strongest card there is. A fake one is the only way to lose the hand.
The reopen. You said yes at 108. Two days later you ask about the signing bonus. The offer is now being reconsidered by a manager who feels played. Everything is one conversation. Decide the full ask before the call.
When they say no
"This is the top of the band" from a recruiter who means it is the end of the base conversation and the start of the trades. If nothing moves, the decision is the one the guide on evaluating an offer covers: the role, the people, the number, against the other rows in the tracker. An offer that will not move is still an offer, and most of them are good ones.
The market pages, on this site
The number in the ask comes from the wages page, the board's posted ranges, and the H-1B page. Open them before the call and have three figures written down: the median, the top of posted ranges for the title in the place, and the employer's own declared wage if it has one. The sentence after the number is one of those.
Questions
Will asking lose the offer?
Almost never, when it is one ask with a reason, made after saying you want the role. The two mistakes above are the ways it happens.
Do I negotiate a first job?
Yes, the same way, once, and the room is smaller. A signing bonus or a review date is often the yes for a junior offer.
What if the recruiter asks for my number first?
Give it, from the market. The guide on salary expectations has the range. The negotiation then happens inside it.
How long can I take to answer an offer?
A week is normal. Say the date you will answer by, and answer by it. The guide on evaluating an offer has what to do with the week.
Can I negotiate by email?
You can, and it works less well. If the call is impossible, the same script in four sentences, with the number and the reason.