Most candidates accept the first offer. Most employers expect some negotiation and have room for it. That gap is where a lot of money goes unclaimed.
Before you negotiate anything
Get the offer in writing. All of it — base, bonus structure, benefits, start date, title. Negotiating against a verbal summary is negotiating against something that can change.
Say thank you, and ask for time. A couple of days is entirely normal. An employer who refuses to give you any has told you something useful about how they operate.
Work out what you actually want. Base salary is the obvious thing but not always the most available. Sometimes a signing bonus, additional leave, a review date, or a title is easier for the employer to agree than a higher base.
Know the number before the conversation
Be able to justify what you are asking for.
Useful inputs: published ranges for comparable roles in that market, what you are currently paid, what the recruiter told you about the range, and what other processes have produced for you.
"I was hoping for more" is not a position. "Based on what I have seen for similar roles in this market, and the scope we discussed, I was looking for X" is.
How to actually say it
Keep it short, specific, and warm. The most common mistake is over-explaining — long justifications read as apologetic and invite a negotiation about your reasoning rather than the number.
Something like:
> "Thank you, I am genuinely pleased and I want to accept. Before I do — based on the scope we discussed and what I have seen for comparable roles, I was hoping for X. Is there room to get closer to that?"
Then stop talking. The silence after a request is where people damage their own position by filling it.
What to do with the response
They agree. Confirm in writing and accept.
They partially agree. Usually the outcome. Decide whether the gap matters enough to push again. Normally it does not — one further ask on something small, like a review at six months, is reasonable.
They cannot move on base but offer something else. Often genuine, particularly in organisations with banded salary structures. A signing bonus or an early review can be worth more than it looks.
They say no, firmly. Accept it gracefully. "Understood, thank you for checking" and then make your decision on the original offer. Pushing after a clear no damages the start of the relationship.
Things worth negotiating beyond salary
- Start date, if you want a break between roles
- A review at six months, with criteria written down
- Additional leave, which is often easier to grant than salary
- Remote or hybrid arrangement, confirmed in writing rather than assumed
- A training or conference budget
- Title, which costs the employer nothing and affects your next move
What not to do
Negotiate before you have the offer. It reads as presumptuous and can cost you the offer entirely.
Invent a competing offer. Sometimes called, and recruitment markets are smaller than people think.
Negotiate repeatedly. One considered ask, maybe a small second. A third makes the employer wonder what they are getting into.
Accept and then try to renegotiate. This damages the relationship before you start.
If you are working through a recruiter
Use them. A good recruiter knows the client's flexibility, has probably had the conversation before, and is motivated to close the gap — they are paid on the placement.
Tell them your number honestly and early. A recruiter who finds out at offer stage that you wanted twenty per cent more has been set up to fail, and so have you.
Where to start
Decide your number before the offer arrives, not after. Negotiating well requires knowing what you want, and working that out under time pressure with an offer in front of you is the worst moment to start.
Sizanid handles offer conversations as part of every placement, and we tell clients early when a package is below market. [Browse our open roles](https://jobs.sizanidstaffing.com).
