Negotiating salary in an interview: method and arguments

Learn how to negotiate your salary in an interview: research your range, anchor with the right numbers, handle the offer and counter-offer, and answer the current-salary question.

Salary negotiation intimidates a lot of candidates. Afraid of looking greedy or derailing the process, most people accept the first offer. Yet a few thousand negotiated at hiring shapes your entire salary trajectory afterwards.

Negotiating well is not about nerve, it is about preparation. This guide walks through the method with one worked case from research to the exact sentence — plus the moments most advice skips: the written offer, the counter-offer, and the current-salary question.

Research the market

Before any discussion, you need to know what your role is worth in your market. Without a reference point you risk asking for far too little, or for a number disconnected from reality.

Cross-check several sources rather than trusting one: aggregator sites such as Glassdoor and Payscale, LinkedIn Salary, and — for tech roles — Levels.fyi. Add similar postings that publish a salary, and conversations with people in your network who do the job. Adjust for your city and your years of experience: the same title can pay very differently two hundred kilometres apart.

The goal is a credible range for your role, your level and your location — not a single magic number.

Set your numbers

From that research, fix three things before the interview, in this order:

1. Your walk-away minimum: the number below which you decline. It stays private — you never say it out loud.
2. Your target: the number you actually want, sitting comfortably inside your researched range.
3. The range you will state: its bottom is your target, its top runs about 8–10% above.

That last rule is the whole anchoring strategy. A negotiation naturally pulls towards the bottom of whatever range you name — so if the bottom is your target, the pull works for you instead of against you. Never state a range whose bottom you would be disappointed to get.

A worked case: Maya, marketing manager

Maya has five years' experience and is interviewing for a marketing manager role. She checks Glassdoor, Payscale and LinkedIn Salary for the title in her city, filters for her experience level, and asks two people in her network what the local market pays. Her own research converges on roughly $68–75k in her market.

She sets her numbers from that: walk-away minimum $65k (private), target $72k, and therefore a stated range of $72–78k. When the question comes, she says:

Based on my research for this role in this market, I'm looking for a base between $72,000 and $78,000. Given the scope you've described — owning the channel budget and managing two people — that's where I see this position.

Note what the sentence does: it names research without apologising, states a range whose bottom she would happily sign, and ties the number to the scope of the job rather than to her personal situation. The figures are hers — yours come from the same exercise run on your own role and market.

When to talk money

Ideally, let the recruiter raise the subject first. If they ask for your expectations early, give your range while noting that the number depends on the exact scope of the role.

The real negotiation happens once the company wants to hire you: that is when you have the most leverage. Waiting for that moment strengthens your position.

"What's your current salary?"

This question still comes up, even though in several jurisdictions employers are no longer allowed to ask it — check the rules where you live. Either way, your current salary is not an argument: you are negotiating the value of the new role, not a percentage on the old one.

You do not have to answer with a number. Redirect to your expectations: what you earn today reflects a different scope, and what matters is the range for this position. The exact phrasing is in the script section below.

The written offer and the counter-offer

When the offer comes verbally, thank them, ask for it in writing, and take time — a day or two is normal and expected. An offer in writing tells you the full package: base, variable, equity, benefits, start date. You cannot compare or counter what you have not seen whole.

Counter once, in writing or in a scheduled call, and be specific: name the element you want moved and the number you want it moved to, backed by the same research as before. One precise counter reads as professional; a drip of small asks reads as haggling. If the base truly cannot move, the rest of the package can: a signing bonus, extra remote days, a salary review scheduled at six months, additional leave or a training budget. A well-negotiated package is sometimes worth more than a slightly higher base.

If you are running several processes at once, track them in one place — comparing offers side by side is the strongest negotiating position there is.

The scripts

The exact words matter less than the posture, but having an opener ready keeps you from improvising under pressure:

Mistakes to avoid

A few reflexes weaken a negotiation:

1. Accepting the first offer out of habit, or on the spot.
2. Naming a figure without knowing the market.
3. Stating a range whose bottom you would be disappointed to get.
4. Justifying your ask with personal reasons instead of the role's value.
5. Bluffing about a competing offer you do not have.
6. Countering in fragments — one small ask after another.

A good negotiation stays a respectful exchange: both sides should come out of it satisfied. The salary conversation is also just one part of a wider performance — the interview itself is what earns you the leverage to have it.

Using HiredFolio to prepare these conversations

HiredFolio keeps every opportunity organised: the role, the company, where the process stands and your negotiation notes. Comparing several offers in one place lets you decide with clear reference points rather than under pressure.

Try HiredFolio for free