How to negotiate your salary: scripts and strategies that work

A Carnegie Mellon University study showed that professionals who negotiate their starting salary earn, on average, £5,000 to £10,000 more per year — and that differential compounds throughout their career. Most people don't negotiate out of fear. Learn how to do it well.

The right moment to negotiate

The question "what's your budget for this position?" is very different from "can I earn more?". The ideal time to negotiate is after receiving a formal offer — not before. Until then, avoid giving information about your salary expectations if you can.

If pushed before an offer, use this response:

"I'm more focused on understanding whether there's a good mutual fit before we talk numbers. But I can say I'm open to whatever is fair for the level of experience and responsibility this role requires."

How to calculate your number

Before negotiating, you need to know what to ask for. Use:

• Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary Insights and industry surveys for benchmarking
• Conversations with peers in your field — the most accurate source
• Your current compensation + 15-25% as a minimum starting point for a move

Define three numbers: the ideal (where you start negotiating), the acceptable (where you're satisfied) and the absolute minimum (where you decline without regrets).

Negotiation scripts that work

After receiving an offer below expectations:

"Thank you for the offer — I'm genuinely excited about the opportunity and the team. Based on my market research for this level of responsibility and my experience in [X and Y], I was thinking of something closer to [number]. Is there flexibility to get closer to that?"

When told there's no budget:

"I understand the budget constraints. If the base salary doesn't have flexibility right now, are there other elements of the package we could explore? For example, extra holiday days, a training budget, a 6-month salary review, or additional remote work?"

Negotiating a raise with your current manager:

"I'd like to schedule a meeting to discuss my progression and compensation. Over the past [X months/year], [concrete achievements with numbers]. Based on the current market and what I've contributed to the team, I believe a review to [number] would be fair. I can prepare a document with the details if that's helpful."

Mistakes that cost money

• Accepting the first offer without negotiating — There's almost always room. The company expects a counter-offer
• Unnecessarily revealing your current salary — You're not obliged to say. "I'd prefer to focus on the value of this specific role"
• Using personal need as an argument — "I need to earn X because I have a mortgage" isn't an argument. Your market value is the argument
• Accepting verbally without written confirmation — Any offer revision should be confirmed by email
• Giving up at the first resistance — "There's no budget" is frequently negotiation, not fact

Negotiating beyond salary

Base salary is just one element of total compensation. Other frequently negotiable elements:

• Extra holiday days (legal minimum is 20 — ask for 25)
• Flexible working hours and additional remote days
• Annual training budget (£500 to £2,000 at good companies)
• Later start date (to rest or finish projects)
• Guaranteed salary review in 6 months (instead of waiting a year)
• Equity or profit sharing

How to prepare for the negotiation

Preparation is 80% of the negotiation. Before the conversation:

1. Research the market and define your three numbers
2. Prepare a list of 3 to 5 concrete, measurable achievements from the past year
3. Practise the conversation out loud — the silence after making the ask is the hardest moment
4. Decide in advance what happens if they say no — do you stay, or start looking for alternatives?

CV Creator Pro helps you quantify and document your achievements — making salary negotiation easier to support with concrete data. Try it free