7 Tips for Negotiating Your Job Offer

When you’re looking for a new job, you don’t have to take the first job you’re offered, and you don’t have to accept any job at face value. Knowing what you’re worth goes a long way toward helping you get what you can from an employer when you’re hired. You don’t have to accept a subpar job offer simply because it’s there.

A man interviews another male candidate who is negotiating a job offer

You have needs that need to be met and, to some degree, your employer needs to help with that so you can effectively provide your services to them. We’ll walk you through some tips to help you find the right job for you and how to negotiate a job offer. We’ve highlighted a few tips to help with how to negotiate a salary job offer so you can get the best offer possible, including:

Showing what you bring to the table.
Staying confident (but not arrogant).
Knowing the job market.
Understanding the employer’s constraints.
Having a few talking points.
Being prepared to answer tough questions.
Maintaining perspective and being OK with walking away.

Showing what you bring to the table.
Your prospective employer has things to offer you, but what do you have to offer them? Share your skillset and how it will benefit their company, whether it’s your knowledge of popular software programs, your amazing people skills, or your valuable experience. Many of the candidates for the job in which you’re interviewing will have similar job experience, so you need to be able to set yourself apart from the rest of the field. Even in the short time of an interview, you can display your skills and knowledge.

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Staying confident (but not arrogant).
It’s important that you let a prospective employer know that you’re confident in your abilities. However, there’s a fine line between confident and arrogant. Make sure that you stay on the confident side so you don’t come across as overly confident and arrogant because you could be perceived as someone who isn’t willing to grow in their position. Display confidence in your ability to perform your job with a willingness to learn and grow in the position and the company.

“If they’re not willing to negotiate on salary, consider other things you can bring to the negotiation table, like the ability to work from home a few days a week or better benefits.”

Knowing the job market.
What are people making in your field in the area where you’ll be working with comparable experience? We’d all love to be making seven figures every year, but that’s rarely reasonable for most positions, fields, and levels of experience. Have a competitive number in mind when you approach an employer about negotiating your salary because you could eliminate yourself from consideration entirely if you’re asking for money that’s unreasonable based on the job market in the area.

Understanding the employer’s constraints.
Every employer has a budget they live by. Yes, there are times when an employer will say, “I’m willing to pay extra for top-tier talent,” but other times they’re already stretched so thin that they can’t budge. Know how to negotiate a salary job offer when employers are willing to pay above their initial offer. If they’re not willing to negotiate on salary, consider other things you can bring to the negotiation table, like the ability to work from home a few days a week or better benefits. Then consider the initial offer and whether it works for you. A failed negotiation won’t always take you out of consideration for a position.

Having a few talking points.
Draw on your experiences for answers. There are several questions that you’re pretty sure will be asked in an interview, so prepare ahead of time to know what you’ll say in these cases. For example, know of a project you worked on that you’re proud of, a time when you overcame adversity, and where you’d like to be in five years. Keep your work experience at the front of your mind so it’s easy to reference it in all of your answers.

Being prepared to answer tough questions.
When working through job offer negotiation, keep in mind that an employer wants to make sure they’re getting the best deal for themselves. They’d hate to pay you above market value and then be in trouble when you don’t actually have the knowledge base you claim. They’re going to ask tough questions during the interview to make sure you’ll bring value to the company you claim you can.

A male interviewer smiles at female job candidate during job offer negotiation

Maintaining perspective and being OK with walking away.
One of the best tactics to keep in your back pocket when negotiating a job offer is a willingness to walk away. If you can’t get what you’re looking for, then it needs to be OK to walk away from a prospective employer. Not only does it ensure that you’re not settling for a salary below your requirements, but it also shows the employer that you’re willing to stick to your values. If they want you, they’ll come find you with a worthy offer.

Don’t feel obligated to accept a lowball offer because it’s the first one you’re given. You can be prepared for your next interview process by knowing how to negotiate a job offer to ensure that you’re getting the pay and benefits you need from your next job. You’ll find that many companies are willing to negotiate pay and benefits because it helps to build loyalty and stability and boost morale. Use this to your benefit the next time you’re in the midst of the hiring process so you can maximize your pay.