Use These Phrases When Discussing Salary
So, you’ve completed your grueling job search and finally received this offer – hooray! While we’d all like to just get it over with at this point, almost everyone in your life will encourage you to at least try to negotiate. Not every company will be open to negotiation, but it never hurts to try so as not to leave money on the table. Some companies do backstage pre-negotiations for you so they have a counter offer ready if you ask for more, so it’s always worth checking the situation to make sure you’re well paid for your work.
While this will largely depend on the job, your seniority, and your personal preferences, I’ve often found that a friendly conversation in a negotiation is generally more enjoyable and sometimes helps you achieve more than a tough game. When a recruiter or hiring manager feels that you are approaching the negotiating table in good faith and want to find a solution, they are often more willing to work with you to figure it out. While your hiring team is indebted to the company they work for, they are generally interested in trying to get a deal that makes you happy because they want you to be happy to join and stay in the position instead of to sign a contract and then leave. in a few weeks because you found something that paid what you wanted.
Negotiations don’t come easily to most people, especially if you’re part of a historically underrepresented group (like me) or if you’re trying to break into a new area (like I was a few years ago), so it can be hard to figure out what to say or how to articulate what. -something when you ask for more compensation. There are a few key phrases that I’ve used with great success in my negotiations that I’ve liked from candidates I’ve worked with as a recruiter. You still need to figure out exactly how much money you want to ask for and what you’re willing to accept (you can use the Glassdoor Salary Calculator , Salary.com , or payscale.com to get an idea of what that number should be). be), but we hope they should help you communicate that request clearly and ultimately accept the offer that got you excited.
“sandwich of excitement”
Getting a job offer is always exciting, and you don’t have to play out of reach to negotiate. It can actually be a good sign for your hiring team if you are open about how excited you are; this signals that you want to join the team and you will probably sign a contract until the compensation works. Hiring teams can get nervous when candidates aren’t interested in an offer at all and they’re less likely to advocate for a higher compensation package for you because they think you don’t plan to sign or are using the offer as leverage in another conversation (even if this is the case, we don’t want them to know about it).
We can balance excitement with negotiation by using “anxiety sandwich”, a phrase I just made up. When responding to a written offer, you can say something like:
Thank you so much for sending in the details of the offer, this is such great news!
I wanted to discuss compensation…
I remain very excited about the opportunity and the chance to join the team!
Start by shouting out how excited you are, move on to negotiating, and then remind them again that you’re excited about the opportunity and want to join if it works out. This gives your hiring team some comfort that you really want to join the team and may make them more inclined to come up with a plan that will satisfy both of you.
“I would look for [NUMBER] to make a move.” or “I would look closer to [NUMBER] to make a move.”
If you currently have a job, this can be an easy way to explain why you’re seeking the compensation you’re asking for, especially if just saying “I want [NUMBER]” seems a little intimidating. This wording clarifies the situation: I want to join your company, but for this I would sacrifice something, so I would need to get something in return.
If your current compensation package is higher than what is being offered to you, or if health insurance or paid time off is better, you can share this context with your hiring team if you feel comfortable. Every company is different, but sometimes recruiters can use this information to better negotiate on your behalf. Everything is done for your comfort, and there is no reason to share information about your current computer if you do not want to. Many states do not allow your hiring team to ask you for this information .
“I’d like to take the weekend/next few days to discuss this with my family/mentor.”
Usually your offer comes with a deadline, and again, every company is different – some will give you weeks and some hours. If you’re trying to negotiate, you don’t want to do it for hours, and you have every right to ask for more time. It’s usually easier to blame it on other people in your life (kind of like your mom saying no when you don’t want to go to a friend’s party).
Don’t have a mentor? Of course you know it’s me and they don’t need to know that you won’t actually call me. Mentioning that you want to discuss everything with the other people in your life can also set your hiring team up expecting you to come back, wanting to negotiate if you haven’t already raised the issue. Taking extra time to consider your proposal could mean talking to your spouse about risk and family expenses, talking to your mentor (or “mentor”) about how much money you should be asking for, or just taking a moment to step back and think about what you want to. All of this can give you more clarity on how you want to negotiate, and the benefit of the extra thinking time is also that the company has extra thinking time once you’ve shared what you’re looking for.
Be transparent about how you evaluate the offer and any competing offers (as far as you feel comfortable).
After all, your hiring team has a vested interest in providing you with what you need for you to sign, so it can be helpful to be transparent about what is holding you back. There are many things that come into compensation besides your salary: your health insurance, time off, 401,000 compensation, capital and bonus structure can influence and act as leverage that you can use during negotiations. It will depend on your situation, but you can say something like:
- “I’m excited to join [COMPANY], but I’m nervous about paying [DOLLAR AMOUNT] more out of my pocket for my health insurance compared to my current plan. Can these additional costs be covered by the base salary?”
- “I am very happy with this offer, but [ANOTHER OFFER] will be [USD AMOUNT] more expensive and hard to refuse. Can we meet somewhere in the middle?”
An important caveat: if you don’t have other offers, don’t come up with them just for the sake of negotiations. You will probably get caught and your relationship with this company will be jeopardized.
“Can we cover the difference with a signup bonus?”
Early in my career, I had no idea signup bonuses were as common as they are, but many companies will be willing to add a signup bonus instead of making changes to your base salary. The base salary is also often tied to standard in-company compensation ranges and so it can be more difficult to move on, but the subscription usually comes from a different budget and it can be easier for the company or hiring team to change.
If it doesn’t look like you’ll be able to increase your base salary (or if you just want to offer options on what you’re willing to accept), you can explicitly ask about the possibility of adding a sign up.
“If we could do [NUMBER], I would feel comfortable signing a contract today.” or “I would be happy to sign a contract for [NUMBER].”
This is music to the recruiter’s ears. We want you to sign up, and having a clear goal of what will get you there is an important tool as your hiring team gets back to discussing and advocating for a proposal that will get you to join the team. Obviously don’t say this unless you’re actually planning on signing a contract, but if you’re happy with the opportunity and the reward is the only thing holding you back, it might be beneficial to state it outright.
Another adaptation depending on how excited you are about the opportunity and how willing you are to accept the offer, even if you can’t get the compensation you want: “If we could get to [NUM], I would feel comfortable signing the contract today. . It’s okay if we can’t make it all the way, but if so, I’d like to spend the weekend talking to my family/mentor.”
Go pay!