Key takeaways
- Prepare a reasoned range: a minimum you accept, a target, an ambition.
- Let the company open the subject when possible, then state your number calmly and precisely.
- Back every request with your results, not your personal needs.
- Negotiate the whole: variable pay, leave, remote days, training, start date.
Prepare your value: results, market benchmarks, range
A good negotiation is won before the interview. Start by listing your results of the past years: what you delivered, what it earned or saved your employer. These are your arguments.
Then assess the market from benchmarks you can cite: comparable postings you have read, conversations with peers, published salary scales. Note where each benchmark comes from.
Finally, set three reference points, in writing.
- Your minimum: below it, you decline without hesitation.
- Your target: the pay you consider fair for this role.
- Your ambition: the upper bound, the one you state first.
Think about the rest too: remote work, leave, training, progression. These elements matter as much as the number and give you room during the discussion.
With ALDO Add the list of your achievements and the job description to your documents in your web workspace: ALDO uses them to suggest answers that start from your results and cite their source.
Choose the right moment: let the company open the subject
The best moment to talk about pay is when the company knows it wants to hire you: after a first approval, for instance at the last conversation or when the offer comes. Before that, focus on the value you bring.
If you are asked for your expectations too early, you can answer without closing any door.
“I would first like to understand the role and its responsibilities properly, to give you a fair range. Could you tell me what budget you have planned?”
If they insist, give your range rather than a single figure, and say that it depends on the final scope of the role.
State a number: model phrases
State your number calmly, in one sentence, then let the silence do its work: the answer belongs to your counterpart.
When you open the subject
“Given my responsibilities and my results in [your field], I am aiming for annual pay between [bottom of range] and [top of range].”
When the company states first
“Thank you for this offer. It is a little below what I had in mind. Here is what, in my view, justifies an adjustment: [your two main results].”
Prefer a precise range to “I am flexible”: a vague formula leaves control of the number to the other side. The bottom of your range must already be an amount you accept.
Answer the usual objections
Here are four classic objections. For each one, a three-step structure: acknowledge, argue, propose.
“It is not in our budget”
“I understand the constraint. To move forward, could we look at the rest of the package: variable pay, a review at six months, remote days?”
“It is more than the current team earns”
“I understand the need for balance. My scope includes [responsibility] and my results on [topic] are documented: I am ready to discuss them to justify this position.”
“What is your current salary?”
“I prefer to talk about the value I will bring to this role. My range for this mission is between [bottom of range] and [top of range].”
“We need to discuss it with management”
“Of course. What would help me give you the elements useful for that discussion? Could we agree on a reply by the end of the week?”
An example built on your documents
Marc, head of human resourcesWhy do you want a higher salary than our offer?
Because the scope of the role and my results justify it: here are the two points that count.
- Result: the project I led last year, delivered on time.
- Scope: managing a team of six people, absent from the initial offer.
- Proposal: a review at six months, with written objectives.
ALDO answer · built from your resume and the job description
With ALDO During the session you keep control: mute the microphone or the computer audio, pause the capture, end the session. A shortcut (⌃⇧S) brings up the answer.
Negotiate beyond the fixed salary
When the fixed pay is constrained, the rest of the package gives room. Before the interview, list what matters to you, in order of importance.
- Variable pay: criteria, cap, payment date.
- Remote days and flexible hours.
- Additional leave.
- A training budget and access to certifications.
- The start date and the trial period.
- A pay review point, at six months or a year.
Every element you obtain has a value. Ask for two or three, not the whole list: you keep your credibility and leave the company a choice to make.
“If the fixed pay cannot move, I would be interested in a review at six months, with written objectives, and two remote days a week.”
Adapt your approach to your situation
The method stays the same, but the angle changes with your starting point.
A first job or a career change
You have fewer professional results: lean on your projects, your internships, your learning pace and how quickly you took on new responsibilities. Ask for a realistic range and show that you understand the level of the role.
“I am new to this field, and I have already led [a project] from A to Z. I am aiming for the upper end of the range for the role, with a review at six months if my results justify it.”
A move within the company
Prepare a file: your current scope, what has changed since your last review, the results of the year. Ask for a dedicated meeting rather than raising the subject at the end of a follow-up meeting.
“My scope has evolved over the past year: [added responsibilities]. I would like us to look at my pay together in light of these changes.”
Another offer in hand
If you really have another offer, mentioning it strengthens your position, provided you do it simply and without pressure: you inform, you do not threaten.
“I have another offer under consideration, but this role appeals to me more because of [specific reason]. For me to commit, I am looking for pay between [bottom of range] and [top of range].”
Stay calm: voice, silence, posture
Negotiating is as much about presence as about arguments. A few simple gestures help you stay composed when the number is on the table.
- Speak a little more slowly than usual: rhythm gives assurance.
- Leave the silence after your number: count to five in your head before speaking again.
- Keep your back straight and both feet on the ground, seated or standing.
- Take a sip of water before answering a difficult question: it is a natural pause.
Rehearse your announcement phrase out loud, several times, until it comes out effortlessly. A friend can play the counterpart and put the objections of the previous section to you.
With ALDO ALDO’s free practice session, in the app, lets you rehearse a first exchange before your first session, with nothing at stake.
Close: get the agreement in writing
When the main lines are set, sum them up out loud, then ask for it in writing.
“To recap: [pay], [variable pay], [start date]. Could you confirm this in writing so that I can reply quickly?”
Take a reasonable time to think: forty-eight hours show seriousness without suggesting hesitation. Read the contract carefully before signing, in particular the pay, the trial period, the scope of the role and the start date.
With ALDO ALDO keeps a summary of each session in your history, with the questions and the points covered: reread it to check what was said before you write your reply.
Do this instead: the habits of a calm negotiation
| Do this | Rather than |
|---|---|
| Give a precise range whose bottom suits you. | Stating a single figure or staying vague. |
| Back every request with a result. | Justifying with your personal needs. |
| Leave a silence after stating your number. | Filling the silence by lowering your request. |
| Ask for two or three package elements on top of the fixed pay. | Limiting yourself to the base salary. |
| Ask for the agreement in writing and some time to think. | Accepting or refusing on the spot. |
| Stay composed and cooperative: you are negotiating with your future colleague. | Adopting a power struggle. |
Your checklists: before, during, after
Before
- I listed my results of the past years.
- I noted my reference points: minimum, target, ambition.
- I gathered market benchmarks I can cite.
- I listed the package elements that matter to me.
- I rehearsed my announcement phrase out loud.
During
- I wait for the company to open the subject, or I answer with my range.
- I state my number in one sentence, then leave a silence.
- I acknowledge the objection before arguing.
- I propose alternatives to the fixed pay.
- I sum up the points of agreement out loud.
After
- I ask for confirmation in writing.
- I read the contract point by point.
- I take a reasonable time to think.
- I reply politely, whether I accept or not.
- I note what I learned for the next negotiation.