Negotiating your salary at hiring: method and key phrases
· 7 min read
Salary negotiation plays out in a few minutes but commits you for years: a €3,000 gap at hiring compounds into every future raise. Yet most candidates accept the first offer without discussion.
Negotiating is not a power struggle. It is a professional conversation where you align the value you bring with the company’s pay structure. Done well, it strengthens your credibility — a candidate who can defend their value can defend the company’s.
Wait for the right moment
Never name a number first if you can avoid it. Your leverage peaks once the company has decided to hire you: at the offer stage. If the question comes up on the first call, give a broad range and note that it depends on the exact scope.
Build your range on data
- Check several sources: industry salary surveys, comparable job ads, peer feedback.
- Adjust for city, company size and sector — the gaps are significant.
- Set three numbers: your target, your acceptable floor, and the figure you state (slightly above target).
- Think in total package: bonus, profit sharing, remote work, holidays, training, benefits.
Justify with value, never with need
"I have a mortgage to pay" carries no weight. "I cut delivery times by 30% on a comparable scope" does. Always tie your request to what you bring: scarce skills, measurable results, immediate autonomy, sector experience.
I do not negotiate against a candidate, I negotiate with them. What I expect is a reasoned request. — HR director
Answering the classic blockers
- "That is our maximum" → "Understood. Is there room on the bonus, remote days, or a six-month review clause?"
- "What are your expectations?" → give a range, then turn it around: "What budget have you set for this role?"
- "What do you earn today?" → refocus on the market: "My current salary reflects a different scope; for this role I am in the X to Y range."
- "We need internal approval" → thank them and ask for a specific date to hear back.
Silence is your best tool
Once you have stated your number, stop talking. The urge to fill the silence — justifying, apologising, or worse, lowering your figure unprompted — is strong. Let the other person respond. Those three uncomfortable seconds are often worth thousands.
Close it cleanly
Once you agree, ask for written confirmation with everything: base salary, bonus and its conditions, start date, status, remote policy. Verbal agreements drift. And if the final figure stays below your target, a written six-month review clause is a compromise that is often accepted.