Salary negotiation, especially when it comes to early career tech jobs, can be an important part of setting up your career and compensation for long-term success. Because individuals from underrepresented communities are less likely to negotiate and more likely to be under-compensated for the same work, salary research and negotiation consideration are a vital part of your job search process.
In this section you will learn:
- Why you should not discuss salary until after you have an offer
- How to respond if a company asks about salary expectations before you have an offer
- How to respond to an initial offer
- How to decide whether to negotiate
- How to negotiate
Timing your salary conversation
Although salary negotiation tends to happen towards the end of the interview process, it technically starts as soon as you are asked any questions about your salary expectations or history. However, it is important to remember that you only have leverage after you have received an offer from the company. Therefore, you want to try to wait as long as possible before bringing up the salary.
Responding to the “salary expectations” questions
Sometimes a company may bring up salary earlier in the process to gauge if they are in line with your target range or get you to commit to a specific number early. You do NOT want to commit to a specific number during the interview process because it takes away your leverage for negotiation later. The following responses should help you dodge any salary questions that come up from the company during application/interviews.
Applications
- You are asked about your target salary or range
- Text answer: “Negotiable”
- Text answer: “Market rate”
- Text answer: “Flexible depending on total compensation package”
- Number answer: “0” (Implies that you are open to negotiation)
- You are asked about your salary history
Interviews
- You are asked about your target salary
- “Negotiable depending on total compensation package”
- “I don’t see salary being an issue as long as it’s within the market rate”
- “I expect to be paid in line with other employees in comparable positions”
- “I’d prefer waiting to discuss salary until I’ve gotten more information about the position, how success is measured in this role, and additional company benefits”
- You are pushed to give a specific range
- "I don’t have an exact range in mind as I’ve been more focused on the impact I can make with this opportunity. I’m willing to be flexible, so I’m confident we’d be able to reach an agreement on the number.”
- Give a well-researched range of 20k-30k using the salary research resources below
- Or you can put this question back on the recruiter: "If you and the team determine I’m the best fit for the position, I’m sure we’d be able to reach an agreement on the salary as I’m flexible. May I ask what the budgeted salary range is for this position?"
Responding to an offer
Wait until you have the offer in writing!
- You will often get a verbal offer before a written offer.
- Do NOT say “YES” to an offer before seeing it in writing. Saying “yes” before negotiations robs you of your opportunity to negotiate.