Job search · 10 recordsNegotiate a salary

Almost all of the work happens before anybody speaks: finding out what the role actually pays, deciding your own floor, and having the reasons written down. The conversation itself is the easy part once those three exist.

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Goal

Agree a number I am not quietly annoyed about Week 4

Decided before the conversation, not during it.

Find out what it pays Week 2

Research, so a number is a fact rather than a guess.

  • Find what this role pays elsewhere, from three sourcesDo firstDay 5
  • Find out the band where I am, if there is oneDay 10
  • Decide my own floor and write it downDo firstDay 13

Have the conversation Week 4

Short, because the work already happened.

  • Write the three reasons, with evidence attachedDo firstWeek 3
  • Ask, and ask what would change a noWeek 4

Routines

  • Note anything worth citingweekly
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Decide the floor before you hear an offer

Deciding what you would accept after hearing a number is how people talk themselves down. The floor goes in writing while nothing is on the table.\n\nIf the answer is no, ask what would need to be true for it to change, and when it is next looked at. A no with a date on it is a plan.

Questions

Negotiate a salary, answered.

What the role pays elsewhere, what the band is where you are, and what you would accept — in that order. The first two are research and the third is a decision, and making the decision after hearing an offer is how people talk themselves down.
If you have done the research, usually yes, because the first number anchors the range. The plan front-loads that research precisely so that saying a number is a statement of fact about the market rather than a guess you will have to defend.
Ask what would need to be true for the answer to change, and when it will next be looked at. A no with a date and a condition attached is a plan; a no on its own is only information about this quarter.
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