Six months ago, Brianna Doe was on the hunt for a new job.
She had just celebrated one year of working as a senior marketing manager at a company that specializes in computerized manufacturing — a job she loved, but wasn't sure she'd still have in a few weeks.
"There were layoffs happening at my company, and just a lot of uncertainty about what would happen next," Doe, 30, recalls. "All I knew was that I'd have to take on more responsibilities than I had signed up for, and my pay would no longer reflect the amount of work I was doing."
Doe, who was working from her townhouse in Phoenix at the time, hit the ground running in her job search. Weeks later, she received a $165,000 offer to be a remote marketing director at a fintech startup — about $10,000 higher than her pay at the time.
Still, Doe thought she could do better. This wasn't her first experience negotiating a job offer: She's managed to increase her salary by as much as $75,000 in past jobs.
After the negotiation conversation, followed by a week of waiting, Doe was able to get about $5,000 more than the initial offer. In total, she landed a $15,000 pay increase before accepting the role, which she started in March. Here's how she did it.
Answering 'What are your salary expectations?'
During an initial phone screen for the role, a recruiter asked Doe what her salary expectations were.
In those conversations, one of the "worst things you can do," Doe, who is also a career coach, has learned, is to give a firm number. "Then you're locked in, and you don't have a convincing reason to ask for more money," she explains.
Instead, Doe used that question as an opportunity to first find out where the company stood on its hiring budget. Here's what she said to the recruiter:
"I'd like to learn more about the position and team first. But may I ask what salary range you have budgeted for this position?"
Doe then kept that response in her back pocket for future use in a salary negotiation.
If the interviewer continues to press you on your pay requirements, Doe recommends giving a clear range that you're comfortable with.
The highest number should be at least $5,000 more than the compensation you'd be happy to accept, and the range should fall in line with the pay advertised for similar roles online. Doe suggests the following script, which she's used in past interviews:
"I'm currently interviewing for roles that range from XXX to XXX annually."
It's also important to stick to a consistent range throughout the interview process.
Some of the jobseekers Doe advises told her that, in past negotiations, they provided the hiring manager with a different range than they gave in the first interview. She warns this can be a "huge turnoff" to a potential employer as "you're throwing them for a loop after they've already aligned with you on salary expectations."agree
Negotiating your salary after receiving a job offer
After three rounds of interviews, the startup's HR lead called Doe with good news: She landed the job, with a $165,000 offer to boot.
But that number was on the lower end of the initial $10,000 pay range Doe had provided, and Doe wanted to see if she could negotiate for a slightly higher number.
So, she reiterated the range she originally gave, but just the higher end of it. Doe subtracted $5,000 from the maximum amount she originally provided and used that as her new range: about $170,000 to $175,000.
Here's what she said to the hiring manager:
"Thank you for offering me the position! I'd like to discuss the salary included in the offer. After doing some research, and combined with my qualifications and experience, I'm looking to stay within the range of XXX to XXX. I'd love to find a solution that works for both of us."
The hiring manager then asked Doe to follow up with her over email with her salary expectations and said she'd discuss it with Doe's would-be boss.
Here is the email script she used:
"Hi [recruiter/hiring manager],
Thank you so much for offering me the position of [job title] at [company]. I'm excited about the opportunity!
Before I can accept this offer, I'd like to discuss the salary. According to my research, the industry average for this position is XXX for someone with my qualifications and level of experience. I'm thrilled about the prospect of joining the team and would love to discuss this further.
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you."
Within a week, Doe's offer was updated to about $170,000, and she happily accepted. Now, Doe, who is still at the fintech startup, is earning close to $200,000. (She doesn't want to publish her exact salary in case it's used against her in future negotiations.)
"Earlier in my career, I didn't even think to negotiate my salary, I was just grateful to be offered a job," says Doe. "But if you don't advocate for yourself, you could be leaving so much money on the table."
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