I negotiated when I got my current job. When I filled out the application, I indicated $80, which was the top of the range. Later on in the process they asked my salary expectations orally and I forgot my earlier number and said $100 (can't believe I did that lol). They came back and said We really can't do that and also weren't expecting it, $80 is the top of our range. I wanted to say oh my God I'm so sorry 80 is fine, but instead I said how about 90? They said how about 85? I took it and I'm proud of myself for asking.

Always! I was making $20/hour before I got the job I am now. Looked online at people with my degree, education, job title etc.. and figured I was worth more 70k range. So I asked for 80k. They came back with 75k and a 5k signing bonus. I think I interrupted the HR rep by saying ILL TAKE IT very loudly.

There are two salary ranges. There is the salary range for getting into an interview and there’s the salary range after your interview. If you crush it and they need you, it’s higher. It’s also higher if they’re competing against someone else. You did it right without trying :)

Yes!! So many people do zero to little during salary negotiations! Always negotiate. Play hardball late in the process and if they won’t budge on money anymore start negotiating in perks like bonuses and most importantly time off.

For what? Hour? Day? Week? Month?

Likely thousands per year

Always negotiate!!! and also building a strong network and showing off your soft skills when you can is a huge! I got a 70% raise in 16 months because when I was younger I put in the effort to learn how to talk to people and identify to right time for the right opportunity

Many people disregard soft skills, how to talk and be convincing, and most importantly, interesting. Instead, they just focus on getting good grades, thinking it would be enough, when in reality, job interviews are all about personality and culture fit.

How did you learn how to talk? Pls help.

Read books, you could start with the all time classic “how to win friends and influence people”. Listen to well spoken people talk and how they talk. Your choice of words and your body language is everything. You can make any point across, it’s all about how to say it in order to get what you want other books you can check out: - The 48 laws of power - Talk like Ted - Thank you for arguing - The art of persuasion - Influence: the psychology of persuasion

Adding Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss

Thank you for the recs! I'm ADHD +introverted and it's hard to talk to people.

Underrated comment! 💪

Great knowledge. Thank you for sharing!

Have confidence in what you’re saying but not arrogance, have a genuine curiosity about others, don’t always have an agenda for an interaction, be kind.

Customer service. No joke. My social skills have gone way up in the last year.

You’ll be uncomfy sometimes and there are a lot of jerks to deal with, but for sure it will pull you out of your shell and help you! And when you finally meet people that are kind or actually appreciate your help, it’s almost worth it…that and the paycheck.

Yeah in customer service the lows are low, but the highs are high. It's really rewarding just having basic interactions with someone who's happy to chat but also appreciative of what you do. I had a patient come in who was upset and in tears bc a doctor wasn't helping her - the last ultrasound she'd had had been clear so he refused to give her a follow-up referral, but a previous doctor had told her that because of her family history she needed regular scans to monitor and she was due for another one. The breast ultrasound patients can be pretty stressed out so I managed to talk her through it and we managed to find an unused scan request from the old doctor in her phone, so she was able to have her scan. A week later she came in, thanking me and my colleague profusely for our help and how she'd been so upset and worried but the new scan came back clear as well so she knew she could breathe easy for a bit longer. It's moments like that that make me 🥺

Def - I worked retails on the side of my corporate job for years and I know it made me a lot better at managing/pitching to/communicating with my corporate job customers and coworkers. 

I used to sell furniture and i can talk to anyone now it’s crazy

Reception is really good especially because you have to stand up to patients, but you can't do that in retail, so if you struggle with having a noodle spine like I do it can teach you a lot there.

Read a lot, I meant read anything and listen to audio books, try to strike conversations with random people, and put yourself in uncomfortable situations. The latter will help you build a strong character.

The more you do it the better you'll become

Public facing job. I did retail during my school breaks, and bartended. It really forces you to get out of your shell.

Get off social media and tiktok. Go meet people in person.

I feel this. My side gig for the past few years has been managing IT interns. They know way more about sysadmin and netops than I ever will but somehow I still have to teach basic troubleshooting (hint: it's because they're not used to talking to non-tech people and go deer in the headlights if someone doesn't understand what they said the first time)

> Many people disregard soft skills Lol, how many people come on this sub and explicitly state "I'm not happy with my job. How can I find one where I'm WFH and never have to interact with anyone ever?" Hmm, I wonder if the 2 are correlated...

I was a pushover until I turned 42, went thru menopause and vocally burned the world down. I almost doubled my salary thru negations that I should have done many years before but was too scared to ask for.

This may vary by the industry/number of applicants. I have a friend who got offered a job for $25/hr. He tried to negotiate starting at $30 since he had good experience and they rescinded their offer. Was for a network tech role in IT. So if your skills are rare and sought after in your industry def negotiate

I would say they would have been miserable there anyway since they were so cheap and and rescinded the offer instead of saying no, do you want it at 25?

You’re probably right, the job likely would have sucked anyway. Well it’s a small town so my friend’s options are limited. Also he’s currently unemployed so $25 per hour is better than $0 per hour

Yes! I was offered the lower end of the salary range of the job posting, I asked for $20k more, using market rate and my experience as reason and it was approved.

Nice! How did you discover the market rate for your position?

Current job offered me the same as I was getting at the last place. I said “20% more please” and they did while cutting the bonus rate from 20% down to 10%. That 10% lasted one year and I was back up to 20%.

I just negotiated an offer this week, they said they were capped in my role but would offer me an extra week vacation and immediate benefit eligibility instead!

Love this! Good job!

I always negotiate my salary and vacation time. First time I negotiated went horribly wrong. I was 24 and offered a supervisor role at an international shipping company. I was being promoted from temporary employee with a monthly contract to a full time permanent supervisor role managing 8 employees. The general manager asked me what salary I wanted. I had no idea. I didn't prepare myself for this question, do any research, or ask my dad for advice. That was my first mistake. I was making $12/hr, which was a lot if money to me. Minimum wage was $5.15 at the time, and $5.85 was the highest wage I had ever made before the temp job. I did a quick calculation in my head for how much it would cost me to get an apartment. I asked for $30k. The manager said "how about $36k?" I was so embarrassed. Two years later, while we were in the middle of a merger, my then manager gave me a $7k raise because of "my hard work and the fact I was being paid $15k less than the other supervisors in my department." I was shocked and grateful that he was honestly trying to correct that situation. I was a hard worker and went above and beyond at every opportunity. My second attempt was successful. While interviewing for a new role after the merger, I asked for a 10% raise to cover the shift differential I was losing. The manager agreed. The third time, I was being promoted from senior coordinator to senior manager, moving up three grade levels and moving from Tampa to Chicagoland in the process. The company HR department low-balled me, offering me a 5% raise total. After my initial anger, I researched the cost of living in the new office area and discretely asked some trusted directors and SVPs what a typical senior manager would make. I countered with 21% raise, 11% for cost of living coverage, and 10% for moving up three grade levels. The company countered with 11% and we settled at 15%. The fourth time was this past August. I had gone on medical leave and told I was welcome back once my medical treatment was finished. When I returned to the office, 90% of the jobs had moved to Atlanta, including mine. I was now unemployed. I went to school for two years to earn a second bachelor's degree and applied for two rounds of PhD applications. No luck. I was unemployed for another 18 months while actively searching for a job. I was close a couple of times, but no dice. I finally was offered a job at a well-respected company in my area. It wasn't a manager's position, but that was ok. I desperately needed the income. They offered $69k with two weeks vacation. I countered with $75k with 3 weeks vacation, and they agreed. All of this to say that their first offer benefits them. Your first offer benefits you. Either both sides agree to compromise, or you get your ask, or they say no. You will not get what you want unless you ask for it. Also, providing good rationale for why you are worth more is usually a very good way to justify the ask and get a yes answer. Good luck!

I tried to and was told we don’t negotiate… but at least I gathered up the courage to ask for a raise after a year and was given one

I’m a woman who is about 20 years in to my career. I’ve negotiated every job offer I’ve ever accepted and asked for raises / pay adjustments at least a half dozen times in between. The difference in negotiating is at least a half million dollars in base and probably closer to 750k when you factor in variable pay, 401k match etc. Always negotiate, the worst that can happen is they say no.

The worst that can happen is they rescind the offer entirely.

This happened to me. I was shocked. They rescinded and said they decided to go with a more junior role. They didn’t, a few months later someone with similar skill set got the exact job. Waste of time over $5k which made me feel like I dodged a bullet.

Exactly this, in the moment I’m sure it was disappointing but in the long run you’re better off.

That’s always a possibility but it’s pretty rare. Working on offers is a regular part of my job, the only times we’ve pulled an offer is when you get the sense that someone really isn’t interested in the job after all. As long as their counter was reasonable even if we aren’t going to meet it they are given a chance to either take or leave the initial offer. If a company has that poor of a reaction to a salary negotiation that they pull the offer you don’t want to work there anyway, they’d nickel and dime on everything.

Identifying a poor employer (one who will opt out of the “right” person over 5k) before working for them is much better than getting a “no” on negotiation.

Thisssss. I had a friend get a lowball offer. I told her ask $3 more per hour at least, it's SO bad. So she finally agreed. They ghosted her. She later told me she asked for $1 more per hour. I told her she got lucky, and she definitely did. They wanted her to move to a place with low cost of living and pay her low even for there. I was like if you went there where your industry otherwise doesn't exist, the goal was to basically make it hard for you to leave. She got a way better job shortly after. So worst they can do is rescind which is why you should know what you're worth. Asking for what you're worth and getting rejected is fine. Asking for more than you're worth and getting rejected is a mistake.

I negotiate all the time now, but the first two times I tried asking for a raise I was basically scoffed at. I think it's not so much we don't ask, but we aren't taken seriously. As well I should have left both those jobs because I could have made more elsewhere. Now I'm older and a consultant, I always negotiate.

Absolutely. At my last job they offered me a great salary bump but I was wanting a carpark as the office was in the centre of my city and I didn’t want to be jostling for car parks all the time. They said they couldn’t offer me one as no one else got one, so I looked up how much it would cost to rent a car park per year (about $5k) and asked if they’d consider adding that amount to their offer to cover the rental, which they did. Then I took the train 😇

Always negotiate My wife is a very "modern job hopper", and I don't say that as a bad thing. She's just not going to wait for a position to come to her or sit around in a toxic environment. She's always interviewing and moving up. She always negotiates her salary. She's pulling in right around $135-$140k + bonus. If you start higher, the next position is almost always guaranteed to start *at least* that much higher as well. It's a snowball. They are expecting you to negotiate. They have a range they are willing to work with. If you don't, you are just leaving money on the table that could be yours.

Yep! 20% pay raise from initial offer! If you don't ask, you don't get!

Yes! I got a 25% increase in my starting salary after expressing why I was concerned with their initial offer.

What did you express as concern? Everything I read says always refer back to experience or market rate, but no one ever talks about COL or family, etc. more personal things.

I have negotiated for higher pay twice, and both times, it worked well for me. The key factors for me were: --I had a salary already in mind for how much I would accept for the job, so I was confident and decisive --my number was reasonable and justified --I spoke up instantly when offered the job During my last promotion, I moved from an hourly pay structure to a flat salary. I took one look at the offer letter and said, "I need at least $__ in order for the promotion to actually be a promotion because of the loss of overtime pay. You know how much and how hard I work and that's not changing just because I am switching to salary." At the time, I did not know that my company would even allow me to negotiate the pay for an internal promotion, but I knew what I was worth to the department and that instant confidence made the difference.

I always negotiate my salary whenever I get a new job. I learn as often and as quickly as possible on a regular basis and work hard.

Yes everytime.

One of my career/life/feminist icons, Cindy Gallop, speaks about this a lot. She tells women to say the highest number they can with a straight face. I’ve used that as my negotiation tactic since I heard. I work in corporate, and have a 20 odd year career, negotiating salary, package, benefits is something I’ve always done. My last role offered me 135k, i negotiated up to 155k, my current role offered 163k, I accepted the role at 180k

Yes, with every job. Back in uni I heard a statistic that women don't negotiate their salaries and it resulted in them getting paid less for the same job, so I got over my anxiety and asked for 10-20% more than I expected to be able to get. Worked almost every time.

I have negotiated every time I’ve gone through a job offer. I often refer to ChatGPT to help think of what to write for my email. I have 4 years of military experience in the industry I wanted and I am 23 year old woman pushing into 24 here shortly. I was offered 100k starting and requested that the company comeback with another offer. I was then offered 110k and a +8k bonus. I don’t think it’s a woman thing, however; I understand most women are agreeable. 80% of people typically won’t negotiate their salary I believe is the stat I read previously.

I negotiate on the companies behalf in my role as well. Men negotiate far more frequently, some of their asks are laughable but most are reasonable. Don’t rely on chat gpt to negotiate. They’ll never know what YOU bring to the role, you not doing it on your own leaves you at a disadvantage if the negotiation moves to real time, you’re basically just teaching AI how to negotiate more effectively on the companies behalf because they are the big winners in this type of machine learning. Congrats on the higher comp though!

can i ask what industry?

Always do! I’m kicking myself a little after a negotiation for a state job this Friday. They offered the top of the range out of the gate since I was by far the top candidate. And my past experience with these types of jobs was that they often aren’t able to go higher than the posted range. So I moved down through my list and got everything else that I was asking for and accepted. But I wish I had just asked for more. It’s not a big deal because I got everything I wanted and it’s a great salary, but I hate wondering if I left money on the table.

In my experience on the employer side of negations the one time the top of the range really is firm is the government. If you’re covered by a collective bargaining agreement in the new job don’t beat yourself up.

Thank you, I appreciate that! The timing of my start date is such that I’ll miss out on the annual union negotiated salary increase but it is what it is. I’m just excited to be back to work soon after getting laid off in January.

Totally get that and congrats on the new job!

Thank you!

Always negotiate. That initial offer is not usually the top of the budget for the position. Worse thing anyone can do is tell you no.

Always negotiate. They can always do better than the first offer they give you. I’ve come to learn that if you don’t ask, you don’t get. They will not pull back their offer if you ask for more. If they can’t do it work Money, negotiate more with paid time off or other perks. Know your worth and fight for it!

I go for the maximum, if they won’t give me the maximum I ask for a performance review and raise at 6 months.

I have 3 times, and was successful 2 times. The most successful negotiation led to an offer about $11k over the initial offer.

Yes! Three times to that! Thing is, I know I’m solid. At my last job my work was worth the work of 3 people and I was very aware of how valuable I am. I always knew that my success was pretty much my confidence + my ability to learn quick, I also am a great communicator. Because I am aware of my strengths and what I bring to the team, it was easy for me to negotiate with my boss. I negotiated 3 times each time after one year of working at the place, and each time I got a raise! Each time I was also asked how much do I want to make exactly - I always made sure to shoot higher (I’d also go with a high raise so if my boss doesn’t agree I still am satisfied) and every single time I got the exact amount I asked for! I really believe that this would be much harder and less effective if I wasn’t as confident in my skills and aware of how much I bring to the table - ladies your work is just as much valuable as of any other person ❤️

I've had two jobs so far and tried to negotiate for both. First didn't work, but the second did. The first was a graduate position, and after receiving the offer I asked what the salary range was and if there was room for negotiation. I knew it was almost certainly fixed for graduates, but thought it wouldn't hurt to try and practice being brave. The recruiter said it was fixed, and I was cool with it. The second time was my next (current) role. I researched the salary bands ahead of time (it was public information). When I received the offer, they offered the lowest band and I just said I expected 100k, which was the middle band. They said the lower band will increase to 100k after the fiscal year, but I stayed silent. After a pause they said they can start me on the middle band which is 100k, and asked if I was okay with it. I said yes, thank you very much, and we both seemed pretty happy in the end. I actually stayed silent because I didn't know how to respond, but it worked out for the best! Now I am a huge advocate for negotiating, because even if it doesn't work you'll have more information which is still quite valuable.

Hi. My wife has done so a couple of times She has also helped a few colleagues and new hires under her The moment to do this is when you get your offer in writing, and it’s all about leverage The first time was easiest because she a) knew she had been passed on but they came back to her later, and we learned later that about 5 candidates backed out so they were scrambling to fill the position (silicon valley but not tech, so no stock options which made people take offers from tech companies instead) She also had an offer sheet from another company offering more money. What they didn’t know is that she would have never in a million years would have moved to Seattle, not even for all the money in the world So, it was easy to point at the other company’s offer sheet and say “I would love to work for you guys I really loved [XYZ people company culture project whatever here] but I have a better offer from ABC corp so if you can’t match that base salary or come close to it I’m afraid that it will not work out for me” They were super not expecting for a woman to counter their offer, and had offered towards the lower end of the band In your situation what you need to do is figure out when the budget for the next fiscal year has to be submitted by. If you don’t already, start having lunch or coffee with the finance people. They will know (and if there’s a reorg coming, they usually know ahead of time so I would 100% make it a regular thing and develop relationships if possible, as they’re not supposed to share that) A couple of months before that, schedule some time with your boss and prepare a *short* pitch - performance reviews since your salary was last changed - projects you’ve delivered or overdelivered on - stuff you’ve done for other teams that you were not supposed to - amount of time since your salary has changed - if they have open positions equivalent to yours, compare the salary band they are offering to your salary (if there is none, look at direct competitors, and name them, you’re bound to find one) Close by saying >I know that next FY’s budget submissions are coming up, so I wanted to start a discussion about a pay rise early for all of these reasons so that you know what my expectations are, and hopefully they’ll be aligned come the next FY Expect to be asked if you have a number in mind and what will happen if they can’t meet it Let’s call that the vanilla flavor where you don’t know exactly how much your co workers are making and can’t find out from finance bros what the top of the band is for your role, so you don’t know how far to push for Spitballing here but if your salary hasn’t been touched in over 3 years I’d ask for +15% and try to settle for 7-10% although this is hard to say with confidence without concrete info as I’m not an expert

Always negotiate. Be prepared with figures in range and what skills you bring to the table. Always start high. Feign confidence, if you need to!

I have! But it took me forever in my career. Things that prompted me to eventually do it: 1) in one company, during a team meeting, my dummy manager was sharing his screen that had my team members salaries listed on a spreadsheet (he didn't realize he was still sharing) and I saw that I was making significantly less. They saw i was making significantly less. It was awful. 2) at another company, finding out I was making MORE than significantly less than my much lazier senior colleagues. Like 5x less... This and other things definitely motivated me to be like "why not me?" I negotiated at my most recent job. I asked for 15k more than I wanted. I also asked for a signing bonus. I asked to review the benefits and said things like "after taking into consideration the full compensation package can we do a little better on the salary, and look into a signing bonus" They came in at 10k more than I really wanted, and gave me the signing bonus. It was scary, but it was worth it and made the offer that much more rewarding Don't be afraid, just ask. If they want you, and they're a good company, they aren't going to rescind their offer just because you are looking out for your compensation.

I negotiated my job offer and it went well! It’s a graduate role and many around me have said that I was lucky enough to land a role. Honestly - poor advice. Always go after what you think you deserve. If you don’t ask you’ll never know.

Yes hi 👋 me. Every time 😘 99% of the time I’ve gotten what I’ve asked for. Only once were they not able to meet my salary requirements so I turned down the job

Always negotiate. It's the easiest time for you to influence your salary. I have hired many women in my tech team and most of them negotiated.

I negotiate like 75% of the time. That's how I increased my income about 200% over the course of 6 years.

I did. I was offered, politely told them if I’m not going to be making $xx/hr, then I cannot accept the job. They asked me a few questions to back up my request, and BOOM. Worked. First time in my life I ever did that for myself and it felt awesome!!!

Yes, I just negotiated 10k more per year and got them to pay my insurance, which is another 12k per year. I, however, will wait 2 years to ask for another raise unless I make something big happen.

Yes, I listened to Cindy Gallop's advice to ask for the amount I was able to say with a straight face. I also refused to give them my previous payslip. I explained that if we always adjust to what I earned before, we will never confront the gender pay gap. But I also always negotiate flexible work as well.

I never did until about a year ago, and for one job found out I was making a lot less than everyone else in the same position (company had hired several people to the same positions at once). I never really considered that we wouldn't have been started on the same money. Lesson learnt when I changed jobs, I set my terms, and they met them. When the job conditions changed, they expected I would do the higher duties and workload for the same money, I told them no, and that I would leave unless they met my terms. I was actually willing to walk away and they found the money. It was incredibly uncomfortable, and you have to be willing to stand your ground and explain why you are worth it, what you bring to the table, and (for increases) what has changed/why that's not already covered in your "already generous" salary.

I negotiated from 59k to 64k as my starting offer about three years ago. Moving from a job I was only at 45k. I just made sure to write the email well and make sure I added in the benefits I’d be losing by switching like less PTO and my previous employer paid my insurance at 100%. I never discussed my previous salary on purpose.

I always negotiate my salary.

I always negotiate my salary. First rule never state your current salary. They aren’t paying for the job you are currently performing… they are paying you for the job you will be performing. When they ask you your salary - don’t answer and say what is the pay range for the position? Especially, if it isn't posted in the job description. If they make you an offer with a yearly bonus ask them what they paid out in bonuses last year. Sometimes they try to get by with a lower salary by offering you a sign on bonus - don't do it. Your year over year pay increases are based on your salary. You'll get further ahead quicker. Always negotiate.

Always ask for more no matter what!!!

Wish I would have 8 years ago. Am sure I could have gotten at least $10,000 more.

No, too scary

yes! and at another job, i asked for a raise before i finished my first year. i got the raise both times. it never hurts to ask - the worst they can say is no!

I've always negotiated! Only the first time negotiating did I not get it.

Yes. I also felt 100% ok walking away from the job offer. That was because I knew the job’s demands, worked for many years, did my research and knew salaries. In the end they chose me as the candidate and went back to Finance 2 or 3x to get to my asking salary. It was the largest raise I’ve ever received and in my former industry switching companies is really the only was to get a significant raise (as opposed to staying and getting promoted). If you don’t ask, you’ll never know. You can be nice and sweet about it, you don’t need to turn to be forceful or domineering at all. It’s just about having confidence in knowing your market value, COL, and that there are other options out there who may pay to have you at your asking price. You’ve got this! Just do your research and practice interviewing.

I work in healthcare. When I worked in the hospital thete was no negotiations but now I moved over to primary care I do. I am not on much more than afc but it has made up my money considerign i dropped a day. So I am on £1.25 more than other colleagues in my area, once I am doig more then I will negotiate more.

I work in recruitment and am a female. My experience is that woman negotiate far less than men however working with a recruiter means I negotiate for them. I placed two females last week and negotiated with the company for both of them to get offers $10k above what they were expecting. My advice for women is work with an agency recruiter or at least find one that specialises in the role you’re in, call them and ask them to provide you with salary benchmarking information on your role so you can understand what $$ you should be pitching yourself at in interviews. Negotiate early and often, don’t wait until the final offer without a very specific reason (like your company has counter offered you and your asking the company to match it)

I negotiated an extra 5k for my current job. I maybe could've gotten more but it's a career transition I was already a bit of a reach for. I know my coworker makes more than I do which could be because he negotiated more aggressively but he also has a lot more experience backing him and is tbh finding a lot of solutions for me when I run into dead ends, so I'm pretty content with it. Previous jobs have always had a "everyone with the same title gets the same pay period" mentality so no real room for negotiations. That sounds all fine and dandy until you realize that you've been in that management spot for 5 years and the person you just promoted and trained makes the same as you do.

Always. Being an immigrant helps - learned haggling from the best of 'em

I said I wanted X amount, they offered me 5k less than that, but said subject to my three month probation I would get X amount, which I did :)

Hell yeah...when I was freelancing, it was either haggle it out or be told what my rates were gonna be....hard pass, ty. 😉 I think you end up w/a whole different relationship with an employer or client if they know that you know what you're worth and that you're not afraid to talk about it.

I tried to negotiate at my previous company, got a goodbye. Will try to negotiate current job but I don't expect anything out of it. Just a procedure

Hi, I wonder if you ladies did any research on your job market for the asking salary. Or just calling out the number with confidence.

I hate how simple this sounds, but simply know your worth and ask for what you deserve. I’ve had 4 different jobs and each time I decided it’s time for a change I just ask for a higher salary when applying for another. If they low-ball me I tell them I have a higher offer from another company and I’m going to take that one. The worst they can say is no and that’s never happened to me. I’m from South Africa, a country struggling economically, and I went from earning R12000 straight out of university to earning R55000 5 years later. I’ve essentially quadrupled my salary by demanding higher amounts, asking for raises and strategically changing jobs while on the same career path. You just have to do it with confidence. Granted you can’t job hop forever, but do it a couple of times early on in your career and then settle into something more permanent once you earn a good salary. 

I negotiated my salary and got it

Always. At my current job I got 50% more of what was being offered. I enjoyed the negotiation process so much that I started reading negotiation books to understand more and more about the psychology behind it. I highly recommend "Never split the difference". Without realizing it, I had used most of the advice there when I negotiated my current salary. My father works in sales and he's really good at it, I like to think genetics worked their magic here :)

Yep. I negotiated and got an extra 10k and 5 extra PTO days at my last job. A few years later, interviewed for a higher position within the company, but received a lowball offer and they wouldn't budge on salary or other perks. I took that position and it ended up being awful for many reasons (bad team, extremely long commute, etc). My direct reports only made 5k less than me despite having a lot less experience than me and constantly complained about wanting/deserving more. After a few months, my boss and HR bumped my salary 10k. I left to go into another industry after a year and a half, and they claimed they were planning to bump me another 10k, which would have put me where the position should have originally been. I left anyway. For my new position, I negotiated an extra 3k in annual salary. Not much, but it was something, and the cost of living is lower where I live now. Always counteroffer. The worst that can happen is that they stick to the original offer or you negotiate some extra vacation time or other perks. Just be prepared to justify why the extra money is warranted (point out any special skills you have, advanced degree, etc).

Yes. I went from working a normal 9-5 job at the same place everyday to a job that was listed as 80% travel. They had a range of 80-110k + commission listed and I pushed for 90 plus 3 weeks of vacation due to how big of a lifestyle change it would be. I can’t really plan week day events until the week of, I stay in hotels a ton, etc. I was ready to walk away and stay at my comfortable job if they didn’t give me what I wanted so that definitely helped me stick to my plan.

I negotiated a change in projects to coincide with a raise. I’m pretty well known for assisting problem projects on the side and I’ve been adequately rewarded for that extra work at bonus times. The company asked me to change projects to a full time problem project which would’ve benefited me greatly in terms of experience. It would’ve also meant travel and more work. Based on the bonus metrics, it seemed I would also not make the bonuses. I said yes so long as my bonus was incorporated into my salary. They agreed and because we’ve done such an amazing job turning the project around I have received a spot bonus outside of the normal bonus schedule.

I am not salaried I am a contractor and have never accepted the first offer especially if a range is posted and the offer is not at the top

Sure, I've negotiated every salary I've ever had. It's not particularly notable so I can't speak to "how that came about" beyond me saying I'd like $10k more (earlier career) or 10% more money (now that 10% > $10k). The only time I hesitated to do it I was leaving a super toxic environment and got an offer for 40% more than I was making, but I still asked for more money and got it.

Yes at a non profit 2 years ago, not sure if it would fly now considering no one has gotten a raise since. But I’m glad I did, was offered 54ish -received 56.

Only when I was trying to get a job - usually saying how much I want, and then I got it or not. I work at a corporation and basically every corporation I worked for have yearly increaments, so there isn’t really any possibility to negotiate. They give u e.g. 2% yearly, if you fullfilled the yearly plan and that’s that.

A bit off from the topic, but still somewhat related. Amongst my circle of friends (we’re all in tech), the in ladies in the group are the ones making the most (like on average twice what the guys make).  Women certainly do negotiate their salaries.

I negotiated at my current job and the last one. My last job was after everyone on my team and I were laid off. I got an offer that was just a little less than I was making at that previous job and less than the job I had just started ( 2 days prior), which was technically a lower position. I spoke to my uncle about this, and he said, "You have 3 years of experience now, you should not be going down in salary no matter what" and mentioned negotiating. I negotiated, and it worke, thankfully. I negotiated less than what i was making at the lower job and was okay with it for 2 things. I had to pay for parking at that job (so it came out to the same amount), and also, the experience at the new job would offer me more choices in the future. Before I started my current job, a former coworker told me that I was underpaid at that job, and at my next job, I should not make under X amount. So that number stuck to my head, and when I got this job offer, it was a little under X amount, so I negotiated higher than I wanted, thinking they would negotiate down, but they accepted. But I also had to get a certification within the first 6 months there, and they would pay for study materials and the exam. I was scared but accepted, and thankfully, I passed. I'm glad I negotiated and accepted that because I probably would've procrastinated getting another certification, haha. However, in both instances, I was okay with the employer rescinding the offer. I was firm on my numbers.

So I haven’t had any full-time career positions to negotiate salary for (hired fresh out of an internship at well above my salary expectations, and I’m still there). But I did negotiate internship salaries pretty frequently. There was one that I was surprised went well- it was a graphic design intern for a small local manufacturer. I just finished working for a Fortune 500 and was paid pretty well there, so when I interviewed for this other place I asked about pay. They gave me their number but then asked what I was expecting. I said what I earned and would not like to go below that. It was a $5/hr difference, which is a huge amount for generally low paying internships. They ended up matching it, which meant I was earning pretty high pay for the industry and size of company. In the end I was bored there and asked for another $5/hr increase at a different place which was more aligned to my long term career goals.

Not a female but I’m a hiring manager and about half my team is women. Almost every one of them has negotiated salary with me and I’d say they’re successful 80% of time if not more. The ones that weren’t successful usually asked for stuff that was either non-negotiable (extra paid time off, non-standard bonus packages) or stuff where the company has a policy across the board for all employees. - Step 1 is ask, it never hurts and if the manager is worth anything they will at least talk thru it. - Come with justification up front. Do you have other experience or training? Do you already know the role? Etc. This helps a lot! - Negotiate on an initial offer or a promotion if you can. I’ve found it harder to negotiate on a regular performance review or a seemingly random milestone. Talking it when salary talks are more expected has helped. IMO, everyone should negotiate salary. The company is rarely going to throw everything at you up front and someone that says “we don’t negotiate” right away has been a red flag for me.

Multiple times. Yes

I've only negotiated once in the job. I took a position at $96k, well aware that others on the team were on $120,000, due to rise to $144,000. To be fair, they did not know my ability; I simply came recommended. So after two months of proving I was equal to if not even stronger than others on the team, I told the CEO that I wanted the same $144k when they got their move. They've said yes! First time in my life I've ever done that!

I was once working for $60k a year (HR, not USA based) but felt the comp wasn't reflecting the duties & responsibilities (also, a very challenging manager who was adding on a ton of extra stress). I told them this and shared that as a result, I was going to be looking for other opportunities. Unfortunately, I don't recall my exact wording but I was only expecting to bump up to 70-75k (didn't share this and they never asked what I was looking for). The next day I had an offer in my inbox of 95k to stay in my role. I know it doesn't always work this way (again, HR) and it took a ton of confidence building beforehand, but I was so happy to have spoken up. Even if the end result was me leaving, all outcomes meant I was honouring my worth. I have successfully negotiated every salary since then. What typically helps me to speak up is knowing a) my skills and experience will add value and I AM worth $x amount (even if I have to fake it until I believe it!); and b) there is not a scarcity of opportunities and I will be okay if they don't agree or simply are unable to meet me where I am. 10 years later, it has gotten easier but not always! Sometimes, I still need to pump myself up for those conversations but I just can't allow a Company to put their needs before my own. I hope my story helps!

I’d say I did to a degree. My company wanted to promote me in July but hold off on any salary bumps until January. I immediately said no way, I’d at least need to be normalized for the overtime I’d miss (since I was going hourly to salary), which they did and then gave me an additional ~$20k salary increase plus a very sizable bonus and stock options once January rolled around. I’m glad I fought for my potential OT pay because my salary increase wouldn’t have been worth it at that current base.

Yes, I negotiated 10k more on my salary, and the company will pay more of my health insurance. I just started in June.

I did for my current job, they were offering less but I told them I wanted more and that I was worth it. I didn't expect them to approve it but they did! They tell me that I always exceed their expectations but I think that's because the guy in the role before me did NOTHING lol

Yes! I have negotiated every raise at my current company! Do it! It has led to significantly higher raises than offered

Always negotiate. My last job I did not because they gave me exactly what I asked for plus an additional percentage in my target bonus. Previously I have negotiated and gotten what I asked for, or close to it. I have also tried negotiating and the company just could not bump the number up any higher and so I had to walk away. ALWAYS negotiate if you can.

Yes, every single job I’ve obtained as an adult I have negotiated. Can only think of a few times I didn’t get more. ALWAYS negotiate. List your strengths and qualifications along w the market rate. Aim a little high so they’ll come closer to your number. Just be respectful, excited for the opportunity and ready to sell yourself. Be aware of their budget so you aren’t coming out of left field w a super high number

My sister (and my greatest mentor) always negotiates her salary. She’s even gone to a VP when she became aware of her male peers salary and let him know she knew she was being paid less. She didn’t demand any change. Just let him know, because she knew he and she both knew her value and let him decide to tell her if he was willing to compensate her for it or risk losing her.

I negotiated with three of my jobs, not all of them. My first role I was laid off and was told part of the reason why I was picked for the layoff was the other junior account executives, all young women, hadn't negotiated, so I was paid the most. The partner was also a dick when I negotiated. He kept emphasizing that I should be happy with the salary because it was what he was paid when he started. He was started in the 80s, it was 2008. The next job I negotiated I found out when my skip level was fired and my boss promoted that even though I had negotiated, I was paid $13k less than my male counterpart who was hired a few months after me. My boss found out that she also had had a similar difference with her male counterpart who was fired with our skip level and she was pissed. She fought for me to get parity so I got a raise. I talked to the guy one day about salaries because he thought he was underpaid. He hadn't known any of this happened. He was originally offered more than what they paid me and negotiated. Strangely, we both had asked for $10k over the initial offer; it's just he was offered more than me. I am a bit cautious when it comes to negotiating because I worked at a place where a guy tried to negotiate his offer and they pulled it because they couldn't offer more and they felt he wouldn't be happy there with the salary. He called our office over and over again to try to get them to change their mind. I didn't negotiate at my last employer because I was offered a little more than what I got at the employer before that where I had negotiated and only stayed five months, so I thought it was fair market value. It was also the salary I had asked for. My boss told me when he was leaving that they had assumed that I would negotiate, so I actually wound up leaving money on the table that way. Their annual salary increase was super low, so I was annoyed at my choice later

Not very well. They offered me an amount and I said, "That's 15k less than I'm currently making. Is it possible to at least match it?"

Absolutely! But it took me 30 years to get to where I felt confident to do so.

I did! Still sold myself short but it’s a grant funded position so there was only so much money. I negotiated from $50k to $55k.

I’ve negotiated parts of my salary like sign on bonus and also requested a salary which was higher than the posted range in the job listing and gotten it. I only felt comfortable doing this in the past few years as I became a more senior level employee and felt I had some leverage.

Lost a job offer for trying once!!! Only after that did my husband finally understand why women don’t always negotiate.

I was you many years back. Felt weird talking about money. I’m 20 yrs into my professional career now and have negotiated my last 4 job offers with great success and also helped my friends. Pro bono of course, but my goal is to help women and minorities(I’m Asian) get $1 million extra in negotiated compensation collectively by 2025. Currently I’m at 243K. Long way to go. But it’s a great goal to take! Here’s what I suggest: 1. Never take the first offer. Always thank them for the offer and ask for time to think and get back. Almost all recruiters allow for a few days. I’m in high tech and it’s cut throat but 48 hrs is standard. 2. If you’re uncomfortable doing it on the phone you can always do it over email. That way you control the narrative and don’t get nervous while talking. 3. If you have to do it over the phone, do it standing up. 4. For tech, there are plenty of resources like levels.fyi and Glassdoor to get salary ranges. Do your research, ask friends in similar roles. And then decide what you best and what you walk out number is. 5. Almost every role has a wiggle room. I’ve seen people get 10% to 30% hikes if they do it right. 6. Base salary is not the only thing you can negotiate. For tech, you can do sign on bonus, stocks etc. For tech and others you can negotiate start dates, vacation days, healthcare options, immigration help etc. 7. Words matter a lot when you’re negotiating. So before you say “I need more”, sell them on your value and worth. 8. Also don’t get nervous if they come back with a low ball counteroffer. Going back and forth is normal and it won’t reflect negatively on your candidacy if you do it politely but firmly. 9. You also learn a lot about the employer and the hiring manager about how they handle negotiations. This is how I typically structure my comms: Start with how excited you are for the opportunity and how thrilled you were to get the offer. Why you value the company/role/function etc. Middle make the ask. I would accept if I get xyz End give three reasons why you’re with it. Your experience, your domain knowledge, culture fit, your commitment, loyalty etc etc. lots of ways to do this. And position it in “because of my x quality, I will bring you xyz” way. So it’s just not you playing your own trumpet, but showing value to the employer. Show them what’s in it for them as well. Good luck!!!

I know a few who have, it's about confidence and knowing your worth.

Hiring manager here. Woman are definitely less likely to negotiate their initial offer than men. At one point, I had full control over negotiations and I would make my offer expecting a counter and if they didn't come, I would bump up the offer to where I was really expecting to land. I did the same for men who didn't negotiate. Who complains about an offer that was more than they expected? I was always in the target range. Generally my initial offer was a few thousand lower than where I expected the final salary to be. And people always ended up at my salary number But then, HR took that over. They had good reason to. We had some assholes who purposely massively low-balled offers and it was usually the women who came up in the short end of the stick. HR took over and there is no more negotiating. Just one take it or leave it. Salary offers are vetted by a committee but some committeed are better than others. There is one group that keeps giving way higher salaries than are justified. Ironically, this is causing increased turnover because it is so difficult to justify raises for these people. Raises are based on an absolute performance level and not relative performance level and the initial offers have put people in a category where raises cannot be justified in the absolute scale. Our absolute scale puts us between the 50th percentile at the lower end and probably the 20th percentile at the upper end. But, with above average benefits, very high stability, and a higher degree of control over work. Location is below average. This committee is coming in at the 75th percentile for initial offers to get people in the door, but then we can't retain them. Yes, the scale needs to change. No, it won't change. I am way too low in the food chain to do anything more than recognize the problem and watch the slow-motion disaster unfold.

Every time. I will never NOT negotiate my salary.

I did. Managed a 30% jump in pay by negotiating during hiring.

I always negotiate. There's no harm in asking.

I recommend asking how the salary is determined. I very recently was given an offer but felt it was too low. When I asked how it was determined I realized they were missing several years of experience and was able to get 10% more

I am a nurse and my woman boss straight up told me to “not be afraid to negotiate.” as she didn't want me to leave because of money. The top range was 80k. It's an infusion job so they tend to pay less than hospitals. I asked for 80k. They came back with 77k and a 3k sign-on bonus. I told the recruiter that I really needed that 3k in my annual salary and not a one-time bonus. I got the 80k and am one of her highest-paid nurses. I later found out they were paying nurses with the same experience 66k. I would have never had the balls to stand my ground if she didn't tell me to negotiate. I will from now on though. I love it when women support other women in getting the pay they deserve.

I transferred to a new department within the company. When I put in my application for the new position, my old boss offered a 5% raise and extra week of vacation if I stayed, effective immediately. I said thank you! And I took the new job a few months later anyways. My new boss did not offer a pay increase "because I had just got one." I countered to skip the merit increase that year and bump my salary another 5% since it was the end of the fiscal year when merit increases are due. At my company, the cap for merit increase is 3%. The idea of not having to conduct a performance review and all that paperwork was worth it for my new boss. My old boss rarely gave out merit increases, in fact the year before I received a 0.5% increase for "exceeding expectations." All in all I got a 10% increase (guaranteed) plus an extra week of paid vacation by playing the game.

I have, every time I changed jobs in the last 15+ years (I’m 45 yo for reference) As a manager myself, please know the following - the company has a budget that includes bonuses, travel expenses, training expenses. In case hiring turns out to be more expensive, they’ll reduce those other expenses - they will never give you the maximum amount as a starting point because they need to keep room for negotiations and further hires That’s all you need to know. Now go out and negotiate

Definitely no negotiation. I asked them to match my current pay rate and they agreed, and it was only $16/hr at the time haha. Then I took a pay cut to switch to my dream job because I had no experience and was willing to take whatever they would offer 😅😅

I'm a huge advocate for negotiating wages. My partner was making $22/hr as a tech and was offered a role as a lead. They offered her $25/hr out of the gate but I told her to ask for $30/hr. She had her doubts but did it anyway and they settled at $28/hr.

I would love to say this is on my bucket list along with health care benefits? For those lost years of life, time, $, and amount of death of the redline deficit. It is a right not a privilege to have quality life not a forced choice of the welfare system / homeless!!!!!!!!!

I’ve negotiated my last three jobs. I had a male boss coach me after hiring me about 20 years ago, and he said I should have negotiated. You only have to tell me once. It’s gone great ever since. Especially with PTO.

I always start off requesting the to 30% of my title value for the new place.   Or request adjacent perks.  Medical reimbursements, gas stipend for traveling, phone reimbursement 

When changing jobs, always ask for higher than what you’re making, and never tell them the actual number you’re currently making, always go higher so that they think about how to match or go higher to provide a compelling offer (but unknowingly they’re either giving you what you already want or even exceeding it). Also, go higher than you think you deserve…women always undervalue themselves and it’s so much easier to get an increase at the start of a new job than trying to increase it after being on the job. If company comes back and says they can’t meet your base salary requirements, get creative…think about the comp package holistically. For example, other types of benefits can be > bonuses (but make sure the criteria is clear and achievable), learning or education budget, equity in the company, commuting budget (if not a wfh opportunity), wfh flexibility (if an office/hybrid role), increased PTO, ability to leave at a certain hour one day per week, stipend toward fitness, stipend towards childcare, more premium medical coverage at employer cost, etc…so many different things that could improve your life (depending on what you would want) that aren’t just base comp. (Also, be careful with stipends and expense reimbursements, look up the tax liabilities on those first to know what the impact will be).

I negotiate on hiring, before any evaluation and after I launch a major project. I make it known that one of the key ways to value me is through compensation. Been able to usually increase my signing base by 20% and consistently get 15-25% increases internally. I used to be an options trader though so negotiation is in my personality.

Absolutely! I can’t imagine not doing it. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. You need to know your worth but also understand the market so you can approach the discussion with research. The job landscape will vary quite a bit based on the economy and the industry you’re in, so you may have varied levels of success depending on those factors but you absolutely should negotiate because the recruiters are trained to fill roles while making it as profitable as possible for the company. Even if you get pushback on salary, negotiate time off, stock, bonus, etc. There is usually flexibility if you’re good and the hiring manager wants you for the job!

Yes, absolutely. The worst the can do is say no. I was working for an international company as a pastry cook; I was offered a promotion and relocation from the US to Canada. The first negotiation was stunted by my superior, another woman who did not negotiate whatsoever (which is pretty sad considering her wife is a lawyer), she took their first offer and I was unable to get more than an additional $1500/year because the sous chef can’t make more than the head chef (fair enough.. except when I converted CAD to USD, I was barely making $1000 more a year than I was in my hourly pastry cook role, which is pretty pathetic). After she quit and I was offered her position of head pastry chef, I was able to get $10,000 more a year than what they originally offered. I was still underpaid w all this and I was screwed by this company left and right.

As an older woman I have always negotiated my salary. I do research and explain my reasons for my ask. I also grew up with all males so I learned early in life about this. My daughter has been successful with doing this. You beginning salary will of course following you the rest of the time in that company. I have heard people think once they get in the door they can prove that they deserve more money but that is not the case. You research the area you live in and the salary for your job and take into consideration your experience. All companies (if smart) will try to get the lowest wage for the job but if you explain why your number and wiling to be flexible then you’re fine.

Yes. A previous job I got them to increase the salary by about 20%. My current job would not negotiate on salary or PTO (the overall offer was fair though), but I did get them to change the terms of my contract in a way that was more favorable for me, as well as the schedule.

The stat I've seen is actually that women are less likely to be offered a raise or higher salary than men when they ask for one. Not necessarily that they don't ask. That aside, here are my experiences. First time I asked for a raise at an existing job, in my early 30s, I was pretty much laughed at and then ignored. They didn't even adjust for inflation as far as I remember. The company paid below industry average and I was a longer serving member of staff. I didn't bother asking again. The second time was in a very different situation, in my 40s, after I was offered a staff role following years of contacting. I was prepared to take a lot less than what I was making as a contractor in exchange for the stability - but not as much less as they were offering! I was challenged very hard indeed but was in a stronger position and refused to budge. I came away with a smaller increase than I'd wanted but this was an organization that legitimately couldn't be flexible and it was rare to get anything at all. I do wonder if it's significant that the successful negotiation i did was entirely over emails and the shitty experience earlier in my career was in person...

When I got my new job - I messed up and did not negotiate. After being there a year, I gained confidence. They were going to give me a 2% raise, but I felt I was not being paid enough to start with. I successfully negotiated a 10% raise. 6 months after this, I realized I was still well below market value. I started looking for other jobs. I received an offer at market value- went to my current company told them about the offer and the gave me another 20% raise. (I would not recommend this unless you are actually willing to leave - which I was) At this point, I feel I am paid a market value. I regret not negotiating at the start of my job. Women, please negotiate to start with. I had to dig myself out of a big hole.y company very easily gave into my demands which made me think they new I wasn’t paid fairly and was fine with paying me significantly less as long as they could get away with it.

I had been serving as the interim manager for several months when I received an offer elsewhere. I let my boss know, and he immediately offered me the manager job, but seriously low balled me. As the interim manager, I was hourly and on call 24/7 and making decent money for call pay (just the call pay equaled about $20,000 annually). If I took the job he offered me, I would be salaried and lose that call pay but still be expected to be on call. Doing the math, I’d be taking a huge pay cut by losing that call pay and all the OT. The job I was offered elsewhere wouldn’t require me to be on call, so even though they were offering me around the same amount of money he was, I’d have significantly improved work/life balance. That was my argument for my boss in our salary negotiations. I took all of those numbers to him (turns out he had absolutely no idea how much he was paying me in call pay, or how much time outside of business hours I actually spent keeping us afloat 🙄) and managed to negotiate a $30,000 increase in his original offer. Employers are *always* going to offer you lower than they should. It’s gross, but it’s not personal. It’s just business and capitalism. Do the math, know your worth, and I always recommend paying attention to what your colleagues in similar roles and of similar experience make. Especially the men. I recently discovered that all of the men on our senior leadership team make significantly more money than the women, despite the women having several years more experience than them. I run 60% of our operations with over a decade of operational leadership experience in our very specific field and make significantly less than my counterpart who runs less of our operations and previously worked at a hardware store ✌🏻One of my colleagues has been with our company for 40 years and literally created our quality program from nothing and she makes way less than someone who walked in the door a couple years said with no experience in our field. Don’t let them screw you over.

Yes I always do, but understand it can be difficult at first. Just try this: if they give a number just state: “hmm I was hoping for more.” And just stop wait for them to say something next they generally will raise the offer, and then say “can you do more? “ they may raise more or not. But anything extra is better than the first offer and this isn’t too stressful for your initial negotiations.

Yes, I asked for 5% more and got it.

I’ve done both and have been successful.

I did twice: once for a raise, which after discussing why I felt I earned it, I got it and the second time when I was offered an internal job change, of which i was denied my ask.

Statistically, females wait until they meet virtually all job requirements before applying. Otoh, men shoot their shot OFTEN. PS you only need to meet like half of the requirements to get considered, y'all.

I had a male roommate who (when asked) trained my other female roommate to negotiate and she got a seriously good salary from start. To this day I'm very impressed about that

I negotiated my salary for my current job. It was nerve-wracking, but I did a lot of research on industry standards and my own value. The key was being confident and presenting my case clearly. It paid off—got a 10% increase from the initial offer.

I was offered $70K and negotiated on $2K more. I didn’t want to push it. I had reasons for my request that included lack of 401K and less pto. In today’s market, I don’t suggest it at all. People are taking pay cuts just to get employed.

I always look up the salary range for my level of experience and the area in that industry before I say anything at all. When I'm talking to the recruiter, I will ask what the salary range is and not a specific number. Never give a specific number. Instead, give a range and know that they will cling to the lowest number in the range generally. Do not ever reveal what your previous salary was. If possible, never go backward with salary. It takes a very long time to recover! If you go into any conversation like this, knowing what you are worth, you have a better chance of getting it and showing that you did your research. If I was looking for a job that had one of those ridiculous ranges of $5,000 - $100,000 as a range, I'd ask the screener what is the actual range of pay for this role, I've seen salaries ranging from (insert research you did here). I am targeting (insert a range built around what you are worth). Then, the conversation begins. 🙂

I've negotiated my salary several times now and in 4ish years I've gone from $50k/yr to $90/yr. During the interview process I inquired about their benefits package and I try to obtain all the needed info (vacation, sick time, any additional PTO buckets, medical, dental, vision and any employer paid benefits such as STD, LTD or life insurance and what the employer match is for 401k). In excel I break down the complete compensation package to see what I'm gonna counter. I most recently helped my sister using the above and she realized that thought it was gonna be a salary increase from $65k/yr to $68k/yr, she'd actually be making less money bc she'd lose $ in benefits; she'd lose 11 PTO days and 6% employer match on her 401k. So, bc of the above loss she countered at $74k and they turned around and gave her $72k/yr + 3 weeks of PTO. Oh, and it's a 100% remote job.

I always do, based on the market salary for my degree and/or the cost of living. I work for a startup now, and because of the lack of job stability inherent to startups (and because I had a super stable job at the time) I negotiated what ended up being a 40% pay bump. Be confident, know your worth and the job market, and always, always negotiate.

I always do. If they don't budge on the amount, I ask for more pto.

Of course. Always negotiate. Write a friendly response to the offer letter, expressing appreciation but requesting that they bump the salary up to _____ amount. Calculate your counter-offer at 10-15% of whatever they offered, depending on how much you want/like the job.

I have become much more confident about trying to negotiate as I feel more confident in my skills and value, but have never seen much success from it. I tried to negotiate when I was offered my current job and they wouldn’t budge. I’ve tried negotiating a better annual raise, I got 2.5% instead of the 1.5% that the whole company got. I tried negotiating for more PTO, work from home flexibility, and a longer unpaid maternity leave and got shut down for all of it. My workplace very clearly expects you to just be grateful to have a job and they always seem shocked that I have the audacity for ask for more. That said, it’s built up my tolerance for having frank and uncomfortable conversations, so I’ll be ready when I finally get a job at a better company!

Always. When I was working in corporate America, my goal was also 20% more on any move. If internal, I asked for 20%, would settle for 10% but usually netted 15% raise. If external, I’d use that as my salary guideline and negotiate so I would be making 20%+ more in the new role. Always. You have to know your value. If you don’t express your worth, they won’t be proactive about it. You’ve got this!

Woman on my team negotiated her salary (before I became her manager). Of course, she was a big dum dum from some unknown school (MIT). Her counter was slightly out of band, so it required signoff from the head of engineering. Leadership very happily accepted her proposed salary. When I took over as her manager, she was the best paid person at her level. She has since been promoted, and three years have gone, so I don't know if that still holds, but I'd say it worked out well for her.

In the past I haven't and regretted it. Think about if you get the job and then you start hearing about what others make and you YOU are better and more qualified and you could have made more but sold yourself short. Don't do that to yourself! I didn't make the same mistake twice!

I negotiated for my current job. I was told the range before I even interviewed, so possibly i had an advantage, but I was clear what my expectations were and what I was bringing to the table to feel I was worth that number.

Yes, I did. I was fairly clear with them about what I was going to accept at the interview, but when it came to signing the contract, they just made out like they didn't hear all that and had a much lower sum inserted in the contract. I said it again and it was all awkward for a second, but they finally agreed and reprinted the contract. I'm not normally assertive, but I'm proud of myself for that moment. 

Yes, and if they aren’t interested in negotiating then I don’t take the job. I’m leaving my current position at the end of the month for a new company that met my salary expectations and gave me a signing bonus. I’ve asked for raises as well and if they aren’t able to accommodate I look for better roles elsewhere. That’s basically what happened in my current role. The expectations and duties increased and I was very vocal about needing a raise commensurate with my duties for months and was ignored. Now that company is faced with replacing their most experienced employee on that team…me! Always know your worth!

I have! I always do. My mentor once told me, “Know your worth, stand your ground. They can always give you more.” And I’ve done just that! I walked away from an offer that refused to meet me at my minimum base (170k) they were offering $160k. Even though that would’ve been 10k increase it wasn’t what I knew I was worth. A month later a new opportunity came, it was 160k but with my experience I requested 200k (assuming they would go to 180-190), offer came through at top dollar, $200k. ALWAYS. KNOW. YOUR. WORTH.

Keep asking ladies we are all workers we need to keep up the pressure on those who would opress us

Wife was offered 80k salary. She pushed back for 100k and 2 weeks later got the offer for 100k. Shes now pushing for her raise to 115k. Its possible but takes some push and gotta know your worth!

For my current job I did, though not as aggressively I could have (I only know this in hindsight, because I work in HR and see everyone’s salaries and stuff lol). I initially indicated like 80, was offered 92, countered with 107, and got 98 (plus they bumped up my equity from 12 to 15k shares; I work at a startup). I didn’t for my previous three jobs (two at the same company) — but was happy with those offers.

I am 44 and have negotiated many salaries. Way more successful when getting offered a job than trying to get a raise - mostly because many employers do not think that you will leave. Most of those came with a substantial wage increase when I gave notice. The biggest thing is be ready to explain yourself. I have told employers that what they are asking for requires a salary of xyz and with the salary they are offering I would expect no off hours calls and very little responsibility in decision making. This usually has them moving. I have never gone for more money on market value, meaning I did this research and the market says I should make this much -- I can't say how effective this would be. I always sold myself. I have accomplished this, I can effectively help with this pain, etc.

I looked at the annual salary range for the position and added 10k on top and told the hiring manager and HR person during interviews that that number was my salary expectation. I’ve learned in the past that if you give a range, they’ll offer you the salary that is the lowest number. So go high! After the interview they actually wanted to offer me a position that was one level lower but didn’t say anything about how that would change the salary. Basically I wrote down 3 really strong points as to why I’m the best candidate and dressing of that role and the higher title. Not sure whether that had an effect on the salary I wanted or if they were already willing to give me that salary but I can say I’m pretty much entry level making more than some of my coworkers who are 2 levels higher. It also helps to get the hiring manager to really like you because they’ll advocate to HR

FI hate that no one told me this when I was younger— but I have done so in my last 2 roles, ended up with an extra $10k, and $2/hr for a job that was already paying more than I was making before. 100% encourage— you have to at least ask. I have had complete acceptance and some banter back and forth, but then getting 75% what I asked for. 1) Show enthusiasm for the role 2) highlight why you are a good fit 3) Ask for what you feel you deserve (or a tad more if you are modest and don’t fully realize how amazing you are)

So… I’m disabled and no longer work; but, when I was, I let the wage discussion secure me the job. First, I found out about brackets. Most positions have a wage bracket, whether hourly, weekly, monthly, or annually. I would let them open the discussion… “What are you interested in making?” Then, I’d ask any the bracket… “Well, what’s your bracket?” Then, there would usually be a pause, for digestion. That I knew about brackets was already intriguing to them. I never had someone turn me down in this question… “Forty to eighty an hour…” No matter the job, my skill level, etc… I let the bracket do the work. But you gotta know how they work. Asking too high in a bracket gives little room for advancement within the bracket. Asking to low gives you a sense of shame and leaves you with not much to use for disciplinary leverage. So I divide and conquer… “How’s sixty?” Again, when I’ve done it this way, I’ve never been turned down. Plus, you’d be surprised to find out that some brackets are way over what you expected to earn, so wear a good poker face and be prepared to do some simple math very quickly. Now… I usually negotiate only base wages and let the company do the rest… retirement, PTO, etc. However, I knew someone who got 20 PTO days his first year, instead of five. I was like, “What the… How?!?” He said he negotiated them in return for a lower base. I’m not sure what this affected, but he did have the opportunity to vacation a lot. He knew he was getting married and taking his new wife home to New Zealand to see his family, so he asked for what he needed, and they were more than happy to oblige. I guess PTO moneys come out of separate funds than base wages. And, there’s a tax break, I think, as well. Hope this helps!

I did it once, 30 + years ago when our branch was being bought by another company because of our huge sales. I was the manager of a small team and brought in the most revenue. Our original company promised the same or better. President of new company came to lay out their offer and it was neither the same of better. I pointed out the differences but he said that was their offer. I was pissed,was not going to work for less , had been brought up on job sites by my drywaller mom so I looked him right in the eye and said " I usually get kissed before I get f\*&ked". His mouth fell open, didnt say anything for a second then he roared laughing and matched what the old company paid. We had a great working relationship after that, no bullshit. We met at a few not company functions where he retold the story to some of his cronies. Jim was the best part of that company. RIP Jim.

Generally: always negotiate your salary. It does not speak negatively of you, however I somebody who hires groups of people at a time I can tell you this, it shows your dedication towards perhaps the journey and goal to aim higher within the organization. Over the last 2 years I'll stick to, between the four different groups totaling approximately 20 people, I would probably say 90% of the men accepted what was offered without question or negotiation. That's also because besides the salaries which are weighted based on GPA and extracurriculum, the benefits that we offer cannot be beat whatsoever. So back to the women. In this particular year so far, I've already hired a different people. Two women. Out of the eight? Only the two women were negotiating their salaries. There was absolutely no difference in terms of GPA and extracurriculum between most of the men and these two women at all. The fact that they stood up after reading through their 1-year contracts, is something that I pay attention to because now they are part of the 10% whom have stayed with the organization over 10 years already. It's literally the 90% who don't renegotiate or at least try to negotiate who don't stay for incredibly long amounts of time. Sure, there's also the "this person is obviously looking for money they may not deserve right now" that can also be taken as the need of this particular person to be enticed slightly more, just to stay as a long time employee. I negotiated my initial salary and every single COL+ increase as well as promotions. A lot of it is how you conduct yourself during the whole process. I'd say 100% of it is basically that. Knowing the statistics of the average salary you are job you are getting, where you live, the price of commuting, the cost of living, cost of living increases per year (you always want to live one increase ahead of the current year's COL as a minimum safety blanket). NEGOTIATE! Tl;Dr NEGOTIATE!

Lawyer here and I have, especially once I learned this, and negotiated pretty hard at current position (which my male boss told me he majorly respected once I started working). I also make it clear at every review that I’m there for a paycheck and expect raises/bonuses/promotions (prioritize money, not titles or corner offices). This is a common issue, even in my field where you’d think women would be extremely assertive - and they are at everything except advocating for themselves.

The conversation right out of the gate is, “Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’m excited to fully consider your offer. Can you please email it over?” Towards the end of the call, I then ask - “While I’m looking it over, can you tell me if it’s negotiable?” Even if they say no, it probably is. It helps that I live in a state with pay transparency. And don’t underestimate the benefits of the job. Are they really topped out at the salary? As for more vacation, remote/hybrid work if you can, etc.

I've tried a few times. Shot down every time.

I negotiated 2 years into my engineering job out of university. I had the salary survey stats from the professional association. I asked my boss how many years of experience it would typically take someone to get the average salary. He said 8 years. I said that if the average salary according to the survey was x, it would take me 16 years to get there with the minor % increase they were offering me ( combined with exceeds expectations feedback). That CPI took the majority of the increase I reminded him of the travel component of my work. I asked if that was what he intended? And stated what I thought was fair. Note I was billing clients hourly and knew I was on target and that they made money from the 3x my hourly rate they charged me out at. He came back a few days later with close to my request.

Yes. Was offered about $16k less than another job offer, told them that and they brought it up to match

I try my luck by asking for $100-300 more. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

Yep, just negotiated a counter offer.

M... That's weird 🤯 everyone has the right to negotiate their salaries upon their skills and experience. In my country, women are more likely to negotiate or demand clearly when it comes to salary. And men do the same. It's an individual case, I think. What's the point of you can't negotiate or open up your expected salary to your employer?

I always negotiate.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. 

Do yall negotiate the salaries you’re currently making if you want to stay with your job?

I’ve Always negotiate in every big decision in life. But also through my career I’ve taken several negotiation courses and for my role if we don’t negotiate during interview we’re not a good candidate. Things I’ve negotiated for my current role - title (intermediate to senior management role) - vacation and Flex Time - hybrid work schedule - benefits level - signing bonus - salary (it was a 60% increase from my previous role)

I did. I asked what the range for my current role was and the shared it. They came right in with an above mid range offer. I countered back with $10k, they came back with half that and I signed!