
Salary negotiation: how much should I ask for? - __KnighT__
I have an interview next morning. So far I&#x27;ve done research on Glassdoor but it&#x27;s hard for me to get a good idea of what I&#x27;m worth. What is the current market rate for new grads? I&#x27;ve linked my resume below - would you suggest an estimate?
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Thanks.
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ianamartin
The first person to mention a number is often the loser in a negotiation.

If you must start with a number, Ask for what you think you're worth x 2 and
work backwards from there.

Don't count on people just accepting your monetary value simply because they
should.

2 jobs ago, I was worth 65k/year. One year later I'm worth 135k/year.

Did my skills double in that time? No. They did not. My bargaining skills did
increase though.

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AnimalMuppet
They're going to ask you what you're currently making. Don't answer. Instead,
say something like, "That isn't a relevant number. The two numbers that are
relevant are how much you think I'm worth, and how much I'd need to decide to
come here."

Ideally you want them to reveal their number first. If they won't, you can
suggest that you each write them down on a piece of paper, and then swap
pieces. If they won't even do that, give them a number that you'd be
_delighted_ to receive.

Note well: I think this is sound advice, but I have not tried it. Use at your
own risk.

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tptacek
It depends _a lot_ on what company you're interviewing at. Your first year
comp package at Google will be _much_ higher than your package will be at a
startup, even one with traction and a high valuation.

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JoshDoody
I write about this specific question in my book "Fearless Salary Negotiation".
I'm happy to go deeper if you have further questions—just reply to this
comment.

The short answer is _you shouldn 't ask for anything_. It's in your best
interest to keep both your desired and current salary to yourself and to let
the company make you an offer. That puts you in a better negotiating position
and has the benefit of answering your secondary question of "What is the
current market rate for new grads?"

Sites like GlassDoor.com, payscale.com, and salary.com are good for getting
averages and doing research (see below for a note on this), but the best way
to find out what a specific company will pay a new grad with your skillset and
experience is to let them tell you by making you an offer.

Instead of telling them what you want to make, focus on demonstrating your
value and competence throughout the interview process so that the company
offers you a salary that's at the higher end of the range they're prepared to
pay someone to do the job you're interviewing for.

I see someone also recommended patio11's blog post on salary negotiation—you
should absolutely read that (it was a big inspiration for my book). Here is
the link in case you missed it: [http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-
negotiation/](http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/)

One last note on researching your market value: You should absolutely do that
research because it will inform how you _respond_ to the offer they make you.
Getting the best possible offer is the first step, and then you want to work
to maximize your salary by negotiating effectively.

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cjcenizal
Ask the employer what the salary range is for the position (they should
already have a number budgeted). Add $10-$15K to the higher number in the
range they give you to get an idea of what you can push for if you are able to
convince them that you will be a really remarkable hire. If you have a hard
time figuring out how to do that, then you are probably not at that point in
your career yet (which you shouldn't feel bad about if you're just starting
out).

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NumberCruncher
Read this:

[http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-
negotiation/](http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/)

It gives you the right mindset for the negotiation.

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solomatov
Considering your resume, you aren't in a position of power in salary
negotiation. You have nothing other than good education.

If I were you, I would ignore salary negotiation, and consider employment in
terms of learning opportunities and getting right experience.

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mkaziz
Your salary will depend on your location and personality as well, so it's hard
for us to mention a salary range without knowing either of those factors.

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hijinks
don't ask for anything. let the company make the offer and negotiate from
there.

I've hired a lot of sys admins and ops people and most undervalue themselves.

