

Ask HN: Best salary negotiation tip? - mavsman

I&#x27;m graduating this year and an anticipating negotiating my salary, wherever I end up. There&#x27;s a lot of stuff out there about how to do that and I have some ideas about how I&#x27;ll go about it but I think when I get into that situation I probably won&#x27;t remember most of the &quot;techniques&quot; or tips that I&#x27;ve read. What one tip would you say is most important to you?
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redraga
Here's a great write up on salary negotiation by patio11:
[http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-
negotiation/](http://www.kalzumeus.com/2012/01/23/salary-negotiation/)

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mavsman
I think that link might be dead but I think I've read this and it's awesome.
If it's the same one I'm thinking of then it's about 7000 words and very well
written, while also being aimed at engineers.

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patio11
Shouldn't be dead. The blog host may have had transient technical
difficulties.

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jtfairbank
Ramit has a lot of good tips on his free mailing list. Just ignore the upsell
stuff.

[http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/](http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/)

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MalcolmDiggs
When I first graduated I thought that job offers were something I had to
accept or reject at the moment they were made. One of the best negotiating
tactics I've learned since is just to say you need time to consider it. No
matter if it's going well or going poorly, ask for time to think about it.
Take a few days to calm down, explore your options, ask people for advice, and
then get back to them with your response (or counter-offer).

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mavsman
This is definitely something I plan on doing as well. Do you really feel it's
appropriate to counter-offer after a break in negotiations like this?
Additionally, is there a certain amount of time you would suggest asking for
or would you say that's more on a company-to-company basis?

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MalcolmDiggs
Yes I think it's more convincing to counter-offer after a break because it
conveys that you took some time to research your options and aren't just
providing a knee-jerk reaction to their offer.

Of course, don't counter-offer unless you're prepared to walk away if they
fail to meet it. It's a high-stakes game, and sometimes you'll lose.

The amount of time you ask for should fall in line with whatever narrative
you've been weaving. If you've given them the impression that you're a sought
after candidate with many suitors then asking for a few weeks to wrap up your
other interviews would not be out of line. But it's very case-specific, you've
got to keep in mind how much pressure they are under to fill that position
fast. I typically say I'll get back to them next week.

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wh-uws
Have multiple offers.

Run interview processes with companies concurrently. It makes it easier to
negotiate because you have all of the other opportunities

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shamino
Treat salary negotiation as trying to solve a problem together, as opposed to
trying to get a better figure for yourself. When you can convince your
potential employer that it's a problem that you want to work with together,
your employer is more likely to want to help solve it.

Also, never give a number first ;)

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Pamar
Here is more about negotiating in general (including the "never give a number
first" thing):
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7713290](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7713290)

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mavsman
That's a great resource. Most of those are pretty simple to live by and he
even warns about potential situations that may occur.

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malandrew
[http://infohost.nmt.edu/~shipman/org/noel.html](http://infohost.nmt.edu/~shipman/org/noel.html)

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mavsman
This is fantastic. Very concise and sounds very effective. Thank you

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gesman
Find a job you actually willing to accept and tell your current boss - "I'm
leaving".

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gregcohn
Have an alternative option you are willing to pursue if they don't give you
what you want.

