Salary negotiation fails far more often from poor phrasing than from a weak position. Most candidates lose money in one of three specific moments: naming a number too early in the process, accepting the first offer out of relief, or countering without a reason attached. This guide gives you the actual words for each moment — the early-salary deflection, the counter, the response to "this is our best offer", and the version that works when you have no competing offer at all.
The Three Moments Where Money Is Won or Lost
The early salary question, usually in the recruiter screen
Whoever names a number first anchors the negotiation, and at this stage you have the least information — you do not yet know the level, the scope, or the band. Deflecting once here is worth more than any later tactic, because a number you give in week one will be quoted back to you in week four.
The moment the offer arrives
This is when relief does the most damage. Candidates who have been interviewing for two months accept on the call because it feels ungrateful not to. Enthusiasm and a decision are separable — take the first and defer the second.
The counter itself
A number with a reason attached is a negotiation. A number without one is a wish. The reason does not need to be a competing offer — market data, scope, or specific depth all work — but something has to justify the gap.
Script 1 — Deflecting the Early Salary Question
The recruiter asks for your expectations in the first ten minutes. Deflect once, courteously, and turn the question around:
Say this
"I'd rather understand the role properly before we talk numbers — I want to make sure it's the right fit on both sides. Do you have a band budgeted for this position? I'm happy to tell you quickly whether that's workable."
Recruiters answer this more often than candidates expect, because their own goal is to avoid wasting four rounds on someone they cannot afford. If they hold firm and push again, give a researched range, not a single number, and treat the bottom of your range as the number you are actually offering:
Then say this
"Based on what I'm seeing for comparable roles at similar-stage companies, I'm looking in the range of X to Y. I'm flexible on structure if the total package and the scope are right."
Two rules for that range. First, make the bottom a number you would genuinely accept, because that is the number you will be offered. Second, never state your current salary as the basis — it anchors you to your last employer's budget rather than this one's. If asked directly what you currently earn, redirect to the market: "I'd rather anchor on the market rate for this scope than what I'm on now, since the roles aren't equivalent." In a number of US states and some other jurisdictions, asking for salary history is restricted or prohibited outright, so this redirect is often on firm ground.
Script 2 — Receiving the Offer Without Accepting It
The single highest-value sentence in this entire article is the one you say when the offer arrives. Be warm, ask for the details in writing, and buy time:
Say this
"That's great news, thank you — I'm genuinely excited about this. Could you send the full details in writing so I can review the whole package properly? I'd like to come back to you by Thursday."
You have now done three things: expressed real enthusiasm, avoided accepting, and set a specific date. Naming the date yourself matters — "let me think about it" invites a follow-up call in 24 hours, whereas "by Thursday" almost always gets you until Thursday. Two to five business days is normal and requires no justification.
Script 3 — The Counter
Structure every counter as four elements in order: enthusiasm, a specific number, a reason, and an explicit signal that you are ready to close. Leaving out the fourth is what makes recruiters brace for a long back-and-forth.
Reaffirm that you want the job
"I've thought it over and I want to join — the team and the scope are exactly what I'm looking for." This is not filler. It tells the recruiter they are solving a number, not rescuing a lost candidate.
Name one specific number
"To be able to say yes straight away, I'd need base at £X." One number, not a range — ranges at this stage get read as your bottom figure. Ask for the thing you most want, not a shopping list of five items.
Attach the reason
"That reflects the benchmarks I'm seeing for this level in this market, and the fact that I'd be taking on the migration work we discussed on top of the core role." Market data, scope, or depth — pick the strongest true one.
Signal that this closes it
"If you can get there, I'm ready to sign this week." This is what converts a negotiation into a decision, and it is the element most candidates omit.
On magnitude: 10–20% above the offer is routine and rarely met with friction. Beyond roughly 25% you need something concrete behind it — a documented competing offer, a genuine level mismatch, or a hard benchmark — or the ask reads as uninformed and costs you credibility for the rest of the conversation.
Script 4 — "This Is Our Best Offer"
Sometimes true, often not. Base salary is frequently the most constrained line because it sits inside a published band and affects every future raise, while one-off costs are far more flexible. So accept the constraint and move sideways:
Say this
"I understand base may be fixed by the band — that's fair. Is there flexibility on the signing bonus instead? A one-off amount bridges the gap for me and doesn't affect your salary structure. If that's not possible either, could we agree a review at six months with a specific target?"
This works because it gives the recruiter a way to say yes without breaching the constraint they just described. Ordered from easiest to hardest to grant:
Usually easy
- Signing bonus (one-off cost)
- Start date
- Remote or hybrid pattern
- Learning and conference budget
- A written six-month review
Sometimes possible
- Equity amount
- Annual bonus target
- Extra holiday allowance
- Relocation support
- Title, without a level change
Usually hard
- Base above the band ceiling
- A level change late in the process
- Faster vesting schedule
- Guaranteed future promotion
Script 5 — Negotiating With No Competing Offer
Most negotiation advice quietly assumes you are holding a rival offer. Most candidates are not. You still have three legitimate sources of leverage, and none of them require bluffing:
- Market benchmarks. "For this level in this market I'm seeing X to Y consistently" is a real argument, and recruiters are usually working from the same benchmark data you are.
- Scope beyond the job description. If the interviews revealed responsibilities the posting did not mention — owning a migration, managing a vendor, being the only person on a system — that is a scope argument, and it is often the strongest one available.
- The cost of restarting. They have spent four rounds and multiple engineers' time reaching a yes on you. Nobody says this out loud, and it does not need saying — it is simply why a reasonable counter usually gets a hearing.
Do not invent a competing offer
This is the one move that reliably destroys deals. Companies do sometimes verify, informally and through networks you cannot see, and an invented offer converts a salary conversation into an integrity problem. If you have no competing offer, negotiate on market data and scope — both work, and neither can blow up.
Get It in Writing, Same Day
Whatever is agreed on a call, confirm it by email within a few hours. Recruiters change roles, requisitions get handed over, and verbal agreements do not survive either. Keep it short and factual:
Send this
"Thanks for the call — just confirming what we agreed: base of £X, signing bonus of £Y, start date 15 September, and two days a week in the office. Let me know if I've mis-stated anything, otherwise I'll look out for the updated paperwork."
Then stop. Once a number is agreed, re-opening it is the fastest way to convert goodwill into friction. Negotiate once, thoroughly, and close.
What This Looks Like End to End
Before any interview: research the band
Know the market range for the level and location before your first call, so the early-salary question never catches you improvising. Fifteen minutes of research is worth more than any script here.
Recruiter screen: deflect once, range if pressed
Use Script 1. If you must give a number, make the bottom of your range genuinely acceptable.
Offer call: enthusiasm, writing, a date
Use Script 2. Never accept on the call, however good the number sounds.
Counter within 48 hours: one number, one reason, one close
Use Script 3. Speed reads as seriousness; a week of silence reads as shopping around.
If blocked on base: move to one-off items
Use Script 4. Signing bonus and a written review date are the two most winnable asks in the whole list.
Confirm in writing, then commit
Same day, plain email, no re-opening.
Negotiation is a performance under pressure in the same way interviewing is, and the same preparation logic applies: the words need to be available to you when your pulse is up, which only rehearsal achieves. Say each of these scripts out loud a few times before the call. If you are still earlier in the process, our behavioral interview guide and FAANG preparation roadmap cover getting to the offer in the first place — and why structure beats memorisation applies just as much to a salary call as to an interview.
Rehearse the hard conversations before they happen
Amigo runs unlimited practice from your resume and target role, and supports you in real time during live interviews and calls.
Try Amigo free →Frequently Asked Questions
Should you always negotiate a job offer?
Almost always, if you do it once and professionally. A single respectful counter carries very little risk — offers are rescinded over negotiation style, not over the act of negotiating. The exceptions are genuinely fixed-band roles such as many public-sector, graduate, and campus-placement offers, where the number is set before you are in the room.
How do you answer 'what are your salary expectations?'
Deflect once, then anchor with a researched range if pressed. 'I want to make sure the role is the right fit first — do you have a band budgeted for this position?' If they insist, give a range whose bottom number is one you would genuinely accept, because you will usually be offered the bottom.
How much more should you ask for?
A counter of 10–20% above the offer is standard and rarely causes friction when justified with market data or a competing offer. Above roughly 25% you need a concrete reason — a documented competing offer, a scope difference, or a clear market benchmark — or it reads as uninformed.
Can you negotiate without a competing offer?
Yes. Market benchmark data, the specific scope of the role, and your relevant depth are all legitimate leverage. Never invent a competing offer — companies do verify, sometimes informally, and a fabricated offer is one of the few things that reliably kills a deal outright.
What can you negotiate besides base salary?
Signing bonus, equity amount and vesting schedule, start date, remote or hybrid arrangement, title and level, annual bonus target, professional development budget, and an early review date. Signing bonus and start date are usually the easiest yeses because neither raises ongoing salary cost.
Should you negotiate over email or on a call?
Open on a call if one is offered — tone carries and it is easier to read flexibility. Then confirm every agreed number in writing by email the same day. Anything not written down did not happen, and verbal promises rarely survive a recruiter handover.
Can a company rescind an offer because you negotiated?
It is rare and almost always about approach rather than the ask: ultimatums, repeated re-negotiation after agreeing, aggressive tone, or an invented competing offer. One clear, polite counter with a reason attached does not put a legitimate offer at risk.
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