How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Manukau Resume on 7 Jan 2026

Negotiating your salary is a difficult conversation, as it involves balancing what you think you’re worth versus what your employer believes they’re able to pay. If done properly it could be an enjoyable experience for both sides that results in a higher pay for the employee, as well as greater engagement of the employee in their job. Here’s how to bargain your salary in confidence.

Principal Takeaways

  • Before you make a salary offer take a look at market rates and industry standards to make sure that your salary proposal is realistic.
  • Get information from socializing with colleagues, using websites like LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, as well as reaching out to professional networks.
  • Prepare talking points ahead of the time, including education and certifications and years of relevant experiences, achievements and results, unique skill set & abilities, industry expertise, and training potential.
  • During the negotiation, you must be confident and articulate but also flexible and open. Show tangible results that you’ve achieved in your previous roles.
  • Maintain a positive mood throughout the conversation and be active in your listening.

Do your research

Before you enter any negotiations regarding salary, it’s essential to conduct thorough research on the market and standards in the industry to make sure your salary offer is reasonable. Factors that might impact this include the level of experience, level, company size as well as location. (?). A great method of gathering information is to network with colleagues and others in your chosen field of work.

Research Online

Utilizing internet-based resources like [LinkedIn Salarywith the help of certain online resources such as [LinkedIn Salary] (https http://www. linkedin. com/salary) and [GlassdoorGlassdoor (https: //www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. http://www.salaries.com/index.html) you can get more substantial approach towards the salary range that benchmarking that companies offer for the exact job. This will give you an idea of the current market rates and other facets of a job.

Your Network is Important

Gain insight by speaking to acquaintances who have had similar positions, or contacting them via the professional networks and brainstorming with members of professional associations.

Make Talk points

Preparing for a negotiation is always well spent. You’ll feel more confident in the presentation of your case if have a clearly defined outline of your talking points ahead of time.

Here are some ideas of what you could consider during your salary negotiation:

  • Training and certification
  • Years of relevant experience
  • Performances and results
  • Unique skill set and qualities (e.g. language proficiency,)
  • Industry knowledge
  • Training potential

Also keeping notes/notebook handy can also help during conversations so that one doesn’t miss any important points.

Be confident & concise

When you negotiate your salary, it’s important to be confident and clear. Make sure you are clear about your past experiences as well as your achievements and expectations for the job. It is important to keep a positive attitude throughout this conversation so that the employer isn’t appearing to be unfriendly.

Highlight the tangible results

Simply stating one is ambitious, hardworking, and goal-oriented may not be enough for an impactful appeal. So put forward clear statistics on how previous roles made an impact in the workplace or how important are certain qualities which benefit organisation

Stay flexible

If your employer isn’t able to your requested salary or compensation package being flexible and open will allow for discussions. You may be able to ask for alternative incentive options such as performance-based bonuses or structures, instead of the Base salary(? ).

Be sure remain professional throughout the negotiation - no matter how well or poorly it’s going fighting too much or imposing unreasonable demands can result in an unfavourable outcome for all parties who is involved.

Practice active listening

Listening is just as important as communicating during these types of conversations. Listen attentively from the any other participant during negotiations, observing the amount requested carefully and clarifying doubts if at all while keeping to the initial request. Both parties should ultimately be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Consider the lessons you’ve learned away from these conversations and incorporate it into any future talks you’re likely to participate in. The tips mentioned above will go far in maximizing the chances of achieving positive outcomes that are mutually beneficial.

Your network is important Have a chat with friends who’ve held similar roles or reach out to professionally-oriented networks in addition to brainstorming members of professional associations.
Plan talking points Certification and education, Years of relevant experience and accomplishments, Unique skills and characteristics (e.g. the ability to speak two languages) and industry knowledge. Potential for training
Be confident & concise Speak clearly about your experiences, achievements and job expectations. Use tangible results to highlight your achievements.
Keep your mind open You can inquire about alternative incentives such as bonuses based on performance instead of Base salary. (?). You must remain professional throughout the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is equally important as communicating in these kinds of conversations. Take what you have learned from these discussions and incorporate them into future negotiations that you’re likely to take part in.


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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the concept of salary negotiation?

The process involves negotiating and deciding on the compensation plan for a job. In this negotiation it is possible to discuss not only the base salary, but also benefits like health insurance, retirement plans and many more.

Why is it important to negotiate a salary?

Negotiating your salary will give you a greater financial future as well as indicate that you are aware of your worth. It also helps you avoid leaving money on the table.

What is the best time to negotiate my salary?

It is best to begin negotiations after receiving an offer so that all parties are informed of what’s being negotiated. This way, the negotiations will focus on securing optimal terms and avoid unpleasant surprises.

What if I am happy with the offered package without any negotiation?

If you get an offer and are happy with it, there may be no need to negotiate. It’s nevertheless important to provide clear information about what employers will provide with regards to things like compensation for training or performance-based bonuses.

What is the best way to negotiate my salary? switching careers completely?

Salary negotiation when changing career paths could require additional planning because your prior experiences might not translate or relate to the new duties. Research what similar roles in related fields pay to gain a robust comprehension of realistic expectations for you, based on the particular circumstances you face.

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