You're probably wrong about when you should start negotiating

Have you ever felt unsure about when to bring up salary, benefits, or other perks during a job negotiation? When it comes to job negotiations, timing is just...

Hi there,

Have you ever felt unsure about when to bring up salary, benefits, or other perks during a job negotiation? When it comes to job negotiations, timing is just as important as strategy. But knowing when to push for more—without jeopardizing the opportunity—can be tricky.

Negotiating at the right time can be the difference between a small or no increase in the offer and a life-changing increase.

Here’s a breakdown of when to make your move—and what to do at each stage:

1. During the Interview Process: Set the Stage

Negotiation doesn’t start when the offer lands in your inbox—it starts from your very first interaction with the employer. Most people wait for the offer to start negotiating. But truth is, your performance during the interviews and what you say or don’t say throughout the process can lay the groundwork for a stronger offer later.

It’s your chance to position yourself as someone they have to hire, not just someone who’s available.

Here’s how you can set the stage:

✅ Highlight your achievements

Be specific about how you’ve created value in previous roles. Instead of saying, “I worked on marketing campaigns,” say, “I led a campaign that increased website traffic by 50% in six months.” Always strive to show measurable successes. This rule applies for both during interviews as well as personalizing your resume and cover letters to align directly with the language in the job posting.

✅ Show curiosity about their needs

Ask thoughtful questions like, “What are the top challenges this team is facing?” or “What does success look like in this role after six months?”

✅ Don’t share unnecessary information

Our past newsletter issue covered this in detail, but TLDR: sharing seemingly harmless details like what other companies you’re interviewing with or your salary expectations (whether a specific number or a range) can arm the employer with valuable data points that can cause your initial offer to be lower than what they have in their budget for the role.

Why does all this matter? When you show your value and align yourself with their goals (your offensive moves), they’re more likely to stretch their offer to convince you to accept. These plant the idea that you’re a top-tier candidate and that you’re worth a higher offer.

And refraining from sharing details that are useful to your employer will help protect your leverage throughout the interview process (your defensive moves).

2. When You Receive the Verbal Offer: Buy Time

Ah, the verbal offer. It feels like a win, right? But this isn’t the time to jump into negotiation mode. Instead, use this opportunity to gather information and buy yourself time to prepare.

Here’s how you can respond:

1️⃣ Express enthusiasm:

👉 “Thank you so much! I’m really excited about this opportunity.”

2️⃣ Ask for details:

👉 “Could you share the full details of the offer, including benefits and other components?”

3️⃣ Take some time before you respond:

👉 “I’d like to take some time to review everything in detail—would that be okay?”

By doing this, you’re showing that you’re thoughtful and professional. Ask questions about benefits, equity, and other perks to understand the full package.

This sets the tone that you’re thorough and professional.

3. After the Written Offer: The Real Negotiation Begins

This is where the magic happens. Once you have the written offer, it’s time to get into specifics.

1️⃣ Start with gratitude: Always acknowledge the offer and show enthusiasm before diving into your requests.

👉 “Thank you so much for the offer. I’m really excited about the opportunity to join the company.”

2️⃣ Highlight why you’re a good fit: Just because you got the offer doesn’t mean you should stop selling yourself. Continue to reinforce that they made the right decision in extending you the offer.

👉 “I’m excited by the prospect of bringing my past experience doing x, y, z to this role and contribute to taking the team’s work to the next level.”

3️⃣ Make your asks in an open-ended way because you don’t know how much more they have in their budget to win you over. If you name a number that’s lower than their budget, you’ve left money on the table.

👉 Instead of “Can you add an additional $10k to the offer?”, say “Is there any room to move up on the compensation?”

Making your asks when they’re most invested in hiring you increases your chances of getting it.

Finally, remember, future promises are to be heavily discounted or not even considered. If you're promised an early promotion, a change in title, or an increase in compensation in the next 6-12 months but not at the offer stage, simply don't factor it into your decision as you can't hold them to it.

The Bottom Line

Negotiating isn’t just about what you ask for—it’s about when you ask. Get the timing right, and you’ll be amazed at how much more you can achieve.

Feeling unsure about timing your next negotiation? We’re here to help. Book a free consultation call with us here, or just hit reply and we’ll chat about how to approach your situation.

Best,
Gerta & Alex
Co-founders of YourNegotiations.com