How to Negotiate Salary on Your First Job Offer (Scripts)

Thank the recruiter, ask for a day to review, look up what the role pays in your city, then counter once with a specific number and one or two reasons. Keep the tone warm, get the final offer in writing, and be ready to trade for other perks if the base pay won’t move.

Quick version

• Never accept on the spot. “Thank you, can I get back to you by Thursday?” is enough.
• Find the local pay range for the role before you name a number.
• Counter once, with a specific figure near the top of your research.
• If salary is fixed, ask about signing bonus, start date, time off or an early review.
• Get the final terms in writing before you resign from anything or accept.

Which situation are you in?

Find your row, then use the matching script below.

How to negotiate salary, step by step

1. Buy yourself time. On the call, say you’re excited and ask when they need an answer. A day or two is normal.
2. Get the whole offer. Base pay, bonus, start date, PTO, health insurance cost, retirement match. You can’t compare offers on salary alone.
3. Do the research. Use the CareerOneStop Salary Finder for your city and the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for a national median. If the job posting listed a range (a growing number of states and cities require one), that’s your first data point.
4. Pick one number. Choose a specific figure near the top of what your research supports. “$57,500” sounds researched; “around 60” sounds like a guess.
5. Write down your reasons. One or two: the local data, a skill they said they need, an internship that shortens your ramp-up.
6. Make the ask once, using the script that fits.
7. Stop talking after you name the number. Let them respond.
8. Get it in writing. Ask for the updated offer letter before you accept.

Word-for-word scripts

Script A: counter by email

Hi Jordan,

Thank you again for the offer for the Marketing Coordinator role. I’m excited about the team and the work on the product launch.

Before I sign, I’d like to talk about the base salary. Based on Salary Finder data for coordinators in Denver and my internship running the paid social budget, I was hoping for $57,500. If we can get there, I’m ready to accept this week.

Thanks for considering it, Sam

Script B: counter by phone

“Thanks so much, I’m really excited about this role. I did some research on what coordinators earn here in Denver, and with my internship experience I was hoping for something closer to $57,500. Is there flexibility on the base?” Then wait.

Script C: fair offer, one small ask

“I’m happy with the offer and plan to accept. Before I do, is there any room on the base, even a small amount? If not, I’d love to talk about a signing bonus or an extra week of PTO.”

Script D: you have another offer

“I want to be upfront: I have another offer at $58,000. Your team is my first choice. If you can match that, I’ll sign today.” Only say this if it’s true. A bluff is the kind of bad-faith move that can make an employer rethink the offer.

Script E: the salary is fixed

“I understand the base is set by the pay grade. Could we look at a signing bonus, a later start date, or a pay review at six months instead of twelve?”

Script F: they ask your expectations first

“Based on what I’ve seen for this role in this area, I’m looking at $55,000 to $60,000, depending on the full package. What range did you have budgeted?”

Script G: you’re accepting

“I’m thrilled to accept. Could you send the final offer letter with the salary, start date and benefits so I have it in writing?”

Mistakes first-timers make

• Countering before you research. A number pulled from the air is easy to dismiss. A number tied to local data gives the recruiter something to take to the hiring manager.
• Apologizing for asking. “Sorry, I know this is awkward” tells them you expect a no. Asking about pay is a normal part of hiring.
• Negotiating after you’ve said yes. Once you accept, you have nothing left to bargain with. Ask first, then accept.
• Comparing base pay only. An offer $2,000 lower can be the better deal if the employer pays $150 more of your health premium each month ($1,800 a year) and matches 401(k) contributions the other one doesn’t.
• Going back for a second round. One counter is professional. Asking again on the same item starts to feel like haggling and can cost you goodwill.

Why one ask is worth it: the math

Say the offer is $52,000 and you negotiate to $55,000. That’s $3,000 more in year one. If you get a 3% raise every year after, the gap grows too, because each raise is a percentage of a bigger number:

Before your first paycheck, take ten minutes on how to fill out a W-4 so your withholding is right, and if you’re starting from zero on credit, how to build credit from scratch is the next money task to tackle.

What the pros say

• Ramit Sethi, author of I Will Teach You to Be Rich, lays out the sequence as: start with genuine enthusiasm for the role, make your case with research and past results while aiming at the high end of the range, frame pushback on budget as an investment question, then move to bonuses, vacation or flexibility if base pay won’t budge. He also suggests asking for a six-month review and always requesting the updated offer in writing.
• Katie Shonk, writing for Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation, passes along advice from negotiation researchers Terri Kurtzberg and Charles Naquin: don’t ask whether an offer is negotiable, just start negotiating. The article also warns against ultimatums and premature walk-away threats, and lists title, remote work, development and relocation help as items worth trading on.
• Tori Dunlap, founder of Her First $100K, negotiated $10,000 more on a job offer and told CNBC that success means showing up prepared with your data and doing your best, because you can’t control the outcome. She recommends getting the criteria for your next raise in writing when you accept.
• Stacie Haller, chief career advisor at ResumeBuilder and a recruiter for more than 30 years, said in the same piece that an employer who moves on several parts of an offer is showing good faith, even if you don’t get everything you asked for.

Tools and links that help

Both are free government tools, and they are the two the research step above relies on.

Do this this week

• Ask the recruiter for the full offer in writing and a decision date.
• Look up your role in the CareerOneStop Salary Finder for your city.
• Pick one specific counter number and write your one or two reasons.
• Choose your script from the chooser table and practice it out loud once.
• Send the counter, then wait for their reply without adding more.
• Get the final offer letter before you accept.