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How do you politely answer salary negotiation questions?

Jonathan Soormaghen
Career Coach
Jonathan Soormaghen is a Career Coach and Founder of Resume Advisor, a career counseling firm that specializes in creating personalized products such as resumes, CVs, cover letters, and online branding tools to propel clients toward their next career milestone. Jonathan holds a BA in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley, where he was honored to serve as the Valedictory speaker of general commencement. Prior to founding Resume Advisor, he worked in management consulting and finance at companies including Accenture, Target, and Ernst & Young. Jonathan's clients have landed job offers from leading firms including Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, Uber, Deloitte, KMPG, Accenture, and Merrill Lynch.

Jonathan Soormaghen

Career Coach

Expert Answer

I always suggest stating the salary you were at before, and implying that you're seeking some advancement from what you were doing before. For example, you could say that in your previous role, you were making $75,000 a year and that you are hoping to see a 10% to 12% increase in your next role. This way, you avoid stating an exact number, which can come off as aggressive to potential employers.

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What is meant by “expected base salary”?

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Your base salary is the basic, set amount that you are paid for your work, not including things like benefits, bonuses, tips, or commissions. The expected base salary would be the amount you hope or expect to be paid, typically per year, at a potential job.

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What is a reasonable salary range?

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It depends on the job you’re applying for and your experience level. Do research on the average salary for the kind of job you want. In general, the range should cover at least $10,000 from the lower to upper end of the range, with the bottom end being the absolute lowest amount you’re willing to accept. If you’re already working in the field, try setting the bottom end of the range to about 10% higher than your current salary. For example, if you currently make $50,000, your range could be $55,000-65,000.

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Can you lose a job offer by negotiating the salary?

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As long as you are professional, polite, and positive, most employers won’t take an offer off the table because you try to negotiate your salary. In many cases, some negotiating is expected. Just make it clear that you’re enthusiastic about the job and willing to be flexible (for example, you might offer to sacrifice some perks in favor of a higher salary).

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