Useful Phrases for Negotiating
Congratulations, you got a response from your employer! Now you need to reply back, but how? Here are some phrases you can use in these situations.
- I’m really excited about the possibility of working here! Thank you for the offer; how much time do I have to look this over and is there a good time for us to get together again to go over questions?
- Thank you for the offer. May I think about it over during the next week and give you an answer on X date?
- How was the salary determined? If there any flexibility?
- I was expecting X due to my (insert unique skills / strengths /experience here). Is there anything else you can do, or perhaps add to the package?
- Am really excited to work here, and I know that I will bring a lot of value due to my X. I appreciate the initial offer, but was really expecting it to be a bit higher. Can we look at a salary of Y for this position?
- From my research my understanding is that X is a typical starting range for this position. Can we revise the salary to reflect that range?
- I understand where you are coming from and just want to reiterate my enthusiasm for working here. I think my skills are perfectly suited and you will see very quickly that they are worth Y.
- I understand your constraints around the starting salary. I’m sure I will demonstrate value quickly; is there a way we can include a 6-month salary review in this offer?
- I understand your constraints. Can we look at the other aspects of this offer; I’m sure there is a way to make this work for everyone.
- What is your policy around continuing education?
- I was hoping to attend X conference next year; can we include that in this offer?
- There are some helpful courses I was hoping to take to augment my experience. Can we include tuition reimbursement for these courses in the offer?
- I’d love to join this organization / team, but unfortunately at this time, the offer does not meet my needs (or, at this time I’m not sure this is a good fit). I’d love to stay in touch and potentially we can work together in the future.
- Thank you for the time and offer. Unfortunately, I have found something better suited to where I am right now but I would like to stay in touch for the future.
Always be reasonable and maintain a “we” approach.
Adapted from Berkley School of Information