How to Negotiate Your Salary in English?

Few situations will make you feel as exposed as discussing your salary. You'll have put in lots of effort, hit the milestones and cleared rounds of intense interviews. An offer is on the table, or your annual review is around the corner. You know that you are underpaid for the impact you deliver and that the company has a budget available. However, the second you sit down to negotiate a higher salary, your palms begin to sweat, and you feel like you're either being too pushy or apologetic.

If you are required to negotiate your salary in English (whether it's a secondary language or you're unfamiliar with Western corporate culture), it can be a daunting task. You will be worried about sounding ungrateful, greedy or argumentative. And if you push back – you may lose the offer altogether.

The truth is, in today's world it's expected that professionals can negotiate their salaries. In fact, it shows you understand your worth and how to professionally handle high-pressure situations. If you can negotiate your salary well, employers will trust you can negotiate on their behalf.

A salary negotiation in English doesn't involve any flashy sales techniques, pushy tactics or Shakespearean language. It's a structured process. Within this guide, you will learn the psychology, how to prepare, how to phrase your written and spoken script and how to negotiate your salary.

Psychology: Why Most Professionals Under-Negotiate

Before we dive into negotiating your salary, there are two mentalities most professionals have going into a salary discussion.

Beggar Mentality

This mentality is based around the idea that salary is a gift from the company. As such, professionals feel extremely lucky to get a job or stay in their current role. They will use very submissive language in English.

For example, “I was just wondering if it was possible to have a slight increase in salary if you have a budget? However, if you don't, I totally understand.”

This puts your whole negotiation at a disadvantage.

Adversary Mentality

This view sees the negotiation as a war. You want to defeat the recruiter or hiring manager. This will come across with pushy demands, strict requirements and argumentative language.

For example, “I have an offer elsewhere which pays 20% more – you need to match or I’ll go.”

Whilst this may work with real estate deals, it will not work with employment.

Instead, you need to adopt a strategic partner mentality. You aren't adversaries. You're two professional entities wanting to come to an agreement that benefits both parties.

You're solving a costly problem for the company, and you're showing that you can be relied upon to provide a skilled solution. All you need to do is ensure you're charging the correct amount.

Step 1: Know Your Numbers

You cannot negotiate your salary from an emotional standpoint. You need to negotiate based on facts. If you cannot justify why you want a certain amount, you won't be able to.

1. Know Your 3 Numbers

Never go into a negotiation with only one number in mind. Always know your 3 numbers:

What does this mean?

Walk Away (Floor) – This is the lowest amount of total compensation you would accept. If they cannot meet this number, even after exploring non-monetary benefits, politely decline and move on.

Target (Realistic) – This is the salary you should be getting based on current market data, your experience and the role. This is what you realistically expect.

Anchor (Opening) – This should be 10-15% over your target number. Due to the nature of a negotiation, you'll need to anchor high so that when they come back with a lower amount, it lands you on your target.

2. Find Objective Market Data

Recruiters hear "I feel I deserve more" every day. Emotions are subjective and can easily be dismissed. Using market data will show you have objective evidence.

Use data to anchor your request:

Industry salary websites (for example, Levels). fyi for tech roles, Radford benchmarks, Mercer surveys, Glassdoor and specific salary guides from your recruitment agency).

Location of the role (cost of living adjustments, national remote bands, regional issues).

Business impact (managing a $4M pipeline, 5 engineers, reducing infrastructure costs by 22%).

With strong data, you won't ever need to sound defensive.

Step 2: Verbal Negotiation Tactics (Avoiding the Early Salary Question)

One of the most dangerous questions you can be asked during the hiring process is during your initial interview. Usually this will be during your first 15 mins. “What are your current salary details, and what are your expectations?”

Asking for a number too early will put you at a disadvantage.

Asking for a number too low will mean that you're undervaluing yourself for the duration of the role.

Asking for a number too high could result in you being filtered out before you've had the opportunity to prove your competency.

Your aim is to delay talking about salary.

Avoid sounding sneaky or robotic. Keep it natural and polite.

Salary Expectations:

“I'm currently focused on ensuring this is the right role for us. Once we've confirmed that I'm the right person to take this on, I'm confident we can find a salary that works for us. What is the approved salary band for this role?”

They ask for a number:

“It's really hard to give a number, as compensation can vary greatly based on equity, bonuses and benefits. What is the budget you have for someone at this level?”

Current / Past Earnings:

(Note: In many areas it is illegal to ask this question; however, it is commonly asked globally.)

“My current company is very different in how they structure their compensation based on our product. It wouldn't really be like for like. I'd prefer to focus on the market value of this role. Based on my research, I'm looking to target roles in the [Anchor Range].”

Note how you're acknowledging the question whilst steering the conversation back to mutual fit. Then you're asking them to tell you what their budget is.

Step 3: You've Got an Offer (24-Hour Rule!)

When you receive an offer over the phone or via video call, your instinct will be to say “YES!” or immediately push back.

Never accept or negotiate an offer. The verbal offer is just an invitation to review your package.

Golden Response

When the hiring manager / recruiter tells you the numbers, use the following script:

• Show genuine enthusiasm for the role and the team.

• Express sincere appreciation for the offer.

• Request the full details in writing and pause the conversation.

Script:

"Thank you so much, Sarah! I'm really excited to join the team, especially after our conversations around refreshing the infrastructure. I really appreciate you putting this package together. Can you email me the full details, including benefits, bonuses and equity? I'd like to take a day or two to go through everything with my family, and then we can have a chat.”

This shows that you're excited about the role so they won't worry that you're losing interest. It also shows that you're a thoughtful person who takes your time to make big life decisions. Finally, it gives you time and space to think about the numbers, plan your strategy and write your response.

Step 4: Create Your Counter Offer

Once you've received your offer in writing, compare it to your Target and Anchor numbers. Even if you're reaching your target number, you should almost always negotiate. Companies rarely give their max budget in their initial offer. They want to leave room for a fair counter.

Remember, total compensation. Salary isn't the only thing you can negotiate. If they're unable to move your base salary due to strict internal pay bands, you can negotiate the following:

• Sign on Bonus (Often from a different budget).
• Performance Bonus / Faster Review Cycles (For example, I can agree to have my base reviewed in 6 months instead of 12 based on defined KPIs).
• Equity / Stock Options / RSUs.
• Remote working / commuting.
• Extra PTO.
• Training / Conference / Certification Stipend.

Step 5: Write Your Negotiation Email

Often it's better to negotiate your salary via email. This way you can control your language, avoid any emotional issues and provide the recruiter with a clear document to send to the finance committee / hiring VP to justify the increased budget.

A highly converting negotiation email will include the following 5 points:

• The Positive Opening: Reiterate your enthusiasm for the mission, team, and scope.

• The Anchor Value: Remind them of the specific expertise and outcomes you bring to the table.

• The Clear Ask: State the revised number directly, supported by market rationale.

• The Flexibility/Collaborative Bridge: Signal that you want to make this work and are open to creative solutions.

• The Professional Close: Clear call to action proposing a follow-up conversation.

Email Template Real Life – Negotiate Base Salary

Hi [Recruiter/Hiring Manager Name],

Thanks again for the offer of a senior product manager role at [Company Name]. I loved chatting with [Engineering Lead Name] & [Product Director Name] and am super excited to lead the modernisation of the mobile platform this year.

However, having had the opportunity to look through the details of the offer, I did want to discuss the base salary. Considering the amount of cross-functional leadership that goes into this role and my experience of growing international payment flows and reducing churn by 18% in my last role, I was aiming for a base salary of $135k.

Having done some research on market rates for similar senior PM roles, this is reflective of the impact and technical direction I can deliver.

I am keen to work with you and find a solution that works well for both of us. If you are not able to move the base salary too much, I am happy to move this elsewhere – such as a signing bonus or equity.

When would you be available for a 10-minute chat later this week?

Best,

[Your Name]

Notice how there is no mention of needing this for ‘rent’, etc. (no emotion); no demands of ‘you have to pay me this’ (no aggression); and no apology (no subtext). This is professional, considerate and commercially focused.

Step 6: Negotiating For An Internal Raise

It is slightly different when negotiating for a raise in your current role. You’re not using market leverage here, but instead leveraging your impact, knowledge and criticality to the business.

The most common mistake professionals make in this scenario is mentioning their personal circumstances. Do NOT ever mention your mortgage, inflation, school fees or anything related to your personal circumstances to justify a raise. Your manager has no control over the macro-economy and companies don’t pay people for their lifestyle, they pay them for the value they deliver.

Create Your Brag Sheet (Impact Portfolio)

Never go into your annual review and ask for a raise without knowing why. 4 weeks before your review date, put together an objective summary of what you’ve contributed:

Metrics – Revenue generated, cost saving, downtime reduced, tickets resolved, conversion increased.

Scope – What extra duties have you taken on outside of your original role? (E.g mentoring juniors, onboarding, covering for a team lead vacancy.)

Improvements – Any systems you have created that have helped your colleagues be more efficient, productive or reduce errors.

Internal Review Script

Lead with your achievements:

Thanks for meeting with me today Marcus. I’ve enjoyed getting fully involved with our team goals over the past 12 months, especially taking ownership of the client migration project and reducing our sprint cycle time by 20%. My role has really grown over the course of this time and I’m now looking after our 2 largest accounts and mentoring our new associate engineers.

As my scope has increased and we’ve seen direct business benefits, I’d like to discuss my base salary. Based on current market rates for someone at this increased scope, I’m looking to increase my base salary to [Target Number].

I want to continue delivering impactful results to this department and would love to work with you to achieve this increase in this cycle.

If your manager says they’re supportive but that the budget is locked in this quarter:

I definitely understand that budgets can be tight. As you’re in agreement that my performance warrants this increase, can we agree on the milestones and metrics needed to see over the next 2 quarters to schedule this for next budget cycle (July)? Let’s agree on these today.

This turns a polite decline into a documented plan for a future increase.

Script For Common Objections

Despite using eloquent language, you will encounter objections. Knowing how to respond to these will make the difference between an amateur or experienced negotiator.

The Fear Of Losing The Offer

The biggest fear professionals have when it comes to negotiating is ‘what if they get angry and withdraw the offer?’

In reality, by the time they’ve offered you the role they’ve invested thousands of dollars and dozens of hours into finding the right candidate. They’re exhausted and will have celebrated in their head that they’ve found the solution to their hiring problem.

They will not waste all this time and effort to start the whole process again just because you politely asked if there was any flexibility on the base salary.

There are only 3 reasons you will lose the offer:

• You come across as arrogant, rude or unprofessional.
• You’re aggressive and they call your bluff.
• You’re being dishonest in your negotiations (agree to something and then change your mind).

As long as you’re polite, collaborative and enthusiastic with your reasoning, the worst thing that can happen is they say ‘unfortunately we cannot go above this as it’s the max we can offer.’

You still have the original offer and haven’t lost anything by asking professionally.

Tone Matters

When negotiating in a second language people often speak too fast to try and hide their nerves. This can come across as you being nervous and wanting to get the sentence over with.

To appear calm and confident:

Slow your speaking pace by 10-15%. Talking slowly shows you are in control of your emotions.

Don’t use uptalk. Don’t let your voice rise at the end of sentences. Ask for what you want in a calm and confident tone. E.g. "I was looking for $120,000?" (sounds like a timid guess) versus "I am targeting $120,000 as I’ve led some recent projects." (Sounds factual!)

Pause. Once you have mentioned your counter offer, stop talking. Don’t add in any filler words like "...but, you know, whatever you think is fine, I’m just throwing that out there."

Be clear with your request and stop talking. This gives them time to process what you have said. Usually the first person to speak after making a request will concede.

Final Check List

Before you send your email or call your review, double check:

[ ] Have I got data to back up my target? Can I explain why this makes commercial sense without mentioning my personal bills or feelings?

[ ] Have I got my 3 numbers? Do I know my anchor, target & walk-away?

[ ] Am I coming across as enthusiastic? Have I made it clear that I really want this role and love working with this team?

[ ] Have I avoided any defensive or apologetic language? Have I removed any phrases like ‘I’m sorry to ask’, ‘I just feel’ or ‘You have to match this’?

[ ] Do I have alternatives? If the base salary is fixed, do I know what other benefits I will negotiate (signing bonus, equity, review timing, PTO)?

Salary negotiation isn’t a test of your character or an aggressive game. It’s a professional discussion to ensure the right resources are allocated to solve problems.

By knowing your value language, keeping your emotions out of the equation and treating the hiring manager as a collaborator, you can systematically increase your earning potential throughout your entire career. Prepare well, be calm and confident and claim the salary you deserve!