Salary Negotiation Scripts and Tips for First-Time Job Seekers
What to say when the offer lands, when to stay quiet, and how to set a target and a walk-away number before you ever name a figure out loud.
Negotiating your first offer feels presumptuous, but it is routine: Robert Half's research found that the managers it surveyed expect candidates to negotiate (Robert Half, cited by SHRM, 2019), and the firm advises job seekers not to feel pressured to accept the first offer because employers expect some back-and-forth (Robert Half, undated). The work is mostly preparation — knowing the going rate for the role in your area, setting a target and a minimum before the call, and having two or three sentences ready.
This guide covers when negotiating actually gives you leverage, what to prepare, word-for-word scripts for the offer call and your first review, and a step-by-step process from research to signed offer.
When to Negotiate
Leverage is not constant. It is highest at the moment an employer has chosen you and has not yet replaced you in their plan, and lowest when a budget was fixed months ago.
1. After a written job offer, before you accept. This is your strongest moment. CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor, undated) advises waiting to discuss salary until after the offer is made, then expressing appreciation and strong interest and asking for at least 24 hours to decide. Robert Half (undated) similarly advises not bringing up pay too early in interviews. Rule of thumb for a first counter, not a market rate: 5-10% above the number offered, anchored to a researched range for that job title in that metro area. A 2017 Jobvite study found a large share of people who negotiated received higher pay, with one-fifth receiving 11% to 20% more (Jobvite, cited by SHRM, 2017). CareerOneStop also notes that because future increases are typically calculated from starting pay, a higher starting rate compounds over your career (CareerOneStop, undated).
2. Your first annual review or merit cycle. Leverage is weaker here because increase budgets are usually set as a company-wide pool before reviews begin — Mercer's 2025 QuickPulse U.S. Compensation Planning Survey of more than 800 U.S. organizations reported an average merit increase and a separate total increase figure covering merit, promotional and cost-of-living adjustments (Mercer, cited by WorldatWork, 2025). Ask what the pool is and when decisions are locked, and raise your case before that date. Rule of thumb: a review ask sits in low single-digit percentages above the standard increase unless your scope has changed. Robert Half's respondents said they would be more comfortable negotiating with a new employer than asking their current employer for a raise (Robert Half, cited by SHRM, undated) — expect it to feel harder.
3. After a certification, licence or promotion. A promotion resets the band rather than nudging your number, and Mercer's data showed a separate average pay increase for employees who were promoted, described as evidence that companies still invest in talent development despite tighter budgets (Mercer, cited by WorldatWork, 2025). Rule of thumb: a promotion or a required credential justifies a double-digit percentage ask more often than a routine review does. Bring the credential, the new duties and a comparable range for the new title in your state.
Before You Ask: Checklist
- Pull at least three comparable figures for the exact job title. For recent graduates, NACE publishes national starting-salary averages for college graduates through its Salary Calculator Center, intended as research before negotiating (National Association of Colleges and Employers, undated). Add your state labor department's wage data and CareerOneStop's wage pages.
- Label each figure you pull: write down whether it is a median (the midpoint) or a mean (the average), because they are not interchangeable and a few high earners pull a mean upward.
- Note whether each figure is hourly or annual. If the role is paid both ways, do not convert without stating your assumption — write it out, for example 40 hours a week times 52 weeks equals 2,080 hours a year.
- Write entry-level and experienced ranges as two separate numbers, not one blended figure. As a first-time job seeker you are negotiating inside the entry band, usually toward its lower half.
- Add one local figure. National numbers do not apply uniformly: the same job title in a high-cost metro and a rural county in the same state can sit in different pay bands, so pull a figure for the city or state where the job is based.
- Write your target number and your walk-away minimum on paper. New York State's Department of Labor Salary Negotiation Guide (undated) advises never accepting less than a predetermined minimum.
- Write one sentence explaining why your number is that number. The same New York State guide lists knowing why you are requesting a specific figure among its negotiating tips (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
- List what you would take instead of base pay if the band is capped: start date, sign-on payment, paid time off, schedule, certification reimbursement, title, or a written review date at six months.
- Rehearse the words aloud with someone, and plan to negotiate by phone or video. New York State's guide advises practising beforehand and not negotiating over text message (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
Negotiation Scripts
Figures in these scripts are illustrative placeholders. Substitute the numbers you pulled for your title, level and metro area.
Asking for the range before you name a figure
New York State's guide includes a script in which the job seeker asks the employer to share the range first (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
If asked "what are your salary expectations?" early
"Thanks for asking. I'd rather make sure the role is the right fit first — could you share the range you've budgeted for this position? Then I can tell you whether I'm in the same neighbourhood."
If pressed: "Based on what I've seen for this title in [city], I've been working with a range of $52,000 to $58,000 — does that line up with your band?"
Responding to an offer that is below your target
On the offer call
"Thank you — I'm genuinely excited about this, and I want to say yes. Could I have until tomorrow afternoon to review the full package before I confirm?"
Then, within 24 hours: "I've looked at the offer and the role is exactly what I want. Based on the ranges I'm seeing for this title in [city] and the [specific skill or credential] I'd be bringing in on day one, I was hoping we could get the base to $57,500. Is there flexibility there?"
Then stop talking and let them answer.
Robert Half's guide offers comparable phrasing for asking a prospective employer about salary flexibility after an offer, including a line naming your desired figure (Robert Half, undated), and CareerOneStop advises asking for at least 24 hours to decide (CareerOneStop, undated).
Asking for a raise at your first review
Two to three months before review decisions are locked
"I'd like 20 minutes to talk about my pay for next year. Since I started I've taken on [specific duty] and completed [certification]. The range I'm seeing for this title at this level in [state] starts around $61,000, and I'm at $56,000. I'd like to get to $61,000 this cycle. What would it take, and when are the numbers decided?"
If the pool is already set: "Understood. Can we agree on the specific results that would justify $61,000, and put a review on the calendar for six months from now?"
Step-by-Step Negotiation Process
- Research before the first interview. Pull three figures for the job title, note median versus mean and hourly versus annual, and write down a local figure alongside any national average — NACE's Salary Calculator Center is a starting point for graduate roles (National Association of Colleges and Employers, undated). Write your target and your walk-away minimum (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
- Deflect money talk until there is an offer. Robert Half advises not rushing the money conversation or raising salary too early in an interview (Robert Half, undated). Use the range-first script above if asked.
- Buy time when the offer arrives. Thank them, say you want the job, and ask for at least 24 hours and for the offer in writing, including benefits, start date and any variable pay (CareerOneStop, undated).
- Make one clear ask. Name a single figure or a tight range, give the one-sentence reason behind it, and ask directly whether there is flexibility. New York State's guide advises being clear about which parts of the offer you want improved (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
- Handle the pushback. If the answer is "that's the top of the band," ask: "Is the band fixed for this title, or is there a level above it I'd qualify for?" Then pivot to one non-salary item: "If base is capped, could we do a $2,000 sign-on, or a written review at six months with the band's midpoint as the target?"
- Confirm in writing. Repeat back what you agreed and ask for an updated offer letter before you resign from anything or decline other offers.
- Say yes clearly, and diarise the next conversation. Note the date your employer sets increase budgets and put a reminder two months before it. A Resume Genius survey of 1,000 U.S. workers found a majority of workers expressed regret about how they handled their negotiation (Resume Genius, 2026); the common fixes are asking earlier and asking once, in specific terms.
Frequently asked questions
What if they say the budget is fixed?
Take it at face value once, then test the edges. Ask: "Is the band fixed for this title, or is there a level above it I'd qualify for?" If base truly cannot move, name one alternative with a number attached — a $2,000 sign-on payment, five extra days of paid time off, or a written six-month review with a specific target figure. New York State's guide advises being clear about which parts of the offer you want improved rather than asking for "more" (New York State Department of Labor, undated). At a review, the equivalent question is when the increase pool is decided, since Mercer's 2025 survey of more than 800 U.S. organizations shows increases are planned as company-wide budgets (Mercer, cited by WorldatWork, 2025).
Can an employer withdraw the offer because I negotiated?
It is the fear that stops most first-timers, and the surveys point the other way: managers surveyed by Robert Half said they expect candidates to negotiate (Robert Half, cited by SHRM, 2019), and Fidelity's 2022 Career Assessment Study found nearly nine-in-ten of the young professionals who did negotiate had success (Fidelity Investments, 2022). Reduce the risk by negotiating once, in good faith, with a number you will actually accept — New York State's guide lists negotiating only in good faith among its tips (New York State Department of Labor, undated). Do not accept, then reopen the talk.
I have no experience. Does that mean I should not ask?
Negotiate inside the entry-level band rather than against the experienced band — those are two different ranges and you should have both written down. A rule-of-thumb first counter is 5-10% above the offered number, supported by a local figure for the title. The reason to bother is compounding: CareerOneStop notes that future increases are typically based on starting pay, so a higher starting rate has a long-term effect on earnings (CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor, undated).
How do I compare an hourly offer with an annual one?
Convert only with your assumption written out: 40 hours a week times 52 weeks equals 2,080 hours a year, so a $25 hourly rate is $52,000 a year at full-time hours with no unpaid weeks. If the role is part-time, seasonal or has unpaid shutdown weeks, that math overstates the annual figure. Also check whether overtime is paid, since an hourly job with routine overtime and a salaried job can land in very different places.
Is asking for a raise at my current job the same conversation?
It is harder, and workers say so — Robert Half's respondents said they would be more comfortable negotiating with a new employer than asking their current employer for a raise (Robert Half, cited by SHRM, undated). The differences are timing and evidence: find out when increase budgets are set and ask two to three months before, bring a list of duties you have added since you started, and name one figure with a reason. Do it by phone or in person, never by text message (New York State Department of Labor, undated).
Sources
- CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) — Negotiate Your Salary
- SHRM (citing Jobvite study) — Salary Negotiations Aren't Happening as Much as You'd Think