Not negotiating your first salary costs you for years

The fear is always the same: if I ask for more, they'll change their mind. In my experience as the person who approves hiring budgets, that almost never happens when the counter is polite and reasonable. A company that has spent weeks interviewing you has already decided it wants you. Finding someone else would cost more time and money than meeting you somewhere in the middle.

How the first number is set

When a role is approved, it comes with a salary band. The first offer is usually set below the top of that band on purpose, to leave room. The hiring manager expects some people to negotiate. The ones who don't simply start lower, and that gap follows them for years, because every future raise is a percentage of where they started.

One of the best people I hired negotiated politely, with one clear number and a reason. It cost very little and started the relationship well. The people who don't ask rarely get it back later.

Before you reply

Say thank you and ask for time. “Thank you, I'm excited about this. Can I come back to you by Thursday?” Nobody serious will refuse a few days.

Get the whole offer in writing. Base salary, bonus, pension, holidays, start date, title. Sometimes the easier thing to move isn't base pay.

Find your number. Market data for the role and city, and what you'd need to say yes without any doubt.

The email

“Thank you again for the offer. I'm keen to join. Based on the scope of the role and what I'm seeing in the market for similar positions, I was hoping for a base salary closer to [number]. Is there flexibility there? If base is fixed, I'd be glad to talk about [a sign-on bonus / extra holiday / an earlier review].”

Ask for a specific number, slightly above where you'd be happy. Give a reason that's about the role and the market, not your personal costs. Offer a second option so they have a way to say yes.

What usually moves

• Base salary within the band.
• A sign-on bonus, because it's a one-off cost and easier to approve.
• An earlier salary review, at six months instead of twelve.
• Title, which costs nothing and follows you to your next job.

When not to push hard

If it's a graduate programme with a fixed salary for everyone, the base won't move. Ask about the start date or the first review instead. And if you've already said yes to a number, don't reopen it. That does damage trust.

What to do this week

Know your band. If you have an offer, ask the recruiter: “What's the range for this role?” Many will tell you.

Write the email now, before you need it, so you aren't drafting it under pressure.

Decide your walk-away number. Knowing it makes you calmer in the conversation.

A polite counter rarely costs you an offer. Not asking costs you money every year after.