Practise Salary Negotiation Before the Real Call

Good negotiation is calm, evidenced, and collaborative. Use a simple sequence.

• Anchor on research: know a realistic range for the role, location, and your experience before you speak a number.
• Delay the number early: if asked expectations before an offer, redirect to the role and give a researched range rather than a single figure.
• Acknowledge, then counter: thank them for the offer, express genuine interest, then present your ask with a reason attached.
• Widen the pie: if base is capped, negotiate joining bonus, notice-period buyout, review timeline, or role scope.
• Confirm in writing: once agreed, ask for the revised offer in an email.

The tone throughout is "we're solving this together", not "you versus me".

Situation: you have an offer at a base you feel is 12% below market for your experience.

Strong version: "Thank you, I'm genuinely excited about this role and the team. Based on my research for similar roles and my five years leading this kind of work, I was expecting a base closer to X. Is there flexibility to move toward that? If base is fixed, I'd be open to discussing a joining bonus or an earlier review."

This works because it opens with warmth, ties the ask to evidence and impact, states a specific number, and offers the employer more than one way to say yes. It leaves the relationship intact whatever they decide.

Weak version: "Um, honestly this is a bit low. I've got other things in the pipeline and I really need more money because of my expenses. Can you just do better? What's the most you can give?"

This fails because it leads with a complaint, leans on personal need rather than market value, hints at bluffs it may not have, and hands the employer the initiative by asking for their maximum. It reads as either desperate or combative. The fix is to replace need with evidence, replace vague pressure with a concrete number, and keep the collaborative tone.

Giving a number too early: whoever names a figure first can anchor low. When pushed before an offer, give a researched range and ask about their band.

Negotiating against yourself: state your number once, then stop talking. Silence is a tool.

Bluffing a competing offer you don't have: if called, you lose all credibility. Negotiate on your value instead.

Forgetting the total package: equity, bonus, notice buyout, and review cadence are all levers.

Because so much rides on tone, rehearse this aloud, not in your head. InterviewPrep's free AI voice mock can role-play a recruiter, let you deliver your counter, and score your pace and filler words so you sound steady rather than nervous when the real call comes.

The trickiest moment often comes before any offer, when a recruiter asks your current salary or expectations on the first call. Answering with a single low number here can anchor the whole process against you. Instead, redirect: express that you want to understand the role's scope and level first, and offer a researched range if pressed. If asked directly about current pay, in many markets you can decline politely and refocus on the value of the target role.

Once you reach the offer stage and have negotiated, protect the outcome.

• Summarise verbally: restate what you have agreed, base, bonus, joining date, so there is no ambiguity.
• Request it in writing: ask for a revised written offer reflecting the agreed terms before you formally accept.
• Do not resign first: never hand in notice at your current job until the new offer is confirmed in writing.
• Stay gracious throughout: you may work with these people soon, so keep every exchange warm.

Because the hardest part is saying your number and then staying quiet, rehearse the exact phrasing aloud until it feels natural. The more familiar the words, the calmer you will sound when real money is on the line, and a composed tone is often what convinces an employer the number you are asking for is a reasonable, considered request.

Many of the strongest counter-offer opportunities come through recruiters who source on LinkedIn Jobs India, so keep your profile current before you enter any negotiation.