How to negotiate salary for a new job
The offer for the marketing coordinator role just arrived by email. Thank them, ask for a couple of days, and look up the pay range for the role and city in posted salaries and public wage data. Reply with one specific number toward the top of that range and two reasons it fits, then stop. If base pay is fixed, negotiate the title, start date, remote days or a review in six months.
Why it matters: Pay gaps compound from the first offer, so the first number matters most.
Steps
- Thank them and ask for the offer in writing and a couple of days to review.
- Research the range from job posts that list pay, public wage data and people in the field.
- Write down your number: specific, toward the top of the range, and one you can explain.
- Reply by email or call: I am excited to join; given my experience running campaigns end to end, I am asking for a base of this amount.
- Stop talking after the number, and let them answer.
- If base pay cannot move, ask about title, start date, remote days, paid time off, a signing bonus or a six month review.
- Get the final terms in writing before you give notice anywhere.
Stop and call a professional if
- an offer is withdrawn after you negotiate politely, or you suspect pay discrimination: an employment lawyer or your state labor office can explain your rights
Questions to ask the professional
- Is my employer allowed to ask for my salary history in this state?
- How does this offer's pay compare with others in the same role here?
Common mistakes
- Answering what do you make now; your state labor office can tell you whether employers may ask, and you can share your target instead.
- Apologizing before the number or wrapping it in a range.
- Accepting on the call because you are relieved.
Teach this to someone
A one page sheet for showing a friend, a teenager or a parent: what to say, what to show, and one question to check it landed.
Teach: How to negotiate salary for a new job
What to say
The offer for the marketing coordinator role just arrived by email. Thank them, ask for a couple of days, and look up the pay range for the role and city in posted salaries and public wage data. Reply with one specific number toward the top of that range and two reasons it fits, then stop. If base pay is fixed, negotiate the title, start date, remote days or a review in six months.
What to show
- Thank them and ask for the offer in writing and a couple of days to review.
- Research the range from job posts that list pay, public wage data and people in the field.
- Write down your number: specific, toward the top of the range, and one you can explain.
- Reply by email or call: I am excited to join; given my experience running campaigns end to end, I am asking for a base of this amount.
- Stop talking after the number, and let them answer.
- If base pay cannot move, ask about title, start date, remote days, paid time off, a signing bonus or a six month review.
- Get the final terms in writing before you give notice anywhere.
Where it stops
Stop and call a professional if an offer is withdrawn after you negotiate politely, or you suspect pay discrimination: an employment lawyer or your state labor office can explain your rights.
Check question
What makes a counteroffer strongest?
Answer: One specific number with reasons. A precise number anchored to research is harder to talk down.
Your checklist
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Quick quiz
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Related skills
Sources
- US federal labor statistics occupational wage data, 2026. Reviewed September 28, 2026.
Written in our own words from the sources above. It is general information, not advice for your situation; where a professional, your doctor or your lease says something different, follow them.
Last reviewed . First published .