How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Pro Resume Writers Sydney on 20 Sep 2025

Negotiating a salary can be difficult to talk about, because it involves balancing what you believe you’re worth with what your employer believes they can afford. If done properly it can result in a positive experience for both sides that results in a higher pay for the employee, as well as greater satisfaction for the employees in their work. Here’s how you can make your salary negotiation a success.

Important Takeaways

  • Before you negotiate your salary, research market rates and industry standards to ensure your salary offer is fair.
  • Get information from the networking of colleagues, using online resources such as LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, and also reaching out to professional networks.
  • Plan your talk points ahead of time, including education and certifications in the form of years of relevant work experience, the results and achievements, unique skill set & abilities, industry expertise, and potential for training.
  • During the negotiation, you must be confident and articulate but also flexible and open-minded. You should highlight tangible results you’ve achieved in your previous roles.
  • Keep a positive attitude throughout the conversation, and practice active listening.

Do your research

Prior to entering any salary negotiation, you need to conduct thorough research on standard industry rates and market rates to ensure that your salary suggestion is realistic. The factors that could affect this include levels of experience degree, size of the company and the location of the company. (?). One way to gather data is to connect with your colleagues or those in your chosen field of work.

Research Online

With the help of some internet-based resources like [LinkedIn SalaryUtilizing some of the online resources, such as [LinkedIn Salary (https http://www. linkedin. com/salary) and [Glassdoor] (https http://www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. http://www.salaries.com/index.html) you can get more comprehensive information about the benchmarking range of salary businesses pay for the same job. It will provide you with an idea of the current market rates and other factors related to the position.

Your Network is Vital

Find out more about your situation by talking with friends who have held similar positions, or contacting them via professionals networks as well as brainstorming members within professional organizations.

Plan talking points

Preparing for a negotiations is always a good time spent. You’ll be more confident when making your case if you have a clearly defined outline of your talking points ahead of time.

Here are some instances of what you may want to consider to include in your salary negotiation:

  • Certification and education
  • Years of relevant experience
  • Achievements and results
  • Particular skill set and traits (e.g. bilingualism)
  • Knowledge of the industry
  • Potential for training

A notepad or notebook can also help during conversations so it is not lost crucial points.

Be confident & concise

In a salary negotiation it is essential to be confident and clear. Talk clearly about your work experience, achievements and job expectations. It’s essential to maintain a positive attitude throughout this conversation to ensure that your employer doesn’t feel like you’re seeming aggressive.

Highlight Tangible Results

Simply saying that you are committed, hardworking, and goal-oriented might not be enough to create an impressive appeal. So put forward clear statistics about how your previous positions made a significant difference to companies or how valuable are specific skills that benefit the organization.

Stay flexible

If your employer cannot agree to your salary or compensation package outright, remaining flexible and open-minded will help open the door to dialog. You may be able to ask for alternatives to incentives, such as performance-based bonus structures instead of Base salary(? ).

Keep your cool throughout the negotiation process - regardless of how successfully or poorly it’s going: fighting too much or imposing unreasonable demands is likely to have a negative impact for everybody involved.

Practice active listening

Listening is as crucial as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Pay attention to your counterpart during negotiations. Listen to specific requests and resolving questions if needed, but maintaining the their original request. The goal is to achieve satisfactory results.

Consider the lessons you’ve learned away from these conversations and incorporate it into the next discussions you’ll probably be involved in. By following the suggestions above, you will go far in maximizing the chance of achieving an agreement that is mutually beneficial.

Your Network is Important Contact friends and acquaintances who’ve held similar roles or connect with the professional network and brainstorming with members within professional organizations.
Make talking points Certification and education, Years of relevant work experience, results and accomplishments, unique abilities and skills (e.g. multilingualism) Knowledge of the industry, Training potential
Be confident & concise Talk clearly about your personal experiences as well as your achievements and expectations. Make sure you highlight tangible results.
Keep your mind open Ask about alternative incentives like incentive structures based on performance rather than Base salary (?). Keep your professional conduct during the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is as crucial as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Learn away from these conversations and incorporate them into the future negotiations that you’re likely to take part in.


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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the concept of salary negotiation?

It is the act of discussing and finalizing the compensation package for a job. When you negotiate this, you can discuss not only your base salary but also other benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and more.

Why is it so important to negotiate salary?

Negotiating your salary could give you a better financial outlook and show you are aware of your worth. This can help you avoid leaving money on the table.

How soon should I negotiate for a raise?

It is ideal to begin negotiations after you have received an offer, so everyone is conscious of what’s being discussed. So, discussions are focused on negotiating perfect terms while avoiding unexpected unintentional surprises.

What if I am content with the offered package with no negotiation?

If you receive an offer and are pleased with it, then there’s probably no need to bargain. However, it’s essential to be clear about what your employer’s expectations regarding things such as performance-based bonuses or career-training reimbursements.

Do I have the option of negotiating my salary when changing career paths entirely?

The negotiation of salary for changing careers may require more training because your previous work experience may not directly translate or relate to the new duties. Research what similar roles in similar fields pay, to develop a thorough comprehension of realistic expectations for yourself, given your particular situation.

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