How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Dunedin Resume on 16 Oct 2025

Negotiating your salary is a difficult conversation, as it requires you to balance what you believe you’re worth with what the employer thinks they’re able to pay. But, if it’s done correctly it could be an enjoyable experience for both the employer and employee, which results in a better salary for the employee and a greater engagement of the employee in their job. Learn how to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Principal Takeaways

  • Before you negotiate your salary study market rates and industry standards to ensure that your salary proposal is realistic.
  • Find out information by networking with colleagues, using online resources such as LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, as well as reaching out to professional networks.
  • Prepare talking points ahead of the time, including education and certificates, years of relevant experiences, achievements and results as well as unique skill sets and qualifications, industry knowledge and potential for training.
  • During the negotiation, be assured and confident but remain flexible and open. Show tangible results that you’ve achieved in your previous positions.
  • Maintain a positive tone throughout the conversation and engage in active listening.

Do your research

Before you begin any pay negotiation, it’s crucial to conduct a thorough investigation of the market and standards in the industry to ensure that your salary suggestion is realistic. Some factors that can affect this could include the level of experience, level, company size and the location of the company. (?). A great method of gathering information is to network with colleagues or others in your chosen field of work.

Research Online

Utilizing online resources such as [LinkedIn Salarywith the help of certain online resources such as [LinkedIn Salary] (https: //www. linkedin. com/salary) and [GlassdoorGlassdoor (https: //www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. http://www.salaries.com/index.html) you can get an additional perspective on the range of benchmarking salaries that companies offer for the exact job. This will give you an idea of the market prices and also other aspects related to an employment.

Your Network is Important

Get insight from talking to colleagues who have been in similar positions, or contacting them through professionals networks as well doing brainstorming members of professional organizations.

Prepare talking points

Time spent preparing for any meeting is time well spent. You’ll feel more confident when presenting your case if you have a set of talk points that you have outlined ahead of time.

Here are some instances of things you might consider when negotiating your salary:

  • Certification and education
  • Experience gained through years of relevant work
  • Achievements and results
  • Unique set of skills and attributes (e.g. the ability to speak two languages)
  • Industry knowledge
  • Potential for training

A notepad or notebook can assist during conversations to ensure that you don’t miss any crucial points.

Be confident & concise

During a salary negotiation It is important to be confident and clear. Make sure you are clear about your past experiences of accomplishments and your expectations. It is important to keep a positive tone throughout this discussion so that the person who is hiring you feels that you’re not appearing to be hostile.

The Key to Tangible Results

Simply stating that one is committed, hardworking, and goal-oriented might not be enough to make an appealing appeal. Therefore, provide clear data regarding how prior roles have made a difference in companies or the value of specific abilities that can benefit an organization.

Keep your mind open

If your employer isn’t able to your requested salary or compensation arrangement Being flexible and open will allow for dialogue. You may be able to ask for alternatives to incentives, such as performance-based bonus arrangements instead of Base salary(? ).

Make sure to remain professional throughout the negotiation process - no matter how well or poorly it’s going fighting too much or imposing unreasonable demands is likely to have a negative impact for all parties affected.

Practice active listening

Listening is as crucial as communicating during these kinds of conversations. Be attentive to the other party during negotiations hearing requests carefully and clarifying questions if needed, but maintaining the initial request. In the end, both parties must achieve satisfactory results.

Consider the lessons you’ve learned from these conversations and incorporate them into future negotiations you’ll likely take part in. Following the tips above goes far in maximizing your chances of achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Your Network is Important Speak to friends who’ve held similar roles or reach out to professional networks in addition to brainstorming members within professional organizations.
Plan talking points Education & certification, Years of relevant work experience, results and accomplishments, Unique skill set and qualities (e.g. bi-lingualism) and industry knowledge. Training potential
Be confident & concise Make sure you are clear about your experience as well as your achievements and expectations. Highlight Tangible Results.
Be flexible Find out about other incentives, such as performance-based bonus structures instead of Base salary (?). Make sure to remain professional during the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is equally important as communicating in these kinds of conversations. You can take the lessons you’ve learned from these discussions and apply it to future discussions you’ll likely be involved in.


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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the concept of salary negotiation?

It is the act of discussing and deciding on the compensation package for a particular job. When you negotiate this, you can discuss not just the salary you earn, but also other benefits like retirement plans, health insurance, and more.

Why is it important to bargain on salary?

Negotiating your salary could give you a more secure financial future and also show that you are aware of your worth. This can help you not leave money on the table.

When should I start negotiating a salary?

It’s best to begin negotiating after you have received an offer, so everyone is conscious of what’s being discussed. Then, the negotiations will focus on securing the best terms, while avoiding any surprise.

What happens if I am satisfied with the package I was offered without negotiation?

If you accept an offer and are content with the offer, then there’s probably no need to discuss it. But it’s important to be clear about what the employer will offer with regards to things like performance-based bonuses or career-training reimbursements.

Do I have the option of negotiating my salary when I change careers entirely?

Negotiating your salary after changing career paths may require added training because your previous work experience may not directly translate or be a part of the new job. Learn about the salaries similar to those in similar fields pay in order to get a solid knowledge of the realistic expectations you can set for you, based on your specific circumstances.

Are you looking forward to your next career move? Take a look at out Dunedin Resume ‘s services today!

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