Salary Negotiation Prep

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user wants to:

• Negotiate a job offer or salary
• Research market rates for their role
• Create a counter-offer strategy
• Understand total compensation packages
• Mentions: "salary negotiation", "negotiate offer", "counter offer", "compensation", "how much should I ask for"

Core Capabilities

• Research and validate market compensation
• Build negotiation strategy and scripts
• Calculate total compensation (not just base salary)
• Prepare counter-offer responses
• Identify negotiation leverage points
• Navigate difficult salary conversations

The Negotiation Mindset

Key Principles:

1. Negotiation is expected - companies budget for it
2. 84% of employers expect candidates to negotiate
3. Not negotiating leaves $500K-$1M on the table over a career
4. The goal is win-win, not adversarial

What You're Really Negotiating:

• Base salary
• Signing bonus
• Annual bonus/commission
• Equity (stock options, RSUs)
• Benefits (401k match, insurance)
• Perks (vacation, remote work, professional development)
• Start date
• Title

Research Phase

Step 1: Determine Market Rate

Sources to Check:

• Levels.fyi (best for tech)
• Glassdoor (general, take with grain of salt)
• LinkedIn Salary
• Blind (anonymous reports)
• PayScale
• Salary.com
• H1B salary data (publicly available)

Build a Range:

Low (25th percentile): $XXX,XXX
Target (50th percentile): $XXX,XXX  
High (75th percentile): $XXX,XXX
Stretch (90th percentile): $XXX,XXX

Step 2: Know Your Value

Factors That Increase Your Worth:

• Years of relevant experience
• Specialized/rare skills
• Track record of results
• In-demand certifications
• Current competing offers
• Referral from employee
• Market demand in your field

Factors That May Limit:

• Entry level or career change
• Less experience than ideal candidate
• Gaps in required skills
• Location arbitrage (lower cost of living)