How to Negotiate Salary After a Job Offer

Header photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash. A stock photo, not a screenshot of AceDraft or of any ATS.

This is how to negotiate salary after a job offer, in the order I'd do it. Each rule names the place I found it, and the few that are only my own habits say so. It covers when to bring up money, how to pick a number, a sample email and a counter-offer script you fill in yourself, and what to do when the answer is "the salary is fixed".

First, what this costs me to admit. AceDraft does nothing at this stage. It has no salary feature and no offer feature, and its job ends once your resume has been sent. I've also never sat on the hiring side of a salary negotiation, as a recruiter or as a manager, so I have no first-hand view of what employers agree to.

So why write it? Because the resume got you here, and the offer is the next step. Someone holding a first offer still has to answer the email, and I'd rather they did it with dated sources than with a forum thread. Most rules below come from Robert Walters, a UK recruitment firm (guide dated 5 July 2025), the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (article dated 28 May 2026), or New York City's Commission on Human Rights (law in effect since 1 November 2022). Where a step is only my habit, I say that instead.

One limit touches my own product, and it belongs to the step before this one. I haven't tested how any recruiter or applicant tracking system (ATS) reads resume lines, so I can't tell you the resume behind your offer was read the way you meant it. If you'd like to see a resume check on a known file: check in presale page for our demo resume and you can verify our claims in the opensource tool we have mentioned there. It checks resumes only and says nothing about pay.

I also found no India-specific source for this post. Nothing here describes Indian law, Indian campus practice or a typical Indian hike, and the fresher section says so again.

Key takeaways

• Wait for the formal offer. That's the timing Robert Walters recommends in its guide dated 5 July 2025.
• Robert Walters (5 July 2025) calls asking for 5 to 10 percent above the initial offer a common guideline, tied to market data and your experience. Treat it as one recruiter's rule of thumb.
• Name one number and give your reasons. Robert Walters (5 July 2025) lists vague asks like "a bit more" as a mistake.
• Limitation: AceDraft has no feature for this stage, I've never negotiated on the hiring side, and I checked no India source.

How to negotiate salary after a job offer: what are the steps?

Negotiating salary after a job offer comes down to six steps: wait for the written offer, work out a number, take a day to reply, make one clear ask with reasons, look at the rest of the package if the salary won't move, and get the final terms in writing. Two of those steps are my own habits rather than anyone's published rule, and the table says which.

Here are the six steps, with the source for each and the point where its evidence stops.

The rest of the post takes these one at a time, with the scripts where they're needed.

When should I negotiate salary, before or after the offer?

Negotiate salary after you have a formal job offer, which is the timing Robert Walters, a UK recruitment firm, recommends in its guide dated 5 July 2025. Before that point, the same guide (5 July 2025) says salary may still come up as a check on your expectations, for example on a screening call or an application form.

My reading of why the timing matters is simple, and it's mine, so weigh it accordingly. Before the offer, the employer is still deciding whether they want you. After it, they've decided, and the conversation is about terms.

An expectations question on a screening call is different from a negotiation. I don't have a source that says how best to answer one. What I'd do is give an honest answer based on the research in the next section, and save the actual ask for when the offer is on paper.

One small, practical point of my own. If the offer arrives by phone, I'd thank them and ask for it in writing before discussing numbers, because it's hard to weigh terms you've only heard once.

How do I work out what to ask for?

Work out what to ask for from two things: the pay information the employer or the market has published, and the evidence of what you'll bring, written the same way your resume bullets are. The first gives you a range. The second gives you the reason to sit higher in it.

Start with any published range

Start with any range the employer has published. The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON), in an article dated 28 May 2026, says new laws and market trends are pushing employers toward pay transparency, which changes how salary negotiations unfold.

PON, citing the New York Times, reports that Indeed said 37% of its US job listings included salary information by the third quarter of 2022. That's a US figure from 2022, and it's the only adoption number in this post.

The laws are local. PON (28 May 2026) says New York City (from November 2022) and Colorado (2022) passed pay-range posting laws, with California and Washington State following from 2023. The NYC Commission on Human Rights says that since 1 November 2022, employers must include a good faith pay range in every job advertisement for work performed in New York City, with both a minimum and a maximum.

So if your job is covered, the posted range is a published starting point you can negotiate within. If it isn't, ask the recruiter for the range. That's my suggestion, not a sourced rule, and I can't tell you how a recruiter will take it.

I haven't checked whether India has any pay-transparency rule, so I won't say it has one or that it doesn't.

There's a second reason to ask what's open. PON (28 May 2026) describes research by Harvard Kennedy School professor Hannah Riley Bowles and others finding that a lack of transparency about what is negotiable holds women back and leaves them earning less. Asking "which parts of this offer are open to discussion?" is a fair question for anyone, and that research is a reason not to skip it.

Then gather your evidence

Robert Walters (5 July 2025) says to back any number with a clear rationale. The evidence for that rationale is the same evidence your resume already carries: what you've built, and what you've changed for the better.

If your resume summary already says what you've done in two or three lines, you have most of your reasoning written. My post on writing a resume summary from your own evidence covers that. The same goes for the skills the employer asked for: if a skill on the job ad is one you can prove, my guide to what to list in a resume skills section covers how to show it, and that proof works in a salary conversation too.

Pick one or two lines. A negotiation isn't the place to read your whole resume back to them.

How much more can I ask for?

A common guideline is to ask for 5 to 10 percent more than the initial offer, depending on market data and your experience, according to Robert Walters' guide dated 5 July 2025. That's the only percentage rule in this post, and it's theirs.

Here's why I call it a rule of thumb and stop there. It's one recruitment firm's guideline, and I don't have the data behind it, so I can't tell you how often an ask in that range is accepted. Robert Walters (5 July 2025) also ties it to market data and experience, which means the right number for you could sit inside that range or outside it.

A posted range changes the picture. If the offer is already near the top of a published range, my reading is that there's less room above it. If it's near the bottom, the range itself is part of your reasoning.

The arithmetic is the easy bit. With the offer as [offer]:

• 5 percent more is [offer] × 1.05.
• 10 percent more is [offer] × 1.10.
• Round the result to a number a person would say out loud.

Author's take. The percentage is the least important part of the ask. My view is that a number with a reason attached gives the other person something to take to whoever approves it. A number with nothing attached gives them nothing to argue with on your behalf, and I'd spend my preparation time on the reason.

What do I say when I negotiate?

When you negotiate, open by thanking them and showing you want the job, then say you'd like to discuss the salary and give your reasoning with a specific number. That's the structure Robert Walters uses in its example script (guide dated 5 July 2025), and its example names a figure.

Laid out in order, the structure looks like this:

1. Thanks, and a line that shows you want the role. Mean it, or leave it out.
2. A plain statement that you'd like to discuss the salary.
3. Your reasoning, one or two pieces of evidence, and then the number.

Phone or email? I don't have a source that prefers one. I'd reply in whichever channel the offer came through, and follow a call with a short email that puts what was said in writing.

If it's a call, say the words out loud once beforehand. It feels silly. It's still easier than hearing your own voice wobble on "[number]" for the first time with a recruiter listening.

How do I write a salary negotiation email?

A salary negotiation email thanks the employer for the offer, says you'd like to discuss the salary, and gives one number with the reasons behind it. The sample below follows the structure Robert Walters describes in its guide dated 5 July 2025. I wrote the wording myself as an illustration, and everything in brackets is yours to fill in.

Illustration only. Replace every bracket.

Subject: [Role] offer at [Company]: a question on salary

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the offer for the [role] position. I'm excited about [one specific thing about the team or the work], and I'd like to join.

Before I sign, I'd like to discuss the base salary. Based on [the posted range, or what you found for similar roles] and my experience with [one piece of evidence from your resume], I'm asking for [number].

[Optional: If the base salary can't move, I'd be glad to talk about [one package item, such as a six-month salary review].]

I'm happy to talk this through on a call if that's easier.

Thanks again,

[Your name]

A few notes on the choices in it.

• The subject line names the role and the topic, so it's easy to find in a busy inbox.
• One number. Robert Walters (5 July 2025) lists being vague, such as asking for "a bit more", among the common mistakes.
• The evidence line is the work. Swap in something from your resume that matches what the job ad asked for, in words the hiring manager would recognise.
• The optional line is there if you'd rather show a fallback up front. Leave it out if you'd prefer to hear their answer on salary first. I don't have a source on which is better.

Heads up. I can't tell you how any employer will reply to this email. Read it back once as if you were the recruiter. If any sentence would sound strange said to your face, rewrite it in your own words.

How do I make a counter offer?

Make a counter offer by naming one specific number, giving the reason for it, and then letting the employer answer. Robert Walters' guide (5 July 2025) warns against being vague, and its example script names a specific figure.

Before the conversation, decide the lowest offer you'd accept. That's my suggestion rather than a sourced rule. Knowing it in advance means you won't have to work it out while someone waits on the line.

Here's a script for a phone call. It's an illustration I wrote, built on the Robert Walters structure (5 July 2025), with brackets for your details.

Illustration only. Replace every bracket.

You: Thank you for the offer. I'm keen on the [role] and I'd like to make this work.

You: I'd like to talk about the base salary. Given [your evidence], I was hoping for [number].

If they ask why: [One or two lines from your resume that match what the job asks for.]

If they need to check with someone: Of course. When should I expect to hear back?

If they say the salary is fixed: I understand. Is any other part of the package open, such as [holiday, a signing bonus or a six-month salary review]?

After you say the number, I'd stop talking. I'd expect the pause to feel long. Let it run, and let them answer.

If they come back with a figure between their offer and yours, you're deciding against the lowest number you set beforehand. If you agree, ask for the updated offer in writing. That last part is my habit, and the reason is dull: memories of a phone call drift, and a letter doesn't.

What if they say the salary is fixed?

If the employer says the salary is fixed, ask about the other parts of the package, which Robert Walters lists in its guide dated 5 July 2025 as bonus, holiday, pension, healthcare, flexible working and a learning budget. Its own examples of a fallback ask are an extra week of holiday, a signing bonus or a six-month salary review.

The four I'd look at first, and why:

• Holiday. An extra week is one of Robert Walters' examples (5 July 2025).
• A signing bonus, also on Robert Walters' list (5 July 2025). My guess is that a one-off payment is easier for an employer to agree to than a higher salary, but I have no source for that.
• A six-month salary review. This gets you a date to raise pay again, once you have six months of results there to point to.
• A learning budget for courses or certifications, from the same Robert Walters list.

Pick one or two. Asking for every item at once turns a polite question into a shopping list.

If you get a six-month review, I'd ask for it in the offer letter. A review that only exists in a phone call is easy for everyone to forget, including the person who promised it.

I haven't checked how pension, healthcare or bonus terms are usually set in India, so I'm only passing on the Robert Walters list as written.

Can a fresher negotiate a campus or first offer?

A fresher can ask whether a first offer has any room, but I can't tell you how much room a campus offer in India usually has, because I didn't check a single India source for this post. Everything below is my reasoning, plus the general Robert Walters guide (5 July 2025), which is written by a UK recruitment firm and isn't about campus hiring.

What I don't know matters here, so I'll list it. I don't know whether campus offers are usually set as one package for a whole group of hires. I also don't know how placement cells treat a student who asks about pay. Your placement office can answer both better than any blog post, including this one.

Here's what I'd do as a fresher, as reasoning only:

• Ask a question before making a counter offer, such as "Is any part of this offer open to discussion?" I can't tell you how a placement cell or employer will react to it.
• Look at the package first. My guess is that a learning budget or a review date is easier to discuss than base pay, but I have no source for that.
• Use evidence from outside a job. Projects and internships count as evidence, the same way they'd fill a resume with no work history.
• If you're told the offer is the same for everyone, thank them and decide on the offer as it stands.

The Robert Walters 5 to 10 percent rule of thumb (5 July 2025) comes from a general guide, and I wouldn't assume it carries over to a first job offered to a whole batch at once.

What should I not say?

Don't accept on the spot, don't base your case on personal expenses, don't ask vaguely for "a bit more", and don't turn it into a fight: those are the four common mistakes Robert Walters lists in its guide dated 5 July 2025. Here's how I'd read each one.

• Accepting too quickly. Thank them, and ask when they need an answer.
• Making it personal. Rent, loans and moving costs are real, but Robert Walters (5 July 2025) warns against citing them. My reading is that the employer pays for the job, so the reasons should be about the job.
• Being vague. "A bit more" leaves the other person to guess, and I'd rather not leave my number to someone else's guess.

And keep it calm. Being confrontational is the fourth mistake on the Robert Walters list (5 July 2025), and you're about to work with these people.

I'd add one more of my own, with no source behind it beyond plain honesty: don't invent a competing offer. If you have a real one, you can mention it. If you don't, a made-up offer is a lie you'd have to keep telling.

And don't present a percentage as something you're owed. The 5 to 10 percent guideline is one firm's rule of thumb (Robert Walters, 5 July 2025), and your employer never agreed to it.

What haven't I tested?

I haven't tested any of the negotiation advice in this post, because I've never negotiated on the hiring side and AceDraft is pre-launch, with no users and so no outcome data. I also checked no India source. Here are the six gaps, in full.

• I've never been the recruiter or manager deciding on a counter offer, so I have no outcome data either, and I won't guess how often any script or ask leads to a higher offer.
• I didn't check a single Indian source, so I can't speak to Indian pay-transparency law or campus practice, let alone what a typical hike looks like. Read the fresher section with that in mind.
• The Robert Walters 5 to 10 percent guideline (5 July 2025) is theirs, and I haven't seen the data behind it.
• Pay-transparency laws. PON's article (28 May 2026) and the NYC Commission on Human Rights page cover US places only, and I've only described New York City's rule in any detail.
• The sample email and the counter-offer script are illustrations I wrote. Nobody has sent them, as far as I know.
• Your resume. I haven't tested how any recruiter or ATS reads resume lines. That's the screening step before an offer, not this one.

On that last point, there's one file you can check for yourself: check in presale page for our demo resume and you can verify our claims in the opensource tool we have mentioned there.

That tool is ATS Screener (ats-screener.vercel.app). It's open source, it simulates Workday, Oracle Taleo, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Lever and SAP SuccessFactors, and it isn't affiliated with any of them. It checks resumes. It says nothing about salary, and I haven't recorded any score from it.

Use this if you're holding an offer and want the steps in order, with each sourced rule dated and my own habits marked as mine.

Skip this if you need India-specific norms or legal advice on an employment contract. I can't give you either, and someone who has sat on the hiring side will know things I don't.

Sources

• Robert Walters, "How to negotiate a salary offer: tips, examples, and advice". Dated 5 July 2025; read 5 October 2026.
• Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON Staff), "Negotiating a Salary When Compensation Is Public". Dated 28 May 2026; read 5 October 2026.
• NYC Commission on Human Rights, "Salary Transparency in Job Advertisements". Law in effect since 1 November 2022; read 5 October 2026.
• AceDraft, AceDraft presale page. Read 5 October 2026.