Salary Negotiation: How to Counter a Job Offer (Scripts Included)

The single most expensive mistake of your career is accepting the first salary offer immediately. By the time a company extends an offer, they have invested thousands of dollars and weeks of time into finding you. They do not want to start over. They expect you to negotiate.

Despite this, most candidates freeze. They fear that asking for more money will cause the company to retract the offer. This almost never happens if you handle the conversation professionally.

Step 1: Research Your Market Rate

You cannot negotiate based on what you "feel" you deserve or what you need to pay your rent. You must negotiate based on market data. Before you get the offer, check Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, or AmbitionBox (if in India) for the specific title in your specific city.

You have to use those sources because the posting itself will not help you. In our analysis of 6,309 live Indian job descriptions, 88.7% said nothing whatsoever about pay and only 1.8% named a figure — so the offer stage is usually the first time you see a real number.

You need three numbers in your head:

• Your Walkaway Number: The absolute minimum you will accept.
• Your Acceptable Number: What you expect to get.
• Your Target Number: What you will ask for (usually 10-15% higher than your Acceptable number).

Step 2: The Initial Offer Call

When the recruiter calls to give you the offer, do not accept it on the phone. Say thank you, express enthusiasm, and ask for the offer in writing so you can review the total compensation package.

Script: "Thank you so much! I am thrilled about the offer and really excited about joining the team. Could you send over the written details outlining the base, bonus, and benefits so I can review it in full? When do you need a decision by?"

Step 3: The Counter-Offer (Email Script)

Once you have the written offer, it is time to counter. You can do this on a phone call, but an email is often better because it removes the pressure of real-time negotiation and allows you to clearly lay out your business case.

Handling "This Is Our Best Offer"

Often, the recruiter will say the base salary is fixed. If base is truly non-negotiable, you pivot to negotiating the total compensation package. Companies often have much more flexibility with one-time bonuses or equity than they do with recurring base salary.

Script: "I understand the base is capped at $X. If we can add a $Y signing bonus, or an additional week of PTO, I would be thrilled to accept right now."

You can negotiate:

• Signing bonus
• Equity or stock options
• Remote work days
• Extra PTO
• An early performance review (e.g., at 6 months instead of 12)

What if They Pull Back?

A reputable company will never pull an offer just because you asked for 10% more politely. They will just say no. The only time an offer gets pulled is if the candidate is extremely aggressive, threatens the company, or tries to renegotiate multiple times after already agreeing to terms.

If they say no to your counter, you have to decide: is your walkaway number met? If yes, accept gracefully. If no, walk away.

Make sure your resume reflects your market value before salary conversations even begin.JobTether's Resume Roast at JobTether →