Negotiate the salary you deserve with these tips.

Congratulations! You got the job! You are close to receiving your offer letter. You are working with human resources to determine your start date, but what salary amount should you ask for?

For many immigrant professionals, this is the part where the excitement of landing a new position can quickly turn into uncertainty. Negotiating a salary can feel uncomfortable, especially if you are unfamiliar with how compensation works in the US. You may worry that asking for more will make you seem ungrateful or cause the employer to reconsider the offer altogether.

But receiving an offer doesn’t end the conversation about compensation; in fact, it’s just the beginning.

Know Your Worth Before You Talk Numbers

Before any conversation about salary, research what other professionals in the same roles are earning. Additional factors to consider besides your experience include:

  • Specialized skills
  • Geographic location 
  • Company size
  • Industry

Salary websites like PayScale or Salary.com, industry surveys, professional associations, and publicly available salary information on job sites like Glassdoor can help you develop the true range for your position.

This is particularly important if you built your career outside the United States. Your previous salary may not be the best benchmark for determining what you should earn here. Instead, focus on the value of your experience and what the US market currently pays for someone with your qualifications.

Give Yourself Time 

Don’t rush to accept your offer. Thank the employer, express your enthusiasm, and ask for a little time to review. Taking a few days allows you the opportunity to decide what you want to negotiate.

Once you are ready, keep the conversation positive. Remind the employer that you’re excited about the opportunity before presenting your request.

Here is an example:

“Thank you again for the offer. I’m really excited about the opportunity to join the team. After researching similar positions and considering my experience, I was hoping we could discuss a salary somewhere between [salary range]. Is there flexibility in the offer?”

Use the findings from your research to provide a salary range between $5,000 to $10,000 in your response. This shows the employer you have done your research without locking you into a set number. 

Think of the negotiation as a conversation about finding an agreement that works for you and your new employer.

Look Beyond the Salary

Money matters, but your base salary is only one piece of your compensation.

Look closely at the entire package, which can include an annual bonus, company equity, health insurance, retirement contributions, paid time off, gym reimbursements, and other benefits. An offer with a slightly lower salary could become more valuable if the additional benefits are stronger.

And if an employer can’t increase your salary, the conversation doesn’t have to end. Consider asking about a signing bonus, additional vacation time, remote-work flexibility, professional development funds, relocation assistance, or other benefits that are important to you. Some parts of an offer may have more room for negotiation than others.

Avoid Negotiating Against Yourself

Another mistake is revealing your number too early. If you give a salary expectation before you fully understand the role or do your research, you could unintentionally set the bar lower than what the employer had in mind.

When possible, center the conversation around the market range for the position rather than what you earned previously. And once an offer arrives, be specific about what you are requesting. Again, a well-researched number gives the employer something concrete to consider. 

If you have another legitimate offer, mention it. You can explain that another opportunity offers different compensation while making it clear why you are still interested in this position. 

Remember What You Bring to the Table

You made it through the application process. You impressed the hiring team. Out of all the candidates they considered, they chose you.

Preparing yourself before you enter the conversation will go a long way. Research the market. Review the entire offer. Think about what you need, what you bring to the organization, and what would make the opportunity worthwhile.

Your employer may say yes. They may say they don’t have any wiggle room. Or you two may meet somewhere in the middle. But advocating for fair compensation is part of building your career, and the more you do, the better you’ll become at it.