How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Geelong Resume on 25 Dec 2025

Negotiating a salary can be difficult to talk about, because it involves balancing what consider your worth and what an employer thinks they can afford. If it’s done right it can result in positive for both sides that results in a higher pay for the employee and greater employee engagement in their work. Learn how to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Principal Takeaways

  • Before you make a salary offer make sure you research market rates as well as industry standards to ensure that your salary proposal is realistic.
  • Get information from networking with colleagues, using websites like LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, as well as reaching out to professional networks.
  • Prepare talking points ahead of the time, including education and certifications, years of relevant experience, results & achievements and unique skills capabilities, knowledge of the industry, and potential for training.
  • During the negotiation, you must be assured and confident but remain flexible and open. Bring out tangible results you have achieved in previous positions.
  • Maintain a positive tone throughout the conversation, and practice active listening.

Do your research

Before entering into any salary negotiation, it’s important to conduct a thorough investigation of standard industry rates and market rates to ensure that your salary suggestion is realistic. The factors that could affect this could include experience levels, the size of your company as well as location. (?). One great way to gather data is to connect with colleagues or others who are in the same field of work.

Research Online

With the help of some online resources, such as [LinkedIn SalaryUtilizing some of the online resources, such as [LinkedIn Salary (https http://www. linkedin. com/salary) and [GlassdoorGlassdoor (https: //www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. http://www.salaries.com/index.html) You can find a more substantial approach towards the benchmarking range of salaries companies pay for the same job. This will give you an idea of the current market rate plus few other elements that are related to an employment.

Your Network Is Important

Get insight from talking to colleagues who have been in similar positions or reaching out through professionally-oriented networks and brainstorming with members of professional associations.

Create Talking points

Time spent preparing for any negotiation is always well spent. You’ll be much more confident when the presentation of your case if have a clear set of talking points outlined ahead of time.

Here are a few ideas of things you may want to consider including in your salary negotiation:

  • Education and certification
  • Experience gained through years of relevant work
  • Results and achievements
  • Unique skill set and qualities (e.g. the ability to speak two languages)
  • Knowledge of the industry
  • Training potential

The idea of keeping a notepad and/or notes handy could also help during conversations so that one doesn’t forget any important points.

Be confident & concise

In a salary negotiation it is essential to be confident and articulate. Speak clearly about your experiences accomplishments, your job goals and achievements. It’s essential to maintain a positive attitude throughout this dialogue so that the employer feels like you’re not coming across as aggressive.

The Key to Tangible Results

Simply saying that you are driven, hardworking, and goal-oriented may not be enough to create an impactful appeal. Make sure to provide precise statistics about how your previous positions made a an impact in the workplace or how valuable are specific skills that can benefit an organization.

Be flexible

If your employer isn’t able to agree to your salary request or compensation arrangement Being flexible and open can allow room for discussion. You may be able to ask for alternative rewards, like performance-based bonus arrangements instead of Base salary(? ).

You must remain professional throughout the negotiation process regardless of how well or poorly it’s going: being too combative or imposing unreasonable demands can have a negative impact for everybody involved.

Practice active listening

Listening is just as important as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Be attentive to the your counterpart during negotiations. Listen to requested amount carefully & clarifying doubts as much as you can while gently sticking with original request. The goal is to arrive at acceptable outcomes.

Use the lessons you’ve learned from these discussions and apply it to future talks you’re likely to participate in. Applying the advice above goes far in maximizing your chances of achieving positive, mutually beneficial results.

Your Network is Important Contact friends and acquaintances who have been in similar positions or connect with the professional network and brainstorming with members of professional associations.
Create talking points Qualifications and training, Years of relevant work experience, results and achievements, Unique ability and traits (e.g. multilingualism), Industry knowledge, ability to train
Be confident & concise Speak clearly about your experiences as well as your achievements and expectations. Focus on tangible results.
Stay flexible Consider alternative incentives such as the performance-based bonuses instead of Base salary (?). Keep your professional conduct throughout the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is equally important as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Take what you have learned from these discussions and incorporate them into the future negotiations you’ll likely take part in.


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Frequently Answered Questions

What is the concept of salary negotiation?

Salary negotiation is the process of discussing and finalizing the compensation package for a particular job. When you negotiate this you are able to discuss more than just the salary you earn, but also other benefits, such as health insurance, retirement plans, and more.

Why is it important to negotiate salary?

Negotiating your salary can give you a more secure financial future as well as indicate that you’re aware of what you’re worth. It can also help you avoid putting money on the table.

What is the best time to negotiate for a raise?

It is best to begin negotiations after you have received an offer, so that everyone is aware of the terms being discussed. So, negotiations are focused on securing perfect terms while avoiding unexpected unintentional surprises.

What if I am content with the offer without negotiation?

If you receive an offer and are pleased with it, then there’s probably no need to discuss it. It’s nevertheless important to communicate clearly what the employer will offer regarding things such as the performance-based bonus 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 could require additional planning because your prior experience might not directly translate or overlap with new responsibilities. Find out what similar jobs in similar fields offer to have a clear comprehension of realistic expectations for you, considering your particular situation.

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

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Avoid Leaving Money on the Table with These Salary Negotiation Strategies

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