The offer lands. It's lower than you hoped. Your first instinct might be to accept anyway — you don't want to rock the boat after weeks of interviews.
That instinct is wrong. Negotiating is expected. Employers routinely make initial offers below their ceiling precisely because they expect a counter.
Know your number before you respond
Before you say anything, benchmark the offer against official data for your role and location. This isn't about anchoring to a number you want — it's about knowing what the market actually pays.
If the offer is at or above the 75th percentile for your role, level, and city, you have limited leverage unless you have a competing offer. If it's below the median, you have a strong, data-backed case.
The specific number matters. "I was hoping for more" is weak. "Based on ONS data for this role in London, and my X years of experience in Y, I'd expect something closer to £Z" is a professional, grounded ask.
How to open the negotiation
You don't need to overthink the phrasing. Keep it simple and direct:
"Thank you for the offer — I'm genuinely excited about the role. I've done some research on market rates for this position in [city], and based on that, I was hoping we could get to [X]. Is there flexibility there?"
That's it. You've:
- Expressed genuine interest (reduces their fear that you're about to walk away)
- Anchored to external data rather than personal preference
- Asked a direct question, which requires a direct answer
What to do if they say no
First, clarify whether "no" means no movement at all, or no movement on base specifically.
If base is fixed, ask about:
- Sign-on bonus: often has a separate budget and is one-time, making it easier to approve
- Equity refresh: more vesting sooner, or a larger initial grant
- Review date: can you have a 6-month review rather than 12?
- Remote flexibility: one extra day from home per week has real financial value
- Professional development budget: training, conferences, certifications
If everything is genuinely fixed, you have two choices: accept knowing you tried, or decline. Sometimes the right answer is to decline.
Common mistakes
Giving a range: if you say £80–90k, you will always get £80k. Give one number.
Apologising: "I'm sorry to ask, but..." undermines your position before you've started. You're a professional making a professional request. No apology needed.
Making it personal: "I need more because my rent went up" is irrelevant to the employer. Stick to market data.
Not getting it in writing: once you've agreed a number, confirm it in writing before you resign from your current role.
The risk of negotiating is lower than you think
Empirically, very few offers are rescinded due to negotiation. Employers don't invest weeks of interview time to pull an offer because someone asked for 10% more.
The realistic downside is that they say no and the offer stays where it is. The realistic upside is £5–15k more per year, compounding into every future salary negotiation and pension contribution.
Do the maths. Negotiate.
Not sure if your offer is worth negotiating? CompVerdict benchmarks your offer against official government data and tells you exactly where you stand in under 30 seconds.