Job offer negotiation: prepare your counter and next step

Start with the offer you have

Before you negotiate a job offer, check the full written package: base salary and currency, bonus conditions, equity terms, work location, start date, and response deadline. Separate guaranteed recurring pay from one-time or conditional payments. Use the job-offer checklist to record missing details and compare packages consistently.

If you need more review time, ask for a specific date and wait for confirmation. An extension request does not change the current deadline until the employer agrees.

Choose a request you can explain

Decide what you would prefer, an alternative you would accept, and what would make you decline. Keep your minimum private if you wish. Support the request with the employer's stated range, confirmed responsibilities, relevant experience, or a real competing offer. FirstRoundKO does not invent market pay, and no universal percentage fits every offer.

A short counter-offer example

Thank you for the offer. I am excited about [specific part of the role]. After reviewing the package, could we discuss a base salary of [amount and currency]? My request reflects [confirmed responsibility or relevant evidence]. Is there flexibility, and what would the next step be?

The brackets are placeholders, not salary estimates. Replace them with facts you can support. Say you are ready to accept only if all other terms are acceptable. Read the three email examples for a short request, a request explaining scope, and a fixed-base alternative.

Respond to a fixed budget

Ask whether the limit applies to base salary or the entire package. If policy permits, discuss one useful alternative such as a signing bonus, relocation support, leave, or a work arrangement. Ask about payment timing, repayment conditions, or eligibility. A scheduled compensation review is not a guaranteed raise.

Close the conversation with a written decision

If terms improve, get the updated offer and check it against the conversation. If the employer refuses, evaluate the package actually available: accept, ask a remaining clarifying question, or decline. An employer may refuse or withdraw an offer; drafting and rehearsal cannot eliminate that risk.

Asking for a raise in your current role

An internal raise discussion needs evidence about your work and the employer's review process. List specific responsibilities, results you can verify, and any change in scope. Ask about the decision-maker, criteria, and review timing. If the answer is no, clarify whether it concerns budget, timing, or evidence and agree a next step if one is available.

What FirstRoundKO helps you prepare

Use the application to work through your situation, draft a request, and rehearse a response using the facts you provide. You remain responsible for checking the terms, deciding what to send, and seeking qualified advice on contract, tax, or legal questions. The public guides below are available without signing in.