Over my career, as well as through advising people in tech as a mentor, I've learned a lot about negotiation, and I want to share some of those lessons. The first point I want to emphasize is that you most likely deserve more than you think you do. This doesn't apply to everyone, but the truth is companies need to hire people if they decide to give you an offer.
The negotiation process starts from the very beginning, even before you have an offer, and sometimes even before you have an interview. When you have a call with a recruiter, chances are the recruiter already knows the range they are willing to offer. They have this range but are not supposed to disclose it right away. If you work with the recruiter in the right way, you should be able to get this information.
So, let's say a recruiter reaches out to you, or you apply for a job, and the process gets started. You have your initial call with the recruiter, which might be a 15 to 30-minute call. On this call, you want to find out more about the position. Obviously, the recruiter will be asking questions about you, and you need to be ready for those questions as well. At the same time, you want to ask them questions like, "What's the salary range that I can expect?" or "What do the benefits look like?"
They might ask you the same question, "What's the salary that you're expecting?" My advice has always been to avoid giving a specific number. Instead, you can say, "It depends on what the work is like, what I'm expected to do, and what the benefits are like, so it's hard to say without knowing the full picture." If they try to push you for a number, you can keep pushing back by saying, "I would expect to be paid a competitive rate in the market," and leave it at that.
Once you go through the phone screen and start the interview process, you'll have more opportunities to negotiate. The first thing to keep in mind is to demonstrate that you are highly qualified for the position. Aim to show that you are in the top 1%, or even the top 0.1%, of the candidate pool. This is a topic for another discussion, but the key point is to establish yourself as one of the most qualified candidates.
After proving your qualifications, the interviewers might ask if you have any questions for them. Make sure to ask good questions, and one of these could be about the offer. However, this should only come towards the end of the interview process, ideally when you feel they are 90% to 95% sure they want to give you an offer. If you are confident at this stage, you can ask, "What can I expect from this offer?" or even say, "I feel like this level is more appropriate for me instead of another level."
Once you have an offer, you can continue and finish your negotiation process. As I said before, if they ask you for a specific number, you want to avoid giving it as much as possible. If they push you three or four times, then you may need to give a number. But try to give a range or a minimum number, so they have more flexibility to offer you a number that you're actually happy with.
If you've already gotten the salary range they are willing to offer and managed to get the top of that range, that's great. You can see this as the starting point of the negotiation. It depends on the company; some are more flexible, while others might be tight on their budget and unable to go beyond the range. But keep trying.
Remember, there are many levers you can pull. The salary is just one aspect. There's also the equity portion, vacation, and the job title. These are all different levers you can use. Some companies might be willing to change the title just for you. For example, in my career, I was applying for a social media management position, but I wanted the title of Developer Advocate, so I asked for it and got it. In another instance, I was reached out for a Developer Advocate position, and I asked for a Senior Developer Advocate position. The salary and compensation were the same, but having the Senior title was helpful for negotiating my next job.
There are other factors to consider, like a sign-on bonus. Try to use different levers to get the best outcome. Again, try not to state a specific number. If they offer $120,000, which is the top of their range, you could respond with, "That's a good number, but if I could get a little bit more, it would really help me decide faster." This way, you are offering something in exchange for a higher number.
If they say $122,000 is the best they can do, that's probably true. You did a good job negotiating, and you can sign at that point. If you feel you're approaching their maximum, you can give a specific number, like, "If you could give me $125,000, I will sign right now."
At the end of the day, it's not that complicated. It's about having a solid process and enough confidence. You might feel weird asking for more, but if you are confident in your ability to do the job, then you should go for it. This confidence comes from learning and perfecting your skills. Sometimes having a mentor or family members to encourage you helps, but if not, encourage yourself. If reading this post or watching the live stream version of this post gives you a bit of encouragement, then that's a good thing.