How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Bendigo Resume on 19 Jan 2026

A salary negotiation is a difficult conversation, as it is about balancing what you believe you’re worth with what your employer believes they’ll be able to afford. If done properly it can be an enjoyable experience for both parties, resulting in a greater salary for the employee, as well as greater employees’ engagement in their jobs. Here’s how to negotiate your salary confidently.

Important Takeaways

  • Before you negotiate your salary study market rates and industry standards to confirm that your salary proposal is realistic.
  • Find out information by networking with colleagues, using online resources like LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, and contacting professional networks.
  • Plan your talk points ahead of time, including education and certifications as well as years of relevant experience, results & achievements with a unique set of skills and qualities, industry knowledge, and training opportunities.
  • During negotiations, be confident and clear, but be flexible and open-minded. Bring out tangible results you have achieved in previous roles.
  • Maintain a positive mood throughout the conversation and engage in active listening.

Do your research

Before you enter any negotiations regarding salary, it’s essential to do thorough research on market rates and industry standards to ensure that your salary request is reasonable. The factors that could affect the amount you are offered could be levels of experience degree, size of the company and the location of the company. (?). One great way to gather data is to connect with colleagues and others in your chosen field of work.

Research Online

With the aid of online resources, such as [LinkedIn SalaryUtilizing some of the online resources, such as [LinkedIn Salary (https http://www. linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/salary) and [Glassdoorglassdoor (https: //www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. htm) You can find a an extensive view of the range of benchmarking salaries businesses are providing for same job. It will provide you with an idea of current market rates and other aspects related to an employment.

Your Network is Essential

Learn more by talking to acquaintances who have had similar roles or reaching out via professionally-oriented networks and brainstorming with members within professional organizations.

Prepare talking points

The time spent in preparing for a negotiations is always a good time spent. You’ll be much more confident when presenting your case if you have a clear outline of your talking points prior to the time.

Here are a few examples of what you might consider when negotiating your salary:

  • Education & certification
  • Experience gained through years of relevant work
  • The results and accomplishments
  • A unique set of skills and characteristics (e.g. language proficiency,)
  • Industry knowledge
  • Training potential

Notes and notebooks can be helpful during conversations so that you don’t miss any crucial points.

Be confident & concise

When you negotiate your salary, it’s important to be confident and clear. Speak clearly about your experiences as well as your achievements and expectations for the job. It is important to keep a positive attitude throughout this conversation to ensure that your person who is hiring you feels that you’re not appearing to be insecure.

Highlight Tangible Results

Simply stating that someone is determined, hardworking and goal-oriented might not be enough to generate an strong appeal. So put forward clear statistics on how previous roles made an impact in the workplace or what are the most valuable capabilities that help an organisation.

Stay flexible

If the employer cannot agree to your requested salary or compensation package outright, remaining flexible and open-minded will help open the door to dialog. It is possible to inquire about alternatives to incentives, such as performance-based bonus structures, instead of the Base salary(? ).

You must remain professional throughout the negotiation process regardless of how smoothly or not: fighting too much or imposing unreasonable demands could cause a negative result for everyone who is involved.

Practice active listening

Listening is as crucial as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Do listen actively from another party while you negotiate, listening to the the amount requested carefully and clarifying questions if needed, but keeping to the what you originally requested. In the end, both parties must be able to reach a satisfactory conclusion.

Use the lessons you’ve learned from these conversations and incorporate it into the next discussions you’ll probably be involved in. Applying the advice above goes a long way towards maximizing the chance of achieving mutually beneficial outcomes.

Your Network is Important Have a chat with friends who have had similar experiences or reach out to networking networks for professionals and brainstorming with members within professional organizations.
Create Talk points Certification and education, Years of relevant experience, Performance and achievements, Unique skills and characteristics (e.g. bi-lingualism) and industry knowledge. Training potential
Be confident & concise Make sure you are clear about your experience as well as your achievements and expectations. Use tangible results to highlight your achievements.
Stay flexible Ask about alternative incentives like performance-based bonus structures instead of Base salary. (?). Keep your professional conduct during the negotiation.
Practice active listening Listening is as crucial as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Consider what you’ve learned away from these conversations and apply it to future negotiations you’ll likely take part in.


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Frequently asked questions

What is salary negotiation?

Salary negotiation is the process of discussing and finalizing the compensation package for a particular job. Through this process, you can discuss not just the salary you earn, but also benefits like retirement plans, health insurance and many more.

Why is it important to negotiate a salary?

Negotiating your pay can provide you a more secure financial future as well as indicate that you are aware of your worth. This can help you not leave money on the table.

How soon should I negotiate a salary?

It’s best to begin negotiating immediately after receiving an offer so everyone is conscious of what’s being negotiated. Then, the negotiations will be focused on securing the best terms, while avoiding any surprises.

What if I am happy with the offered package with no negotiation?

If you get an offer and are content with it, then there’s no need to discuss it. However, it’s essential to have transparent communication about what your employer’s expectations in terms of things like rewards based on performance or reimbursements for career training.

What is the best way to negotiate my salary? I change careers entirely?

Salary negotiation when changing careers may require more training because your previous work experience may not directly translate or be a part of the new job. Study what similar positions in related industries pay to gain a robust understanding of realistic expectations for you, based on the particular circumstances you face.

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