Salary FYI

Salary Negotiation

Employment

The process of discussing and reaching agreement on compensation between an employer and a current or prospective employee, typically at the time of hiring, promotion, or annual review.

## Salary Negotiation

Salary negotiation is a conversation (or series of conversations) aimed at reaching mutually agreeable compensation terms. Research shows that negotiating can increase starting salary by 7–10%.

### Best Practices

1. **Research**: Use salary data (Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, BLS) to know market rates.
2. **Anchor high**: The first number mentioned anchors the negotiation.
3. **Negotiate total comp**: Base, bonus, equity, sign-on, PTO, remote flexibility.
4. **Use competing offers**: Multiple offers create leverage.
5. **Get it in writing**: Verbal agreements mean nothing until documented.

### Common Mistakes

- Accepting the first offer without negotiating.
- Revealing your current salary (illegal to ask in many states).
- Negotiating on base salary only (missing equity and bonus).
- Threatening to leave without a real alternative.

### Salary History Bans

Over 20 US states and cities prohibit employers from asking about salary history, and the EU Pay Transparency Directive bans it across all member states.