# Salary negotiation is a non-negotiable skill The negotiation of a salary generally lasts fewer than five minutes, but can lead to vastly different results depending on its execution. To illustrate this, a quick calculation: $5,000 more per year for 10 years with a 7% interest rate amounts to almost $75,000. Negotiation is a skill you cannot rationally afford to neglect given how much leverage it has. First, the golden rule: **under no circumstances are you to give a number first**. If you are asked for it, return the question as politely as you can. If you do not feel like you have a way out of it, give a range rather than a precise number, with a lower bound that is above your desired salary and a higher bound that remains realistic for your job. This implies that you have done your due diligence: you should know the average compensation for your target job, as well as other pieces of important information such as the company's work culture or your expected career prospects. Be conscious that your salary requirements are basically irrelevant with respect to a whole company's budget: do not be afraid to ask for more than your expected compensation. Your interviewer has much lower personal stakes involved in the negotiation, and hiring a well-compensated employee both reflects well on their status and gives them ground to ask for more budget. Finally, be a good listener. Say "we" rather than "you", and more generally try to focus the discussion on finding a mutually beneficial agreement. If they want you for the job, they will be willing to compromise. If they do not, you should ideally look somewhere else. --- ## 📚 References - [[@mckenzieSalaryNegotiationMake2012|Salary Negotiation: Make More Money, Be More Valued]]