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Salary Negotiation

Many people find it hard to talk about money. Yet a good negotiation is mostly preparation: you’ll learn to assess your market value, organize your arguments, and stay professional even when the answer is no.

  • 6 topics
  • 2 sample lessons

Topics

What you’ll work on in this area.

  1. 01

    Knowing your value

    Research your market value and set a realistic target.

  2. 02

    Negotiating job offers

    Respond to an offer without putting the role at risk.

  3. 03

    Asking for a raise

    Pick the right moment and prepare the conversation well.

  4. 04

    Building convincing arguments

    Argue with results and responsibility, not with personal needs.

  5. 05

    Handling objections

    Respond to “There’s no budget for that” calmly and constructively.

  6. 06

    Negotiation techniques

    Anchoring, comfortable silence and looking at the whole package.

Sample lessons

Two lessons from this area – with a real situation, a strong example and a practical tip.

Salary Negotiation6 min

Asking for a raise in your annual review

Go into the conversation with results and a clear number.

The situation

Your annual review is coming up. You’ve taken on considerably more responsibility over the past year and want that reflected in your salary.

What you could say

“Over the past year, I’ve taken over onboarding for new colleagues and led the migration to our new CRM, which we completed two weeks ahead of schedule. Based on this, and on market data for comparable roles, I’d like to discuss adjusting my salary to €62,000.”

Why it works

  • You lead with your results, not your personal reasons.
  • Referring to the market shows that your request is well-founded.
  • You name a specific figure, which gives the conversation a clear starting point.
Salary Negotiation5 min

Responding when an offer is lower than expected

Stay friendly, name the gap and ask about flexibility.

The situation

The company offers you €55,000. Based on your research, you were expecting around €60,000.

What you could say

“Thank you for the offer – I’m genuinely excited about the role. Given the scope of responsibility and comparable positions, I was expecting something closer to €60,000. Is there any flexibility on the base salary?”

Why it works

  • You start with genuine interest, which keeps the mood positive.
  • You justify your expectation with facts, not emotion.
  • The open question at the end invites a solution instead of an ultimatum.

More lessons are on the way.