If you’ve taken the time to seek out an internal job opportunity, you’ve demonstrated that you’re invested in your company. Help ensure that your efforts are rewarded by negotiating salary for an internal job offer. With these negotiation tips, you can position yourself to improve your pay and benefits package.
When you receive an internal job offer, you should negotiate salary. Employers often have a set salary in mind, but are willing to make adjustments if candidates can give them a good reason why they deserve more. Getting an internal job offer is fantastic news. But before you accept the position, consider how you might be able to leverage the offer into a higher starting salary.
Negotiating salary for an internal job offer can be tricky. You want to make sure you come across as confident, but not arrogant. You also want to make sure that you’re asking for what you deserve, rather than just what you think you’ll get.
First, consider the market rate for your position; this is how much other people in your industry are making for similar jobs. If you know someone who does something similar to what you do and is paid more than what was offered to you, it’s probably worth asking for more money.
Second, remember that it’s not all about the number. It’s about how much value your employer places on having you on their team—not just in terms of your skillset, but also in terms of how much they trust and value what you have to contribute. A good way to demonstrate this is by offering proof: if they’ve given you some kind of award or recognition within the company previously, mention it here!
And finally, don’t forget that there are other ways to make up the difference between what they offered and what would be fair compensation based on market rates—like giving extra vacation time or flexible work hours (if possible). In this article we’ll also find out salary negotiation conversation example, how to negotiate salary offer via email sample.
How to negotiate salary for an internal job offer
Negotiating salary for an internal job offer can be a tricky process, but it’s far more common than most people realize. In fact, according to a recent survey by PayScale, “74 percent of employers gave their current employees at least one salary increase in the past 12 months – and 64 percent expect to give raises again this year.”
make sure you have a solid understanding of industry standards
As you research the industry standards, it’s important to keep in mind what you must know about the company and its position in the market. For instance:
- If a job is new or has been created recently, it may not have any established salary range (and even if it does, that range may not be very strong). In this case, you’ll want to use your intuition about what seems fair for someone with your experience and education level at this organization.
- If a job has been around for a while but doesn’t have an established title, then again you should use your intuition as well as any information from other employees’ resumes or LinkedIn profiles. But remember that companies often pay more than they say they do—so don’t let them lowball you!
- If your internal salary range has already been set by management based on internal performance reviews (or other methods), then make sure there’s enough flexibility in their thinking so that they can adjust their offer based on external factors such as industry conditions or competitor salaries—and also tell them how much money matters to YOU specifically before negotiating begins so that everyone knows where things stand going forward.
take a look at your peers’ salaries
You can find a good idea of what your peers are earning by looking at their salaries in job postings. It’s important to note, however, that salaries will vary greatly depending on location. If you’re not sure what your area’s average salary is, try asking people you know who work in the same industry and have similar experience as yours. You may also want to consult a recruiter for advice on how much you should ask for—but be aware that they may not give you an exact number (and some will charge a fee).
think about what you have accomplished in your current position
As you prepare to negotiate salary for an internal job offer, here are some points to keep in mind:
- Think about what you have accomplished in your current position. Be prepared to give examples of how your work has benefited the company and its clients.
- Make sure you have a good grasp of what the new position entails, including its responsibilities and requirements for success. This will help ensure that when negotiating salary for an internal job offer, you are able to clearly articulate why it is worth more than your current position.
consider what perks you might be willing to trade for salary
Now that you have a sense of what you would be willing to trade for salary, it’s time to consider if there are any perks you might be willing to trade away.
Perhaps your dream job comes with an annual bonus, but the salary is less than you want. In this case, you may want to ask for more money or take the job anyway because it’s still higher than what other companies are offering you. On the other hand, if another company offers a higher salary with no bonuses at all and asks if they can lower their offer by removing those benefits before offering them again—that’s fine too!
In general: ask for exactly what’s important to YOU in exchange for whatever perks they offer instead (like health insurance or 401k matching). Don’t let them try any negotiating tricks like “Okay then let me take away some vacation days as well.” You can choose whether or not those specific benefits matter more than others based on how important each individual benefit is relative to other factors like location/commute times/hours worked per week etc., so don’t get tricked into giving up something without knowing why specifically its worth keeping!
make sure you do your research before having the negotiation discussion.
If you are not going to be working with a recruiter or headhunter, then it is unlikely that your potential employer will be offering you advice on how to negotiate. As such, it’s important that you do your own research before having the discussion.
This means taking a look at industry standards and using online tools to research salary ranges. Look at your peers’ salaries and consider what perks you might be willing to trade for a higher salary. If the opportunity is one that would give you an edge over other candidates in terms of both experience and personal growth, consider how much more valuable these things will make you as an employee in the long run.
salary negotiation conversation example
Once you’ve worked on some ways to feel more calm and confident, you still need to figure out what to say when you negotiate your salary. Review these scripts to help you navigate the conversation. Each can be easily modified based on your unique situation and can even be combined if you find that your situation warrants it.
Ideally, you will be able to negotiate your salary face-to-face, so most of these scripts are written as if you will be speaking to your manager. However, you can adapt these scripts to a written form if you plan to email your request to your employer—this is going to be most common for prospective employees who are negotiating a new job offer, and have been communicating with the potential employer mostly via email.
1. You’re negotiating a new salary.
“Hello, Camille. Thank you again for offering the Developer I position. I’m so excited to have the chance to join the XYZ Company team. However, before accepting your offer, I’d like to request a salary of $80,000 to $85,000 as this range aligns with my experience and education as well as the market rate for this position.”
2. You’re renegotiating your current salary.
“Thanks again for meeting with me today. As I mentioned in my email, I’ve been with the company for three years now and, in that time, I’ve taken on additional responsibilities as we’ve lost several people on the team. Most recently, I’ve been asked to assume the Purchasing Manager role in addition to my role as Purchasing Assistant. Before I can commit to that, I would like to review my current salary and reach a figure that is on par with the additional duties I’ve been asked to fulfill. Earlier this year, this role was posted with a salary range of “$106,000 to $110,000. I believe that a salary of $108,000 makes the most sense for me.”
3. You initially accepted the offer, but changed your mind.
It’s important to note that renegotiating a salary you already accepted can work against you in some cases, and the employer could rescind the job offer altogether. However, if you have a change of heart about the salary you initially accepted and want to negotiate, this script can help you do that without losing your job offer.
“Since initially accepting the job offer that came with a salary of $50,000, I have had some time to further research the position, and some new information has come to light about what is required for the role. While I have remained interested in the position and would be ready to start at the same time we initially agreed upon, I would like to renegotiate the salary at a range of $55,000 to $60,000. Do you believe this would be a suitable range that we can finalize today?”
Give yourself the best possible chance at making this work by following these additional tips:
- Don’t change anything else. Keep the start date and job title you agreed to.
- Reiterate your interest in the role and the company. Let them know that you just want to make sure you’re satisfied before stepping into the role because you’re planning to stick around for a while.
- Be ready for anything. The employer might approve the new salary you want, reject it, or give it to you at the expense of something else (e.g., taking away your hybrid work schedule in exchange for the increased salary). Try to anticipate multiple responses from them and be ready to respond effectively.
- Don’t wait too long. Once you accept an offer, most companies move quickly to finalize the hiring process so you can get started. Try not to wait any longer than 24 hours to renegotiate.
4. You’re using the “Gratitude Sandwich.”
The great thing about a sandwich? It starts and ends the same way. This script is based on starting with a ‘thank you’ and ending with a ‘thank you’.
“Thank you so much for offering to make me a part of your team. I was already a big fan of the DEF Company brand, but going through this process has taught me even more about your team, and made me even more excited about joining your organization! I would like to note that the offer for this role is lower than I anticipated, but I’d be eager to accept a salary of $95,000.”
5. You’ve been lowballed.
“I appreciate you sending the offer for the Senior Business Analyst position. I’m confident that I could be an asset to your team, starting with cleaning up your current business requirements to create greater efficiency.
Before I accept your offer, I would like to review the proposed salary. As I shared during my interview, I have thirteen years of experience in FinTech, five of which have been spent at a large corporation that operates much like this one. For the past eight years, I have managed a high-performing team that has consistently exceeded their targets by 10%, which will be of great value to you since the person in this position would be overseeing two large teams. Given my background, I am seeking a salary between $160,000 and $170,000. What can you offer me in this range?”
6. The offer is at the lower end of your salary range.
You might wonder why you should give a salary range (instead of one specific number) if you don’t plan to take the lower end of the range. Giving a salary range leaves room for you and the employer to find a middle ground regarding the salary. But here’s a little secret: No one really wants the lower end of their range.
Meeting you halfway by at least offering the midpoint of your range shows good faith on the employer’s part. So, if they offer you the lower end of your range, they might be showing you that they are only willing to offer you just enough to get you to take the role. If you believe you could be happy with that number in the long run, go for it! But if you decide you want to counter the offer, here’s how to go about it:
“I sincerely appreciate your flexibility. Based on the value I would be bringing to your team, as well as the MBA I recently earned, which exceeds your educational requirements for this position, I’d like to get as close to the top of my salary range as possible. I’d be most comfortable accepting $90,000. What would you need to get the offer closer to that salary?”
7. You don’t have all the qualifications.
Let’s say you meet three of the five required qualifications listed for the job; you might wonder whether you can still negotiate your salary. The answer is an emphatic YES! Truthfully, there are no perfect candidates and even required skills aren’t necessarily required in every case. So, even if you don’t meet all the required qualifications, you should still negotiate. After all, by making you a job offer knowing what qualifications you have, the employer has already shown that they really want you for the role. Keep this in mind as you negotiate, but don’t highlight what you don’t have. Instead focus on what you do have, especially if the employer has already pointed it out in the process.
“I appreciate the opportunity I had to interview with you. Thank you for the offer! As you pointed out during my interview, I have worked for a health and wellness startup before, so I understand the demands of a startup and am fully committed to assisting with your quickly-changing business needs. Given this, I would like to counter your offer of $35,000 with $45,000. Would you be able to accommodate me at that salary?”
8. Your written offer is lower than the verbal offer.
Picture this: You’ve already gotten the verbal offer you wanted for a great job, and now you’ve finally received the written offer, but the salary is lower than what they said. The first thing you want to do is confirm whether it’s a mistake on their part. If it is, it should be an easy fix to get it corrected. But if it’s not, you may need to negotiate. In some cases, employers will change their offer based on a review of your salary history, which is when a potential employer uses your current salary to determine what your new salary should be. If the employer has lowered the offer based on the salary review (or for another reason), here’s how to address it:
“I can understand that you’ve updated the salary offered based on new information. However, my needs have not changed and I still have the skills, experience, and education needed to excel in this role. As a result, I would like to negotiate the salary to $55,000, which was the original salary offered.”
Many employers extend a verbal job offer before providing the written offer—wait for the written offer before negotiating your salary.
9. You provided a desired salary prematurely.
In some cases, an employer will ask you what salary or range you’re seeking early in the hiring process. Once you provide that figure, the employer might hold you to it by offering that exact number toward the end of the process. If you want to stick with it, there’s no further action required on your part besides accepting the offer for your new job! However, if you’ve discovered new information about the role during the interview process, you may want to change it. Maybe you learned that regular travel is required for the role even though that wasn’t in the job posting; you’re still well within your rights to negotiate. Here’s an example:
“I can tell that you’ve been listening closely throughout this process since you offered the amount I initially mentioned, and I appreciate that. During this process, I’ve learned about some additional requirements that were not outlined in the job posting, such as the required travel. That has changed my desired salary for the role. I would be most comfortable accepting a salary between $55,000 and $60,000, given this new information.”
10. You hate negotiating.
Negotiating your salary is easier said than done, so many women still avoid it altogether. In fact, 57 percent of women surveyed by Randstad have said that they’ve never negotiated with an employer, with 60 percent reporting that they would quit their jobs to get the salary increase elsewhere. Still, negotiating your salary can help you get the money you want and set an important precedent: asking for what you want, even if it comes with a hard or uncomfortable conversation. Negotiating your salary is just another way to advocate for yourself in the workplace, and that’s always a good thing!
To ease any tension, address the elephant in the room. Here’s how:
“I know that negotiating can be uncomfortable on both sides sometimes, but I do want to say that advocating for myself makes me a better employee and team member. When I have what I need to thrive in the workplace, which includes fair pay that is on par with my experience, I am better equipped to make meaningful contributions to my team, but also to the company as a whole. Based on my research, $79,000 to $85,000 is a more suitable salary range for this position, and for this level of my career. How can we work together to make this happen?”
Although these salary negotiation scripts can be tailored to different situations, you will notice that they each include a “thank you” for the offer. This is because gratitude is an important part of any negotiation, and it can help you build rapport with your counterpart. You will also notice that each script includes a specific salary or salary range. In addition to gratitude, this is one of the most important parts of the negotiation. Do not ask for a “higher salary,” then make the employer figure out what “higher” means. Be clear and specific every step of the way.
how to negotiate salary offer via email sample
Dear [Employer’s Name],
It’s been a little while since we talked about my wages. My current salary is [current amount], and I think it’s time for an increase.
I have taken on more responsibility at work, and I successfully completed [project]. I also recently attended a conference related to my field, which has increased my knowledge and experience in this sector.
It all comes down to one thing – I’m worth more than I’m being paid, so I’d like to arrange a meeting to discuss my salary. I’m open to negotiation, and I hope you are too.
Best wishes,
[Your name]
