How to Negotiate a Tech Salary
A short conversation with an extraordinary hourly rate attached. What to say, what not to say first, and how to handle the number question.
Don’t name a number first if you can avoid it, and if you must, give a researched range with a reason attached. Negotiate the whole package, not just base salary. And say less after you state your number — the silence does more work than another sentence will.
Salary negotiation is a short conversation with a very high effective hourly rate, and most people prepare for it less than they’d prepare for a client call. The discomfort is real, but the asymmetry is worth sitting with: an hour of preparation can be worth more than a month of work.
What do you say when they ask your expectations?
Deflect once, politely. Something like: “I’d rather understand the scope first — what range has been budgeted for the role?” Many organisations have a band and will share it.
If pressed, give a range with a reason: “Based on what I’ve seen for this scope in this market, I’d expect somewhere in the region of X to Y.” The reason matters more than the number, because it moves the conversation from what you want to what the role is worth.
Several jurisdictions now require employers to publish pay ranges or restrict asking about salary history. If that applies where you are, the deflection is unnecessary — ask for the posted band directly. Check the rules where you’re being hired, not where you live.
Where do you get a defensible range?
Published salary surveys, job adverts in the same market with bands attached, and people doing the job. Note the date on any source — compensation data ages quickly and a two-year-old figure can be badly wrong in either direction.
What you should not do is quote a number from a global aggregator without checking it against your market. A figure that reflects a different country’s cost base isn’t evidence, and it’s easy for an interviewer to dismiss.
What else is negotiable?
| Item | Often flexible? | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Base salary | Within a band | Usually capped by the band, not the manager |
| Signing bonus | Often | Easier to approve than base — comes from a different budget |
| Start date | Usually | Costs the employer nothing |
| Title | Sometimes | Affects your next negotiation more than this one |
| Learning budget | Often | Small ask, rarely refused |
When base salary is genuinely capped, the answer is rarely “no” to everything — it’s “no” to that one line. Ask which parts have flexibility and negotiate there.
The sentence that does most of the work
State your number, give the one-line reason, and stop talking.
The instinct is to soften it immediately — to add “but I’m flexible” or explain yourself further. That sentence negotiates against you before they’ve responded. Let the pause sit. It’s uncomfortable for about four seconds and it’s the most valuable four seconds in the conversation.
- Ask for their band before offering a number.
- A range with a reason beats a number without one.
- Check whether pay-transparency rules apply where you’re hiring.
- Signing bonus and start date are often easier wins than base.
- After you state your number, stop talking.
What to do this week
Find three current job adverts for your role in your market with published bands. Write down the range and the date you checked. That’s your evidence base — and it takes about twenty minutes.