How to Negotiate Your Salary Over Email

Once you've aced the job interview process and received an initial offer, you may want to negotiate your salary. When writing a counter-offer letter, keep your email concise, and always end positively. Make sure you know how to handle each of the seven elements of a salary negotiation email.

1. 1. Recipients: Address your salary negotiation letter to the recruiter or hiring manager who you interacted with most throughout your job search. If someone else offered you the job and you've already communicated directly with that person over email, you may CC them as well.
2. 2. Subject line: The subject line should be as short as possible but still comprehensive enough for your potential employer to recognize the particular job opening. A good template to follow is: "[Nour Name] - [Job Title] Job Offer."
3. 3. Greeting: If you've established an informal rapport in your previous correspondence, it's acceptable to begin your email with "Hi [Recipient's First Name]" followed by a comma. On the other hand, if you established a more formal communication style in the past, instead, open your email with "Dear Mr./Ms. [Recipient's Last Name]." When you're unsure which prefix to use, refrain from guessing and use the recipient's full name instead.
4. 4. Thank you: Be aware that the tone of any negotiation email will probably be read negatively, so soften your language whenever possible. Begin the body of your email by stating how thankful you are for the offer and that you're excited to work together. You can also restate the terms of the initial salary offer if you wish. Keep this paragraph to two sentences maximum.
5. 5. Counter-offer: When proposing a starting salary counter-offer, it's important to be concise and polite since you can't rely on friendly body language as you would in a verbal negotiation. Use words that land softly yet communicate your ask clearly. For example, you could say, "I'm afraid this offer was lower than expected. Is there any wiggle room?" It's also acceptable to inquire about a stronger benefits package if you're looking for more perks like extra vacation days, stock options, or a signing bonus. In this instance, you could add, "How willing are you to discuss additional components of the benefits package?"
6. 6. Rationale: Here's where you back up your counter-offer with research and reasons why you deserve a higher salary. If you have many years of experience in your field and a unique skill set that makes you a high-quality candidate, make sure you mention it. It's also helpful to research your position's average salary range for someone with your experience who lives in the company’s city. While it's essential to show you deserve a higher salary, try not to go overboard with your accomplishments. Brevity continues to be key here, and you want to have more ammunition in your arsenal in case negotiations continue into additional emails.
7. 7. Closing: In any negotiation email, always end positively. Close your email by quickly restating how excited you are and thank them again for the offer.

To seal the deal and receive the best compensation package possible for your new job, try following this salary negotiation email template. This template is just a starting point, so feel free to adjust it based on your own specific situation.

EMAIL SUBJECT: [Your Name] - [Job Title] Job Offer

EMAIL BODY:

Dear Mr./Ms. [Last Name],

Thank you so much for offering me the [job title] position at [company name]! I'm thrilled for the opportunity to work together.

I'm afraid the base salary offer is lower than I expected, and I was hoping for a benefits package with more perks. Is there any wiggle room? Based on my research, the average salary range for a [job title] in this area is [salary range], and due to [your accomplished history] I believe I'm worth the higher end of that range.

I'd like to stress [company name] is my first choice out of all my opportunities, and I'm still very excited about this offer. I look forward to speaking with you more.

Best,

[Your Name]

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