How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Palmerston North Resume on 6 Oct 2025

A salary negotiation can be an extremely difficult process, since it involves balancing what believe you’re worth with what the employer thinks they can afford. However, if done correctly it can be positive for both the employer and employee, which results in a greater salary for the employee, as well as greater employee engagement in their work. Here’s how to bargain your salary in confidence.

Principal Takeaways

  • Before you make a salary offer, research market rates and industry standards to confirm that the salary you request is reasonable.
  • Collect information through socializing with colleagues, using online resources such as LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, and also reaching out to professional networks.
  • Make a list of talking points ahead time, including education and certification and years of relevant experience, results & achievements as well as unique skill sets and abilities, industry expertise, and training opportunities.
  • During negotiations, be confident and clear, but be flexible and open-minded. Show tangible results that you’ve had in your previous positions.
  • Keep a positive attitude throughout the conversation, and make sure you are listening actively.

Do your research

Before you enter any salary negotiation, it’s important to conduct thorough research on current market rates and industry standards to make sure that your salary proposal is reasonable. Things that may affect this may include the level of experience, degree, size of the company as well as location. (?). A great method of gathering information is to make connections with your colleagues or those who are in the same field of work.

Research Online

With the help of online resources, such as [LinkedIn Salarywith the help of certain online resources such as [LinkedIn Salary] (https: //www. linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/salary) and [GlassdoorGlassdoor (https http://www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. Htm) you will get a an extensive view of the range of benchmarking salaries that companies offer for the exact job. This gives you an idea of the current market rate and a few other elements that are related to an employment.

Your Network is Essential

Find out more about your situation by talking with friends who have held similar positions, or contacting them via the professional networks as well doing brainstorming members of professional associations.

Plan Talking points

Preparing for any negotiation is always time well spent. You’ll feel more confident when making your case if you have a clear set of talking points outlined ahead of time.

Here are some instances of items you may want to consider to include in your salary negotiation:

  • Education and certification
  • Years of relevant experience
  • Performances and results
  • A unique set of skills and characteristics (e.g. bilingualism)
  • Knowledge of the industry
  • Potential for training

Notes and notebooks can aid in conversations, so that one doesn’t forget any important information.

Be confident & concise

When you negotiate your salary, it’s important to be confident and clear. Talk clearly about your work experience, achievements and job expectations. It’s essential to maintain your tone of voice positive throughout the conversation so that the person who is hiring you feels that you’re not appearing to be unfriendly.

Highlight the tangible results

Simply stating that someone is committed, hardworking, and goal-oriented may not be enough to create an impressive appeal. Therefore, provide clear data regarding how prior roles have made a significant difference to companies or how valuable are specific qualities that can benefit an organization.

Stay flexible

If the employer isn’t able to your requested salary or compensation plan in full being flexible and open will allow for discussion. You may be able to ask for alternative incentives like performance-based bonus arrangements instead of the Base salary(? ).

Keep your cool throughout the negotiation - no matter how well or poorly it’s going being too combative or making unreasonable demands will likely result in an unfavourable outcome for everyone involved.

Practice active listening

Listening is as crucial as communicating in these types of conversations. Listen attentively from the another party while you negotiate, listening to the specific requests and resolving questions if needed, but gently sticking with what you originally requested. In the end, both parties must achieve satisfactory results.

Take what you have learned from these discussions and apply it to future talks you’re likely to participate in. Following the tips above goes a long way towards maximizing the chance of achieving positive outcomes that are mutually beneficial.

Your Network is Important Have a chat with friends who’ve held similar roles or reach out to the professional network as well doing brainstorming members within professional organizations.
Make talking points Training and certification, years of relevant experience and achievements, Unique skill set and qualities (e.g., bilingualism) Knowledge of the industry, Potential for training
Be confident & concise Be clear about your experience accomplishments, job goals and achievements. Use tangible results to highlight your achievements.
Remain flexible Consider alternative incentives such as incentive structures based on performance rather than Base salary. (?). Keep your professional conduct during the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is as crucial in these types of conversations. You can take the lessons you’ve learned from these conversations and incorporate them into the future negotiations you’ll likely take part in.


Are you looking forward to your next career change? Take a look at our Palmerston North Resume ‘s services today!

Frequently asked questions

What is salary negotiation?

The process involves discussing and finalizing the compensation package for a position. During this process it is possible to discuss not just your salary base, but also other benefits like health insurance, retirement plans, and more.

Why is it important to bargain on salary?

Negotiating your salary could give you a greater financial future as well as indicate that you are aware of your worth. This can help you keep money off the table.

What is the best time to negotiate my salary?

It is ideal to begin negotiations after you have received an offer, so that everyone is aware of the terms being negotiated. So, negotiations will focus on securing ideal terms while avoiding surprises.

What happens if I am completely satisfied with the package I was offered with no negotiation?

If you are offered a job and you are satisfied with it, there’s no need to bargain. But it’s important to communicate clearly what employers will provide regarding things such as rewards based on performance or reimbursements for career training.

Can I negotiate my salary if changing career paths entirely?

Salary negotiation when changing career paths may require added preparation due to the fact that your previous experience may not directly translate or overlap with new responsibilities. Find out what similar jobs in related industries pay to gain a robust understanding of realistic expectations for you, based on your specific circumstances.

Ready for your next career move? Take a look at our Palmerston North Resume ‘s services today!

The team at Palmerston North Resume where great I would highly recommend calling and speaking with them. I had my resume & cover letter done, with in the week had 3 calls and accepted a new job. Thanks for the great work
Ja C
Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value Thank you to a great Team who have been a terrific help and so efficient. Sonia
Sonia Phillips
Absolutely stoked with the quality of service and expertise provided. The finished product was way beyond my expectations and couldn't be happier. I totally recommend A+++++
Jason Turnbull
Incredibly satisfied with my experience using Palmerston North Resume. Very little effort needed from myself, everything was taken care of by Tanja, who was very responsive and helpful. The resume and cover letter was very professional and detailed, I ended up getting a job offer within 2 weeks of using this resume.
Kimel Pillay
I had an amazing experience with their service. This includes timely response, friendly service, professionalism, attention to details and high quality of the final product. Thank you for the wonderful experience.
Vaneeshal Shivali
Very professional, fast and affordable. Great Resume and CV. I shopped around and glad I did. Thank you Tanja and team!
Migaloo
100% Satisfied - Thank you!
Melanie Waldeck
You guys did a great job on my Resume! much appreciated.
Dan S
Palmerston North resume helped me land my dream job. Not only was the service second to none, but they genuinely cared to help me. After applying to more then 50 jobs and no call back, literally within a few days of getting my resume professionally written by Palmerston North Resume I couldn't keep up. If only I knew this was going to make such an impact to my job search I would of acted sooner. I cannot thank you guys enough, you have literally helped me land the job of my dreams.
Sandra Tricoli
Excellent service, reasonable priced and very professional. Would highly recommend Palmerston North Resumes, Tania did an awesome job updating my hubby's resume so much so within hours of applying for positions using his new updated resume he received a call and in a couple of days had a job. #perthresume #coverletter #jobsearching #resumewriting
Genene McGroder
Unlocking Secrets to Successful Salary Negotiations in Just a Few Easy Steps

Resume

We provide professional resume writing services.

Unlocking Secrets to Successful Salary Negotiations in Just a Few Easy Steps

Cover Letter

We provide professional cover letter writing services.

Unlocking Secrets to Successful Salary Negotiations in Just a Few Easy Steps

LinkedIn Profile

We provide professional linkedin profile writing services.

Unlocking Secrets to Successful Salary Negotiations in Just a Few Easy Steps

Contact Us

Click the button below to get in touch.

About Us &

What We Do

We offer professional resume writing services and our highly experienced resume writers will ensure that your resume sticks out among the rest.

We’re a team of highly qualified and seasoned Recruiters, consultants and HR Professionals who are dedicated to delivering an excellent, well-written cover letter or resume.

We pride ourselves on our vast understanding of top-practice hiring methodologies and Australian recruitment standards. Also, our expertise in a vast range of industries and professions means that we can create a high-quality, powerful resume that meets your specific needs.

Our goal is to provide you with an impressive, striking resume that is perfectly optimised for success in Palmerston North‘s competitive job market.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our services, so you can be confident that you will be fully satisfied with your new cover letter or resume.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Make an Enquiry

Request a Quote

Fill out the form below to get in touch or call us today on
0800 215 100