Salary Negotiation

• Salary (typically within 5-10% of offer)
• Title
• Bonus structure (performance, signing)
• Commission (split/percentages) – depending on experience
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Equity (ISO, NSO, RSU)
• Professional development/education and training
• Relocation
• Benefits
• Remote work
• Transportation
• Start date

*This list is not meant to be exhaustive, but generate ideas regarding what might be important negotiation criteria for you.

• Research salaries across industry/function (see below).
• Research cost of living.
• Understand benefits traditionally offered by the company.
• Understand the benefits and offer components that are negotiable (see above).
• Know your bottom line. What do you need to live comfortably? When will you walk away?

• View similar job postings in similar locations
• Professional organization salary surveys
• AI Prompt – “You are a professional with 3 years of experience in [industry], you are negotiating a salary for a business analyst role at a large corporate bank in Washington, DC. What is the average salary for a business analyst at a large corporate bank. Break this down by years of experience.”
• Salary.com

• List the core competencies you will bring to the role.
• Highlight your key contribution – Use a quantifiable deliverable to drive this home.
• Understand the goals of the position, department, and company. Connect these goals to how you will contribute to the role and the company.

Thank you for the offer for the Business Analyst position at [Bank]. I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute to the team’s efforts in leveraging data to improve the efficiency of your digital products and support strategic decision-making.

Based on my research into market benchmarks and competitors in the region, as well as my experience driving a 20% efficiency improvement at ABC Corporation, I was hoping we could explore a compensation package closer to [target salary].

—-Pause– for response—-

I understand that digital products contribute approximately [percent] of [Bank]’s revenue, and that there’s strong strategic interest in optimizing performance in this area. I’m confident that my background and skills will allow me to add meaningful value in achieving those goals.

I’m genuinely excited about the impact we can make together.

NOTE: You might add that you want to discuss a few components of the offer including salary, PTO and start date. Then go into your salary research and value proposition. Follow-up with the parts of the offer you hope to negotiate once you come to a stopping point on the salary.

Below are nearly 30 considerations for what may influence your decision to accept/decline a job offer. Read through the list and rank them in order of priority. If you have a lot of time before you need to decide on an offer or potential offer, consider filling in your preference range (unacceptable to ideal) for all the categories below. If you must decide soon, consider evaluating your job offer based on your top 5-10 priorities.