Expand to Career Arsenal: 8 AI-powered career skills collection
- Restructured repo from single skill to skills collection - Added 7 new skills: Resume Architect, Cover Letter Craft, Interview Commander, Salary Negotiator, Career GPS, LinkedIn Optimizer, Job Switch Advisor - Rewrote README as collection hub with pipeline diagram, integration map, and usage-by-stage guides Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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skills/salary-negotiator.md
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skills/salary-negotiator.md
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# Salary Negotiator
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**Know your market worth, anchor high, and negotiate offers like a pro.**
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Accepting the first offer is leaving money on the table. Every time. This skill ensures you never do that again.
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## Philosophy
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Salary negotiation is not confrontation. It's a **business discussion** between two parties who both want the deal to happen.
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The framework:
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1. **Know Your Number** — Market data, not gut feelings
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2. **Anchor High** — The first number mentioned sets the range
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3. **Create Leverage** — Multiple offers, competing timelines
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4. **Negotiate Total Comp** — Base is just one component
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5. **Close Gracefully** — Get it in writing, start strong
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## Input Required
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- Job title and level
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- Company name and location (remote/hybrid/onsite)
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- Current compensation (if comfortable sharing)
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- Any competing offers or timelines
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- Years of experience in the role
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## Workflow
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### Phase 1: Market Research
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```
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Gather compensation data:
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Search queries:
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- "[Role] salary [Location/City] 2025 2026"
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- "[Role] total compensation [Company] levels.fyi"
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- "[Role] salary [Company] glassdoor"
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- "[Company] software engineer compensation blind"
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- "[Role] salary remote [Company size]"
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Data sources:
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- levels.fyi (tech roles, verified offers)
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- Glassdoor salary database
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- LinkedIn salary insights
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- Blind (anonymous company-specific data)
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- AngelList/Wellfound (startup equity ranges)
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- Robert Half Salary Guide (general market)
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- Stack Overflow Developer Survey (developer-specific)
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```
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**Output:** Compensation range report
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```
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Market Data for [Role] at [Company Level]:
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Source | Base Range | Total Comp | Data Points
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levels.fyi | $X - $Y | $A - $B | N
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Glassdoor | $X - $Y | $A - $B | N
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Blind | $X - $Y | $A - $B | N
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LinkedIn | $X - $Y | - | N
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Median Base: $Z
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Median Total: $T
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Your Target: $Z + 15-20% (anchor above median)
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```
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### Phase 2: Total Compensation Breakdown
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```
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Negotiate ALL components, not just base:
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Component | Typical % of Comp | Negotiation Leverage
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Base Salary | 60-80% | High — recurring, compounds
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Annual Bonus | 5-20% | Medium — ask about payout history
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Equity/RSU | 10-40% | High — negotiate quantity + vest schedule
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Sign-on Bonus | $5K-50K+ | High — one-time, easy for them to say yes
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Benefits | Variable | Low-Medium — often standardized
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Remote/Flex | N/A | Medium — has $ value (commute, rent)
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Title | N/A | Medium — affects future earning power
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Relocation | $5K-30K+ | Medium — if applicable
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Education/Conf | $2K-10K/yr | Low — easy ask
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PTO | 2-4 weeks | Low — easy ask, hard to use
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```
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### Phase 3: Strategy Selection
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**Strategy A: You Have Competing Offers (Strongest Position)**
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```
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"I'm excited about [Company], and I want to be transparent —
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I have another offer at [Competitor] for [higher number].
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[Company] is my top choice. Is there room to bring the
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[base/equity/sign-on] closer to [your target]?"
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Why it works: Creates urgency + proves market value
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```
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**Strategy B: Single Offer, Strong Market Data**
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```
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"Based on my research and conversations with others at this level,
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the market range for [Role] with [X years] experience is [$A-$B].
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I'd love to explore bringing the offer closer to [target number],
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which I believe reflects the value I'll bring to the team."
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Why it works: Data-driven, not emotional
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```
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**Strategy C: Promotion/Market Adjustment (Current Employer)**
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```
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"I've taken on [specific expanded responsibilities] and delivered
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[specific results]. Based on current market data, my role now
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aligns with [higher title/level]. I'd like to discuss adjusting
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my compensation to reflect this."
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Why it works: Performance-based, fair ask
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```
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**Strategy D: Startups (Equity-Heavy Negotiation)**
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```
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For startups, focus on:
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- Equity percentage (not just share count — ask for fully diluted)
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- Vesting schedule (standard is 4yr with 1yr cliff — negotiate cliff)
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- Option strike price
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- Latest 409a valuation
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- Acceleration clauses (change of control, termination)
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Template:
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"I understand base is constrained at this stage. I'd like to explore
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[higher equity % / sign-on / accelerated vesting] to bridge the gap
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between market rate and the offer."
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```
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### Phase 4: Handling Common Responses
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**"That's above our range for this level."**
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```
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Response: "I understand. Could you share the range for the
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next level up? Based on [specific experience/impact], I believe
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my qualifications align closer to that tier."
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```
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**"We'll need to get approval for that."**
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```
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Response: "Absolutely, I appreciate you advocating for this.
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When can I expect to hear back? I want to make sure we can
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move forward quickly — I'm very excited about the role."
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```
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**"Our budget is fixed."**
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```
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Response: "I understand budget constraints. Let's look at the
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total package — could we explore [sign-on bonus / additional
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equity / accelerated review cycle / remote flexibility] to bridge
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the gap?"
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```
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**"What's your current salary?"** (If asked — may be illegal in your jurisdiction)
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```
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Redirect options:
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- "I'd prefer to focus on the value I'll bring to this role
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and what fair market compensation looks like."
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- "I'm looking for a role in the [$X-$Y] range, which aligns
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with market data for this position."
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- "My compensation expectations are based on market research
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for [Role] at [Company type]."
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```
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### Phase 5: Written Offer Review
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```
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Checklist before accepting:
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[ ] Base salary — in writing, annual figure
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[ ] Bonus — target %, payout history, performance criteria
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[ ] Equity — type (options/RSU), quantity, strike price, vesting schedule, cliff
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[ ] Sign-on — amount, payment schedule, clawback terms
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[ ] Benefits — health, dental, vision, 401k match, HSA
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[ ] PTO — days, accrual vs. unlimited, sabbatical
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[ ] Title — exact title, level, reporting structure
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[ ] Start date — confirmed in writing
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[ ] Remote/hybrid policy — in writing, not verbal
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[ ] Severance — if applicable
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[ ] Non-compete — review carefully
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[ ] Relocation — if applicable, amount and terms
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[ ] Review cycle — when is next compensation discussion
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[ ] Everything verbal is now written — if it's not in the offer letter, it doesn't exist
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```
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## Negotiation Scripts
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### Phone/Video Negotiation
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```
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"Thanks for the offer — I'm really excited about joining the team.
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I've reviewed the details and want to discuss a few points.
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[Pause — let them be present]
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The base salary of [$X] is below what I was anticipating based on
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[market data / my experience / competing considerations].
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I was hoping for something closer to [$X + 15-20%]. Given [specific
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value you bring], I think this reflects a fair market rate.
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How much flexibility do we have here?"
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```
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### Email Negotiation
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```
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Subject: Offer for [Role] — [Your Name]
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Hi [Name],
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Thank you for the offer. I'm genuinely excited about joining [Company]
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and contributing to [specific thing you're excited about].
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After reviewing the details, I'd like to discuss the compensation.
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Based on [market research / my experience in X / comparable roles],
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I was hoping for a base salary closer to [$target].
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I believe this reflects the value I'll bring, particularly given
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[specific skill/experience that's rare or valuable].
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Is there room to explore this? I'm flexible on structure — we could
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look at base, sign-on, equity, or a combination.
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Looking forward to your thoughts.
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Best,
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[Name]
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```
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## Red Flags
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- Refusing to put anything in writing
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- Pressure to accept immediately ("this offer expires in 24 hours")
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- No willingness to negotiate at all (sign of future rigidity)
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- Significantly below market with no explanation
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- Equity without 409a valuation or vesting details
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- Non-compete that's overly broad
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## Integration with Other Skills
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- **jobhunter-master**: Company research informs negotiation position
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- **interview-commander**: Post-interview leverage and timing
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- **career-gps**: Long-term earning trajectory analysis
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## Files
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- `memory/comp-research/[role]-[location].md` — Market data per target
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- `memory/offers/[company]-[date].md` — Offer details and negotiation notes
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