Negotiating your salary at hiring: what works, the useful phrases, the mistakes that sink it

◆Almost everyone should negotiate, few do

Many candidates accept the first offer out of fear of blowing it all up. I understand it, but in practice an offer is rarely the ceiling: the employer most often plans a margin, and not asking for it simply means leaving it on the table. Negotiating politely almost never gets an offer withdrawn. Worst case, you're told "that's our maximum", and you've lost nothing by asking the question.

What's at stake, besides, isn't only the starting salary. Since most future raises are calculated as a percentage of your current pay, a few thousand euros gained at hiring compound for years. Negotiating, then, isn't being greedy: it's recognising your value and setting a fair base for everything that follows. The one golden rule I really want to pass on: stay collaborative, never aggressive. You're after an agreement, not an arm-wrestle.

◆Pay transparency is coming, and it plays in your favour

Context is now shifting in your favour, and that's good news. EU Directive 2023/970 on pay transparency is progressively requiring employers across member states to be clearer: information on pay ranges, a ban on asking candidates for their salary history in several cases, and a right to access data on pay levels. Member states are transposing these rules into national law, with enforcement rolling out over the coming years.

For you as a candidate, this changes two concrete things. First, asking for a range becomes legitimate and increasingly normal: you're not being cheeky, you're using information you're increasingly entitled to. Second, the "tell us first what you used to earn" argument is losing ground, which lets you refocus the discussion on the value of the role rather than your past. It's a fundamental shift that rebalances the conversation, and you need to know how to use it.

◆Build yourself a reliable range before you open your mouth

Negotiating without numbers is negotiating blind, and it shows immediately on the other side. Before any salary conversation, build yourself a realistic range for THIS role, in THIS city, with YOUR level of experience. The best approach is to cross several sources: none is perfect alone, but together they sketch a credible bracket you can quote with confidence, without stumbling. Here are the ones I'd recommend checking.

• APEC: pay barometers and studies for professionals in France, by function and by region.
• Glassdoor: self-reported ranges by role and company, useful for ballpark figures.
• Talent.com / Indeed: salary estimates by title and location, based on job ads.
• The ads themselves: more and more show a range, note them down for your role.
• Your network: one or two people in the field will confirm or correct your range better than any website.

◆Don't name your number first: the phrases that help

The decisive moment comes fast, and always in the same form: "What are your salary expectations?". The anchoring principle, widely documented notably by the Harvard Business Review, says the first number stated drags the whole negotiation toward it. Ideally, then, let the employer name it: you negotiate upward instead of capping your own ask. And if you really must give a figure, give a range whose bottom is already what you genuinely want.

• To bounce the question back: "To give you a fair figure, I'd first like to understand the role well. What range have you budgeted for this position?"
• If they insist: "Based on my research for this role and region, I'm in the [X] to [Y] range, and I'm open to discussing it depending on the overall package."
• Facing a low offer: "Thank you for this proposal. Given my experience in [key skill] and the market data, I was aiming closer to [target figure]. How can we get nearer to that?"
• Against "it's our pay grid": "I understand the constraint. Could we then look at a signing bonus, extra days off, or a review at 6 months?"
• To close positively: "If we can reach [figure], I'll be delighted to sign."

◆Beyond base pay: everything else that's negotiable

If base salary is locked, the negotiation isn't over for all that: it moves. Many parts of the package have value to you while costing the employer little, or differently, which makes them easier to grant. Widening the discussion beyond the single number is often, in fact, where you really win, in the place where they least expect you to push.

The levers you can put on the table: remote-work days, which mean time and money saved every month; extra leave or time-off days; variable pay or a bonus, with its criteria; a signing bonus to offset a constrained base; coverage of a training or certification; an earlier salary-review date, something like "let's revisit in 6 months"; or equipment and gear. Walk in with two or three of these in mind: if the no lands on base pay, you immediately pivot to the rest, without finding yourself short.

◆The mistakes that sink a negotiation

Most failed negotiations fail not because of the number, but because of the manner. It's a point I find reassuring, because the manner can be corrected. Here are the five most common mistakes, all avoidable once you have them clearly in mind.

• Naming your number first, without letting the employer anchor the range.
• Negotiating without data: a figure pulled from feeling gets brushed aside; a sourced one holds.
• Justifying your ask with personal needs (rent, loan) rather than your value and the market.
• Taking a confrontational tone or setting an ultimatum: you want a future colleague who agrees, not a defeated opponent.
• Accepting or refusing on the spot in the heat of emotion: always ask for time to think before committing.