The first question about how to negotiate a job offer is whether to ask at all. The university career offices quoted here say you can: MIT’s career office says most employers “are prepared to negotiate and shouldn’t be surprised when the notion arises.” Most workers still don’t ask. In a Pew Research Center survey taken in February 2023, 30% of American workers who are not self-employed said they asked for more than the first offer when last hired.
Key Takeaways
- Asking is accepted practice. Dartmouth’s career center calls it “highly unethical and uncommon” for an offer to be rescinded because a candidate negotiated.
- Salary is one item among several. MIT rates a signing bonus, the start date and relocation costs as usually negotiable; the sources disagree on vacation and health insurance.
- Your number should come from public data: the posted range in states such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington, and federal wage data for your occupation, most recently for May 2025.
- The order matters: thank the employer and ask for time, get the offer in writing, make a specific request with a reason, and get the final terms in writing before you accept.
Should You Negotiate Your First Job Offer?
The four career offices quoted in this article treat a reasoned request as part of the process. Dartmouth’s Center for Career Design puts it this way: “Most employers have more flexibility than they care to admit, but not everything is negotiable.” It also calls rescinding an offer over a negotiation “highly unethical and uncommon.”
CareerOneStop, a career site sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, is more measured: “In many cases, the first offer has negotiating room.” It also says what a request should rest on: “the value you would bring, your skills and experience,” never your need for the job or the money.
Cornell’s Graduate School adds a caution worth keeping. “Don’t assume that you are expected to negotiate a higher salary,” its career guidance says. It is “not impolite or unprofessional to negotiate if you have legitimate reasons,” though.
What Happens When You Ask
Asking does not guarantee more. Pew Research Center’s write-up on its February 2023 survey shows what happened to workers who did ask. Of those, 28% got the pay they asked for, 38% got more than the first offer but less than their ask, and 35% kept the original offer.
Two limits apply. CareerOneStop notes that “In some sectors, salaries are firmly established,” though you can still ask whether an offer has any flexibility. And New York’s Department of Labor says to “only negotiate if you are seriously considering accepting the job.” MIT’s career office says the same.
What You Can Negotiate Besides Salary
MIT’s Career Advising & Professional Development sorts offer terms into three groups. The table uses MIT’s ratings for the items most relevant to a first job. It adds which other sources list each item as something you can ask for: Dartmouth’s and Cornell’s career offices, Career Services at UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences, and New York’s Department of Labor.
| Item | MIT's rating | Also listed as negotiable by |
|---|---|---|
| Salary | Usually negotiable | Dartmouth, UT Austin |
| Signing bonus | Usually negotiable | Cornell, Dartmouth, UT Austin |
| Start date | Usually negotiable | Dartmouth |
| Relocation costs | Usually negotiable | Dartmouth, UT Austin |
| Offer deadline | Usually negotiable | Cornell, Dartmouth |
| Remote work | Sometimes negotiable | Dartmouth, UT Austin, New York DOL |
| Work location | Sometimes negotiable | UT Austin |
| Vacation or paid time off | Usually non-negotiable | Dartmouth, UT Austin, New York DOL |
| Health insurance and retirement plan | Usually non-negotiable | New York DOL |
| Tuition support | Not on MIT's list | Dartmouth, UT Austin, New York DOL |
MIT puts vacation, health insurance and retirement plans in its “Usually non-negotiable” column, next to “Other benefits that apply to all employees.” New York’s Department of Labor takes the other side: “It’s easier to negotiate nonsalary benefits,” and its list includes paid time off, insurance and retirement plans. Dartmouth’s and UT Austin’s career offices also put vacation time on their lists of things to ask for.
Our reading is that MIT’s last row marks the dividing line. Terms set for every employee are the hardest to change for one hire. Terms that are yours alone, such as a bonus, a date or a moving cost, are easier to ask about.
How to Find a Market Range Before You Counter
A counteroffer needs a number you can defend. The New York Department of Labor’s guide warns against “arbitrary numbers” and says: “Know why you’re asking for a specific salary and be able to defend it.” Two public sources give you that number.
The Posted Range, in States That Require One
In several states, the employer’s own range has to appear in the job posting. Here is what four states require, taken from each state’s labor office or statute and read in October 2026. These four are examples, not a complete list.
| State | What a job posting must include | Which employers |
|---|---|---|
| California | The pay scale for the position | 15 or more employees |
| Colorado | Compensation, information about benefits, and how and when to apply | Any employer with at least one employee in Colorado |
| New York | A compensation range and a job description | Four or more employees |
| Washington | The wage scale or salary range, and a general description of benefits and other compensation | 15 or more employees |
California’s Labor Commissioner defines the pay scale as “a good faith estimate of the salary or hourly wage range that an employer reasonably expects to pay for a position upon hire.” An applicant there can also ask, since the employer must provide the pay scale “upon reasonable request.”
Colorado’s Division of Labor Standards and Statistics says a compliant range spans “the lowest to highest the employer actually believes it may offer for the specific job.” Under New York’s pay transparency law, the range is the salary or hourly pay “believed to be accurate at the time of posting.” Washington’s statute, RCW 49.58.110, allows a single figure where the employer offers “only a fixed wage amount for the opening.”
Where a range is posted, start there. UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences career office notes that “Companies have budgets for different levels of seniority, often without much wiggle room.” It sets your goal as reaching “a higher point in their set salary range.”
Federal Wage Data for Your Occupation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program produces wage estimates “annually for approximately 830 occupations.” They cover the nation, each state and metropolitan areas. The latest release is for May 2025. CareerOneStop’s Salary Finder looks up those May 2025 figures by occupation and location.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook shows what the data look like for one job. For accountants and auditors, it puts the median annual wage at $83,680 in May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $56,020, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $144,090.
Those figures describe all wage and salary workers in the occupation, and BLS notes that “More experienced workers tend to have higher wages.” Cornell’s Graduate School gives the first-job version: suggest a range “based on national salary surveys,” and “Be prepared to accept the low end of that range for your first job.”
Dartmouth’s career center suggests proposing a package “at the upper end of your acceptable range,” with that range based “on marketplace averages for your geographic location and qualifications.” The two pieces of advice fit together: ask toward the top of a range you can defend, and know the lowest figure you would accept before you counter.
How to Negotiate a Salary Offer, Step by Step
1. Thank the Employer and Ask for Time
New York’s guide is blunt: “Never accept an offer immediately.” It suggests thanking the employer and asking for time, “for example, 24 or 48 hours,” and adds that “Most employers expect you to take time to consider.” CareerOneStop says to request “at least 24 hours to decide.”
Dartmouth’s career center suggests asking for the employer’s “preferred date for a decision.” MIT’s career office says to “agree on a response date.” Either way, you leave that first conversation with a date you both know.
2. Get the Offer in Writing First
“Whether your offer is initial or final, make sure you get the offer in writing before you commit,” New York’s guide says. Cornell’s Graduate School says to “Ask for the offer in writing if not offered.” The written offer is what you negotiate from: the salary, title, start date and benefits as the employer states them.
3. Ask for a Specific Number, With a Reason
UT Austin’s career office says to “provide them with a specific number” when you ask for a higher salary. It also suggests making all your requests “at the same time,” ranked by importance, so the recruiter has options. Your reason should be about the job: the posted range, the wage data, or an internship or skill the role uses.
4. Call or Email
Career offices differ on the channel. MIT’s career office suggests calling the employer “to present your items to be negotiated.” UT Austin’s career office publishes email templates “to start the salary negotiation process.” Whichever you choose, keep the request short, specific and polite.
5. Get the Final Terms in Writing, Then Accept
Dartmouth’s career center says to “Get the final offer in writing to avoid any potential misunderstandings.” It suggests calling to accept, then confirming in writing with “the position title, start date, salary, and any additional negotiated items.” Cornell’s Graduate School also asks for a written acceptance, “highlighting the terms of your acceptance based on what was negotiated.”
A Counteroffer Email You Can Adapt
The email below is ours, written for this article; no school or agency publishes it. Replace every bracket, and keep the tone you have used with this employer so far.
Subject: [Job title] offer: a question about salary
Dear [Name],
Thank you again for the offer to join [Company] as [job title]. I’m excited about the role, especially [one specific part of the work].
Before I give you my answer by [the date you agreed], I’d like to ask about the base salary. Based on [the posted range, or a BLS wage figure for this role and area] and [the internship, project or skill the role uses], would you consider a base salary of [specific number]?
If the base salary is set, I’d also welcome a conversation about [a signing bonus, the start date or relocation costs].
Thank you,
[Your name]
Where ExceptionalGrad Fits
ExceptionalGrad’s Job Contract Negotiation service is built for this step. The page names the hard parts as “how to evaluate what fair market value for your position is, and what to ask for regarding salary and equity.” Our advisors “have years of experience helping applicants negotiate the terms of their contracts.” We advise; the conversation with your employer stays yours.
Before You Say Yes
Dartmouth’s career center states the timing plainly: “You are in the best position to negotiate before you accept a position.” So the useful work happens between the offer and your answer: the range, the number, the reason and the date. If you want an advisor to check all four before your deadline, get a free consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to negotiate a job offer?
Yes, though most workers skip it. MIT’s career office says most employers are prepared to negotiate, and Cornell’s Graduate School says a request with legitimate reasons is not unprofessional. Younger workers report the most discomfort: in Pew’s February 2023 survey, 46% of those ages 18 to 29 who didn’t ask said they weren’t comfortable asking.
Can you negotiate a job offer after verbally accepting it?
None of the sources here covers reopening an offer you have already accepted. The closest is Cornell’s Graduate School script for raising “minor issues” in the same breath as saying you would like to accept; it does not reopen salary. Dartmouth’s career office counts accepting an offer and rejecting it later as reneging.
Can you negotiate a job offer via email?
Yes. Put one specific number and your reason in it, and keep it “clear and formal,” as UT Austin’s College of Natural Sciences career office advises for these emails. Confirm any agreement in writing before you accept. Avoid text messages, which New York’s Department of Labor says are “viewed as disrespectful” in a negotiation.
What can you negotiate besides salary?
Start with a signing bonus. UT Austin’s career office says companies may be more willing to negotiate one than base salary when budgets are tight, and that it “won’t affect other things like yearly bonuses or future raises.” Dartmouth also lists the timing of compensation reviews, which decides when your pay can next rise.