Tips for negotiating your salary (from an ex-FAANG recruiter)

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🔖c h a p t e r s 🔖
00:00​​ - Intro
2:05​ - "What are your salary expectations?"
4:05 - Don't give them your number
5:29 - When to start talking numbers
7:05 - Do your research
8:37 - What's the best format for this conversation?
11:44 - Final Thoughts

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🌸a b o u t 🌸
Mayuko Inoue is a content creator and Software Engineer. After working in Silicon Valley tech companies like Intuit, Patreon, and Netflix for six years as an iOS Engineer, she became a full-time creator in 2020. Her work aims to help people find their way through the tech industry by sharing her own experiences navigating this world through technology, career advice, and lifestyle videos. She is passionate about discussions around mental health, cultural identity, and creating technology with empathy and compassion.

✉️c o n t a c t ✉️

This video was sponsored by Skillshare.

[hellomayuko]

And stay tuned for future Muko's Corner livestreams, happening right here on my channel!

[GuRuGeorge]

Something that I have experienced myself is that when u give a range, they will always offer u exactly the bottom of the range. So what I started doing is giving a range where the lowest number is a number that I would be really happy with. That way they think they make a bargain for signing me at the bottom of the range, but in reality that is already my dream salary.

[alankhoo]

2:32 Do not give the number
4:42 compensation range
6:13 Start talking numbers
8:50 Using email to negotiate
Just time stamps for personal

[teohyc]

The only reason why recruiters ask for your expected salary is so that they can save money. Companies know exactly how much budget they have for hiring. If you quote a number lower than the company, the company saves money. If you quote higher, company negotiates down. Company wins either way, but you don't win if you give them your expected salary.

[bannoxxx]

Hi Mayuko, I just wanted to say thank you for making this video. It's very helpful!! I had an interview today and they offered me the job. I managed to negotiate a better salary and I honestly wouldn't have been able to or felt confident enough to do so if I hadn't have watched your video yesterday.

[Justin-cnqu]

Points:
Call 1: Hey I haven't given it enough thought to make a decision. Can I take time to figure it out?
Call 2: What's the compensation structure? Could you just share the number with me first?
Culture, Compensation philosophy, what they want out of the role, what is bonus structure, any other bonuses, Perks and benefits.
If they don't have bonuses, talk about inflation and use that as leverage against them.
Use email instead of phone conversations.

[InsideCorporatePlaybook]

If you don't want to lose potentially tens of thousands of dollars, just take time to process the compensation package and don't give a range when u talk to the recruiter. Imply you are open to offers and see what they put in writing. Cool tips from Sarah. I agree with her.

[cbingu]

Thank you, Mayuko & Sarah for sharing this valuable info. After 15 years in the tech industry, i still don't know how to negotiate my salary properly and i just cleared the final interview on a new job. Will use these techniques to negotiate my compensation package.

[ashleypean]

Got this video notification 10 mins after I got my first paid internship offer! Thanks for providing access to this info. You've helped me a lot in my engineering journey

[maestroadam]

It’s smart to ask about the structure as a way of deflecting the hard number expectation. Ask about commission, bonus, long term or short term incentive, overtime, etc.

[GeorgiATVBulgaria]

This is good advice assuming one of the sides always gives in. You are pushing it so much without any employer holding position. I have been in interviews that go like this (E - employer, C - Candidate) simplified a bit:
E - what is your salary expectation?
C - what do you propose?
E - we are not at liberty to discuss our salary ranges as this is company policy.
E - so what is it that you expect in order to see if we can accommodate it.

From one point employer does not want to disclose salaries, and tries to hold onto that for a number of valid reasons. On the other side is the candidate that shouldn't give in as well. So what I mean is, while this is a good way to negotiate it doesn't hit the walls that most often people experience. How do you tackle something like that?

[garrettchun]

This was the most worthwhile 12 minutes ever!! Love the book and movie analogy – I'd always heard that it was best to do these conversations over phone or in person but I'm much more comfortable collecting my thoughts and then communicating clearly over email :D

[erich]

I know the conversation is revolving around tech and in the bay area but wow...those theoretical numbers sound so insane to an outsider.
"Lets say you asked for 230k, but they were actually going to offer you 300k." I literally cant imagine a salary that high.

[YourAverageTechBro]

Wow, this is awesome content! Love the subtlety of how you respond when a recruiter gives you a certain pay range. I’ve definitely jumped the gun and said “yeah that sounds great” and got severely undervalued before, but you live and you learn 🙃

[cathy]

I like the suggestion of flipping the question back and asking for a range that they're willing to pay or have budget for. But in a lot of interviews I have been through especially for a career transition into something different (i.e. finance to creative), they need to know your range to see if it's worth everyone's time continuing with the interview. I'd say do your research and consider their range, know the number that you want to be paid, and give them a range with that number at the bottom. Ex: if they state that the role pays approx $50-55k you can state your range as $65-$70k but open to negotiation if you really want the job and it is a stepping stone to a job you want.

[diarui]

thank you so much for sharing this!!! I'm currently in the job hunting process and just made the mistake of giving away my lowest expectation, which ended up being the number of the offer... now I'm feeling much prepared for this

[nnmartin]

My last interview where I got the job
"Hey we like you, we don't have much money right now will you take 75k?"
"I was hoping more for 100k range actually"
"Absolute best we can swing is 90k, at a stretch"
"I will take 90k"

Done.

[alexp]

Being a hiring director (in UK) and knowing lots of hiring managers and directors in FANG and big corporate here are my 5 cents: we are not looking to pay you less than people who already work for us with similar skill set (thats unethical and borderline illegal), we are not going to pay you more (or less) than our band for the role you are applying. What this means is: (1) our recruiters will be happy to give you a band for the role or ask for your expectations (2) based on the interview you might get offer for more or less money depending on what sub-band we think you land on. It doesn't really matter that much what you initially asked for. Note: that this applies to giant companies who care about their reputation.

[joshlyman]

I've definitely had a different experience in some of my research. I've heard from recruiters directly that they don't like working with potential hires who won't at least give a range of expected salary for the role. They don't want to put in all the interview effort and then be miles apart from what you expected in the end.

[jhanlec]

There is a lot of amazing info here, thanks for sharing it! I am a mid-40s biotech professional in the Bay Area and even after 10+ years in biotech I still have no clue if I have sold myself short and after seeing this, I am certain I have. Next time I look for a new role I will have to print out these suggestions in huge bold font and plaster them around my home-office.