Salary Negotiation Quotes

“So you open your mouth and listen to yourself say, “I want eight thousand a day. Plus expenses.”

This is the polite, industry-standard way of saying “piss off, I’m not interested.” You did the math over your morning coffee: You want to earn 100K a year, what with those bonuses you’ve been pulling on top of your salary. (Besides, a euro doesn’t buy what it used to.) There are 250 working days in a year, and a contractor works for roughly 40 per cent of the time, so you need to charge yourself out at 2.5 times your payroll rate, or 1000 a day in order to meet your target. Not interested in the job? Pitch unrealistically high. You never know…

“Done,” says Mr. Pin-Stripe, staring at you expressionlessly. And it is at that point that you realize you are well and truly fucked.”
― Charles Stross, Halting State

“Asking for a better salary is not a crime.”
― Dax Bamania

“It is not illegal to negotiate effectively.”
― Dax Bamania

“If a prospective employer tells you your compensation is above their budget, it’s not your problem. Your above-average pay is a validation that you are an above-average performer. Don’t apologize for being the best talent. You have reached there with hard work and determination. Don’t undersell. Mediocre salaries will only get them mediocre talent.”
― Pavithra Urs

“Do not negotiate compensation based on needs, fairness, living conditions, inflation, or even cost of living. Instead, negotiate based on the revenue you generate.”
― Dr. Mansur Hasib

“Think about what you need in exchange for the added value you are offering your employers so that you can ask for what you need when the time comes.”
― Lauren Wesley Wilson, What Do You Need?: How Women of Color Can Take Ownership of Their Careers to Accelerate Their Path to Success