How to Answer: “How do you negotiate a job offer?”
A complete guide to answering this common interview question — including what interviewers are really looking for, practical tips, and a worked example answer.
What interviewers are really asking
Show confidence and preparation. Demonstrate that negotiation is normal and professional — not aggressive. Describe your approach to anchoring, justifying your ask, and negotiating the full package not just base salary. Give specific language you use.
Tips
- Always negotiate — most offers have room and employers expect it.
- Justify your ask with market data, not personal need.
- Negotiate the full package: salary, equity, bonus, development budget.
- Give a specific number or range — vague answers get low offers.
- Know your walk-away point before you start.
Example answer
Sample response
“I treat negotiation as a professional conversation, not a confrontation. When I received my last offer I said: 'I'm genuinely excited about this role and I'd like to make this work. Based on market data for this level in London and my experience with X and Y, I was expecting something closer to £85k. Is there flexibility there?' Then I stopped talking. They came back with £82k and an extra five days' holiday. I accepted. The key is to anchor on market data rather than what you need, be specific, and ask then be quiet. Silence is your friend in negotiation.”
Adapt this to your own experience — never use any example answer verbatim.
Use the STAR method
Structure your answer as: Situation (brief context), Task (your specific responsibility), Action (what you personally did), Result (the quantified outcome). Most strong interview answers follow this pattern.
Full STAR method guide