How to Negotiate Salary for Your Next Career Move

Posted by Nelson Bay Resume on 27 Dec 2025

Negotiating your salary is difficult to talk about, because it requires you to balance what you think you’re worth versus the amount an employer believes they can afford. If done properly it can result in an enjoyable experience for both parties, resulting in a higher salary for the employee as well as greater engagement of the employee in their job. Here’s how you can negotiate your salary with confidence.

The most important takeaways

  • Before you negotiate your salary, research market rates and industry standards to confirm that your salary request is realistic.
  • Find out information by the networking of colleagues, using online resources such as LinkedIn Salary and Glassdoor, and also reaching out to professional networks.
  • Make a list of talking points ahead time, including education and certificates in the form of years of relevant work experience, the results and achievements, unique skill set & abilities, industry expertise, and training opportunities.
  • During negotiations, be confident and articulate but also flexible and open. Show tangible results that you’ve had in your previous positions.
  • Keep a positive and upbeat tone throughout the conversation and practice active listening.

Do your research

Prior to entering any negotiations regarding salary, it’s essential to conduct a thorough study of the market and standards in the industry to make sure that your salary proposal is realistic. Factors that might impact this could include the level of experience, levels, the size of your company, and location (?). Another great method to gather information is to network with colleagues or others in your chosen profession.

Research Online

With the aid of online sources, like [LinkedIn SalaryWith the help of some online resources like [LinkedIn Salary (https: //www. linkedin. https://www.linkedin.com/salary) and [Glassdoor] (https: //www. glassdoor. com/Salaries/index. htm) you will get a an extensive view of the range of benchmarking salaries that companies offer for the exact job. This gives you an idea of current market rate plus few other facets of the position.

Your Network Is Important

Find out more about your situation by talking with colleagues who have been in similar positions, or contacting them via the professional networks and brainstorming with members of professional associations.

Create Talk points

Time spent preparing for any negotiations is always a good time spent. You’ll be much more confident in the presentation of your case if have a list of points to discuss in advance.

Here are some instances of things you could consider when negotiating your salary:

  • Certification and education
  • Years of relevant experience
  • Results and achievements
  • Unique set of skills and attributes (e.g. the ability to speak two languages)
  • Know-how in the field
  • Potential for training

The idea of keeping a notepad and/or notes handy could assist during conversations to ensure it is not lost crucial points.

Be confident & concise

In a salary negotiation, it’s important to be confident and clear. Talk clearly about your work experience, achievements and job expectations. It is important to keep a positive attitude throughout this conversation to ensure that your employer feels like you’re not coming across as insecure.

Highlight the tangible results

Simply stating one is committed, hardworking, and aspire-driven person may not be enough to make an impactful appeal. Therefore, provide clear data on how previous roles made an impact in the workplace or how important are certain abilities that help an organisation.

Stay flexible

If the employer isn’t able to agree to your salary request or compensation arrangement being flexible and open can allow room for dialog. You can inquire about alternative rewards, like performance-based bonus structures instead of the Base salary(? ).

Make sure to remain professional throughout the negotiation - regardless of how smoothly or poorly it’s going: Being too aggressive or making unreasonable demands could cause a negative result for everyone that is.

Practice active listening

Listening is just as important as communicating during these types of conversations. Do listen actively from another party while you negotiate, listening to the specific requests and resolving questions if needed, but gently sticking with what you originally requested. Ultimately both parties should arrive at acceptable outcomes.

Learn from these discussions and incorporate it into the next negotiations you’ll likely take part in. Applying the advice above goes a long way towards maximizing your chances of reaching positive outcomes that are mutually beneficial.

Your network is important Talk to your friends who have held similar roles or reach out via professionally-oriented networks in addition to brainstorming members of professional associations.
Plan talking points Education & certification, Years of relevant experience and accomplishments, Unique skill set and qualities (e.g. multilingualism) Knowledge of the industry, Training potential
Be confident & concise Talk clearly about your personal experiences your accomplishments and expectations for the job. Focus on tangible results.
Stay flexible You can inquire about alternative incentives such as incentive structures based on performance rather than Base salary. (?). Keep your professional conduct throughout the negotiation process.
Practice active listening Listening is just as important as speaking during these kinds of conversations. Learn from these conversations and apply it to future negotiations you’ll likely take part in.


Are you looking forward to your next career move? Explore our Nelson Bay Resume ‘s services today!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is salary negotiation?

It is the act of negotiating and deciding on the compensation package to be paid for your job. In this negotiation you are able to discuss more than only the base salary, but also additional benefits such as retirement plans, health insurance, and more.

Why is it important to discuss salary?

Negotiating your salary will give you a better financial future and also show that you know your worth. It will also allow you to not leave money on the table.

What is the best time to negotiate a salary?

It’s best to begin negotiating after receiving an offer so that all parties are informed of what’s being negotiated. In this way, negotiations are focused on securing the best terms, while avoiding any unpleasant surprises.

What happens if I am satisfied with the offered package without any negotiation?

If you accept an offer and you are satisfied with it, there’s no reason to bargain. However, it’s still essential to communicate clearly what the employers are willing to offer regarding things such as the performance-based bonus or career-training reimbursements.

Do I have the option of negotiating my salary when changing career paths entirely?

Negotiating salary when you change careers may require more preparation due to the fact that your previous experiences may not be directly applicable or relate to the new duties. Study what similar positions in similar fields offer to have a clear knowledge of the realistic expectations you can set for you, considering the specific circumstances.

Are you looking forward to your next career shift? Go through our Nelson Bay Resume ‘s services today!

Positive: Professionalism, Quality, Responsiveness, Value Tanja was excellent, I cannot recommend her enough. These guys are the best in the business.
Sheetal Narayan
I had Tanja write my personalised cover letter and resume, I cannot fault their quality and I'm hugely impressed it was worth every dollar. I'm just trying to make a career change and I feel this resume and cover letter were the missing link between me getting an interview or missing out. So well done to the team at Nelson Bay resumes and a personal shout out to Tanja.
Blake Karafilis
Cannot speak highly enough about my new resume and cover letter. Tanja has done an amazing job. I haven’t needed a resume for 26 years as I’ve been with the same employer but due to the current situation with COVID-19 I’m out there having to get back into the game. The advantage of Tanja writing my resume is that she has a background in HR and understands what looks good and the importance of making an impact with key words. Tanja also helped me apply for a job with that required specific targeted responses. Many thanks great work and an effortless and seamless process.
Troyboiz S
Great job from Tanja. After looking over my new resume it looks so good I want to hire myself.
Mike Zentner
Very professionally written. Should have done this earlier. Recommended
Mark Gebbie
Incredibly satisfied with my experience using Nelson Bay Resume. Very little effort needed from myself, everything was taken care of by Tanja, who was very responsive and helpful. The resume and cover letter was very professional and detailed, I ended up getting a job offer within 2 weeks of using this resume.
Kimel Pillay
Thank you for the professional resume and the friendly service.
Danilo Spasojevic
I found the service very professional and my new resume and cover letter are great. The team was very helpful and responsive to all of the questions i had.
Jodie Morris
I was amazed how quickly and efficiently my request was making progress during COVID lockdown. First I made a contact in the chat where we had a short conversation. Then Tanja and Gemma from Nelson Bay Resume contacted me over the phone where we discussed the particulars. I am good in my specialty, but writing resumes is not my strongest skill. As a result I got the resume and the cover letter reworked really well. I believe my chances of getting a good job got way better now than before.
Kateryna D
Fantastic people to deal with, fast efficient service. Tanja updated my very outdated resume and cover letter. Outstanding work! Thank you so much!
Dean Wale
Expert Tips for Negotiating Your Salary

Resume

We provide professional resume writing services.

Expert Tips for Negotiating Your Salary

Cover Letter

We provide professional cover letter writing services.

Expert Tips for Negotiating Your Salary

LinkedIn Profile

We provide professional linkedin profile writing services.

Expert Tips for Negotiating Your Salary

Contact Us

Click the button below to get in touch.

About Us &

What We Do

We offer expert resume writing services and our very experienced resume writers will make sure that your new resume sticks out among the crowd.

We are a team of highly qualified and experienced Recruiters, consultants and HR Professionals who are dedicated to delivering an excellent, well-written resume or cover letter.

We pride ourselves on our extensive knowledge of best-practice hiring methodologies and Australian recruitment standards. Also, our expertise in a wide variety of industries and professions means that we can create a high-quality, powerful resume that suits your specific needs.

Our end goal is to provide you with an impressive, striking resume that is perfectly maximised for success in the competitive Nelson Bay job market.

We offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all of our services, so you can be sure that you will be fully satisfied with your brand new resume or cover letter.

100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
Make an Enquiry

Request a Quote

Fill out the form below to get in touch or call us today on
1300 202 475