5 Best Salary Negotiation Services (2024)

People are afraid of salary negotiations for various reasons, so they don’t ask for higher pay. According to a Fidelity study, only 42% of job seekers negotiate their salary, yet 9 out of 10 have success with it when they do.

Let's be clear: you should ALWAYS negotiate your salary; it's a no-lose situation, and the long-term financial benefits can be huge.

But, people don't do it because they don't know how to. That's why we've put together this guide, with advice from salary negotiation expert Alex and recommendations for the best services to use.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• About salary negotiation
  • Should you negotiate salary?
  • What is reasonable salary negotiation?
  • How do you strategically negotiate salary?
  • What should you NOT say in a salary negotiation?
  • Can you lose a job offer by negotiating salary?
  • How do salary negotiation services work?
• Best salary negotiation services
  • IGotAnOffer (Best overall)
  • The Salary Negotiator (Best for pay-on-results)
  • Salary.com (Best on a budget)
  • Fearless Salary Negotiation (Best for executives)
  • Levels.fyi (Best for tech)
• Salary negotiation resources

1. About salary negotiation ↑

Salary negotiation is a skill that can significantly impact your earning potential throughout your career. It's an opportunity to advocate for your value and secure fair compensation for your skills, experience, and the contributions you'll make to the company.

Benefits of salary negotiation:

• Higher Starting Salary: Successful negotiation can result in a substantially higher starting salary than the initial offer.
• Increased Earning Potential: A higher starting salary sets a stronger foundation for future salary increases and promotions.
• Sense of Control: Negotiating your salary empowers you and gives you a sense of control over your financial future.
• Fair Compensation: Negotiation ensures that you're compensated fairly for your skills and experience, preventing underpayment.

Still, people have reservations about negotiating their salaries. IGotAnOffer salary negotiation expert Alex, who co-wrote this guide with us, offers his insights and advice to these common salary negotiation questions below. 

Alex is a former Pathrise Salary Negotiation Consultant and has more than five years of experience helping hundreds of professionals land high-paying jobs and negotiate fair compensation collaboratively.

1.1 Should you negotiate salary? ↑

 Yes. 10 out of 10 times, you should negotiate your job offer.

 So, then why don't people negotiate?

 I've heard every excuse in the book:

• "I’m worried my offer will be rescinded.”
• “I’ll look greedy and ruin my relationships before starting.”
• “I don’t have any leverage.”

Although what you’re feeling is valid, allow me to shed some light on each of these points so hopefully I can change your mind.

“I’m worried my offer will be rescinded.” 

It is SO rare to get an offer rescinded.

First of all, the company has spent thousands of dollars to get to the point where they want to give you an offer.

They’ve dedicated a ton of time and resources to sourcing and interviewing the right candidate, and they’re giving you an offer because they believe you are the one.

Companies don’t take that lightly, and the last thing they want to do is start the process back from square one or go to their second choice.

Also, most companies expect you to negotiate and even leave room in the budget anticipating that. This is especially true at big corporations such as Google, Meta, Mckinsey, etc.

The first offer is never the best offer.

The only time I’ve seen offers rescinded is in the case where:

1. They felt like you would be a liability. a.k.a., you were disrespectful or raised a big red flag after receiving the offer.
2. There’s a culture problem at their company.

If they rescind an offer simply for negotiating, I promise you, you are dodging a bullet.

“I’ll look greedy and ruin my relationships before starting.”

Like I said, employers are expecting you to negotiate and even leave room in the budget for negotiations. The only way you would look greedy is by approaching them disrespectfully.

To avoid looking greedy, always reiterate your excitement for the role and why you’re interested before you make an ask.

Plus, you’ll want to approach it collaboratively by asking thoughtful questions and seeking to understand their perspective rather than demanding a certain number or giving ultimatums.

Also, I’ve personally found that negotiating salary often has the opposite effect of looking greedy.

The employer will have more respect for you if you’re negotiating, especially in roles where it’s important to sell your ideas internally to other stakeholders. They want to see you stand up for what you believe is right.

“I don’t have any leverage.”

Wrong! Even as a new graduate, you may not have as much leverage as someone 10 years into their career, but this doesn’t mean you have 0 leverage.

For anyone, regardless of the situation, they are hiring you for a reason. Find out that reason in the interview process and talk about it when you negotiate your offer.

You can get creative with the ways you create leverage, but you’ll want to think about it in these three ways:

• Positive leverage: what they gain by hiring you (your unique value)
• Negative leverage: what they lose by not hiring you (competing offers, other interviews)
• Normative leverage: objective criteria for negotiation (agree on a source of truth for your market research)

Simply put, if you don’t negotiate, you leave a lot of money on the table—now AND over the course of your career.

You see, salaries have a compounding effect.

For example:

David starts his career with an $80K salary, and over a 40-year career gets a 5% raise every year. Sally starts her career at $90K (because she negotiated for it) and gets the same 5% raise every year.

Result?

Sally ends up making $1.2 million MORE than what David makes over his 40-year career.

Don’t be David.

Negotiate that $10k more, and you won’t miss out on an extra $1.2 million when you retire.

1.2 What is a reasonable salary negotiation? ↑

“Reasonable” is dependent on your situation. I’ve heard the “rule of thumb” in salary negotiation is asking for 20%–30% higher than the initial offer, then settling somewhere around 10%–20% higher. 

BUT this is not universally applicable to every situation. For example, you shouldn’t ask for 30% higher if all the research you’ve done is telling you the offer is at the high end of the compensation range already.

A truly “reasonable” salary negotiation is one that is collaborative in nature and is rooted in the foundation of mutual understanding. 

You need to ask questions to understand their perspective and decision-making process, while they also need to understand your needs and the value you’re bringing to the company. 

From here, you can determine what is a reasonable ask after conducting your own market research into compensation ranges for your role, experience, location, industry, and company size:

• Role: What is your role and its responsibilities? This will impact compensation.
• Experience: What is your level of experience and expertise? This will affect your negotiating power. 
• Location: Where will you be assigned? Geographic locations and their standard cost of living also influence salary levels.
• Industry: Which industry is the company in? Salaries vary significantly across different industries. What is the compensation range for your role in other companies in the same industry? This will give you a realistic idea of the range to aim for.
• Company Size: How big is the company you’re applying to? Larger companies often have higher salary ranges.

1.3 How do you strategically negotiate salary? ↑

Do you engage in confrontation or collaboration?

Many people think of negotiation as a form of combat. Like this:

“I want something from you. You don’t want to give it to me. What leverage can I use against you to convince you to give it to me? ”

This is somewhat true, but mostly it’s backwards.

The salary negotiation process is, hopefully, the start of a productive relationship. It’s hard to start a productive relationship with a combative mindset.

Instead, think of the negotiation as a collaboration. They have a project they want to accomplish, and you’re helping them with it.

See yourself as working with the recruiter and/or hiring manager on this project.

What’s the project? They want to find the most attractive candidate to fill a role in the company and hire them.

That candidate just happens to be you.

From the company’s perspective, there are two parts to this project:

1. Finding the most attractive candidate
2. Hiring them

For finding the most attractive candidate, you're helping them see you as that candidate throughout the entire interview process. You’re also going to do a bit more of this during the negotiation when you recap the value you’re bringing.

For hiring the most attractive candidate, it is about creating an attractive compensation package for that candidate.

How? You help them with this by being a good negotiator, someone who is strong but pleasant to negotiate with—something that only comes when you think of the negotiation as a collaborative effort.

Here are some specific tips for strategic salary negotiation:

• Research thoroughly: Gather information on industry salary standards, company compensation practices, and the specific role you're applying for.
• Know your worth: Quantify your skills, experience, and achievements. Highlight the value you'll bring to the company.
• Prepare a salary range: Determine a salary range that you're comfortable with based on your research and self-assessment.
• Practice your pitch: Rehearse how you'll present your case and address potential objections.
• Be confident and assertive: Project confidence and professionalism throughout the negotiation process.
• Focus on value, not just on money: Emphasize the value you'll bring to the company, not just the salary amount.
• Be flexible: Show a willingness to compromise on other aspects of the offer if necessary.
• Consider non-monetary benefits: Explore other benefits that can enhance the overall compensation package, such as bonuses, stock options, or flexible work arrangements.
• Consider alternatives: If the negotiation doesn't go as planned, be prepared to discuss alternative compensation options like bonuses or stock options.

1.4 What should you NOT say in a salary negotiation? ↑

DON’T say or do the following during salary negotiations:

• Answer the “salary expectations” question from recruiters. Sharing a number puts you at a disadvantage. Turn the question around to them and ask what the budget is for the role.
• Treat your recruiter poorly. The recruiter is your friend in the negotiation process. Don’t give them a reason to turn against you. Make it collaborative instead. 
• Use email instead of phone/video calls to negotiate. Conveying tone over email is very difficult, and your message could be misinterpreted. Phone/video calls are much more personal since you get to hear/see each other speak, and they are much more effective.
• Speak negative comments about current or previous employers. Focus on the positive aspects of your career and avoid making negative remarks. 
• Reveal what you’re currently making before receiving the offer. You could pigeonhole yourself into the same or only a slightly higher salary when the real market rate for your role is worth a lot more. Shift the conversation to the market standard range.
• Say, "I need a raise."  This can create a negative impression and may not be relevant at the initial offer stage. Don’t even consider saying this.
• Answer with "Whatever you offer": This shows a lack of preparation and can weaken your negotiating position. After doing the research, prepare with your own counter-offer.
• Say, "I can't afford to live on that salary."  This shifts the focus away from your value and can make you seem desperate. Focus on the value you bring to the company.
• Say phrases that lack confidence. Don’t speak using “I believe...”, “I think...", or “I feel...” They’re unnecessary as they’re obvious, and they make you sound weak. Just say what you want to say without the filler words and use objective data. Instead of saying, “I think the market is paying between $X and $Y," say, “Market rates for this role are paying up to $Y with a median of $X.”
• Negotiate as soon as you get the offer. Give yourself some space to plan your counter offer with a mentor or coach and discuss it with family who will be affected.
• Give in to their ridiculous timelines. Deadlines are negotiable. You rarely NEED to answer someone within 24 hours. It’s just an urgency tactic they use to get you to sign quickly. Don’t limit yourself to the company’s deadline. Ask for an extension and give yourself time to prepare a counteroffer.
• Confrontational or aggressive words and manner. Don’t use words such as “take it or leave it” and “if you don’t like this, then I’m out,” and don’t laugh at their offers or show a condescending manner. Instead, approach it collaboratively and respectfully and say something along the lines of “What kind of flexibility do you have? ” and “What’s the best you can do without putting yourself in a bad position? ”showing concern for their side.
• Demand a salary or give an ultimatum. Instead, collaborate with them and approach it like you’re solving a problem together. Don’t use aggressive tactics, especially because you’ll be working with this person pretty soon.
• Giving TOO much justification. Keep your counteroffer pitch short and sweet. As my friend Mounica Veggalam says, "Justification is our self-doubt getting in the way."
• NOT negotiating your offer because of [insert lame excuse here]. ALWAYS negotiate your job offer. Companies leave room in the budget for negotiations, and they expect you to negotiate. You’re leaving money on the table if you don’t ask for more. 

Most importantly, the #1 thing NOT to do as soon as you get an offer: accept it.

Well, not right away. Not before you negotiate.

Listen, I know it's tempting. You just went through months of suffering with countless rejections and late nights preparing for interviews. But please, please, please DO NOT ACCEPT THE FIRST OFFER.

When the recruiter calls you with the offer, remember these 3 simple rules:

1. Express gratitude and appreciation for the offer.
2. Ask questions about the offer so you can understand it better (benefits, equity, performance bonuses, etc.).
3. Ask for more time to review with your family (then prepare your counter offer over the next 1-2 days and schedule a call to discuss).

1.5 Can you lose a job offer by negotiating salary? ↑

It is SO rare to get an offer rescinded.

First of all, the company has spent thousands of dollars to get to the point where they want to give you an offer.

They’ve dedicated a ton of time and resources to sourcing and interviewing the right candidate, and they’re giving you an offer because they believe you are the one.

Companies don’t take that lightly, and the last thing they want to do is start the process back from square one or go to their second choice.

Think about it—it’s a business. They want to minimize the costs of screening and hiring. Why would they rescind their offer?

Also, most companies expect you to negotiate and even leave room in the budget anticipating that.

Remember: the first offer is never the best offer.  

The only time I’ve seen offers rescinded is in the case where:

1. They felt like you would be a liability. a.k.a. you were disrespectful or raised a big red flag after receiving the offer.
2. There’s a culture problem at their company.

If they rescind an offer simply for negotiating, I promise you, you are dodging a bullet.

1.6 How do salary negotiation services work? ↑

Salary negotiation services typically work by providing candidates with expert guidance, advice, and support throughout the negotiation process. They may offer services such as:

• Market Research: Conducting research on industry salary standards and company compensation practices.
• Preparation: Helping candidates prepare for the negotiation by developing a strong case and practicing their pitch.
• Representation: Negotiating on behalf of the candidate or providing real-time advice during the negotiation.
• Post-Negotiation Support: Offering guidance on accepting or rejecting the offer and handling any follow-up negotiations.

There are many excellent salary negotiation services, and the model varies, but typically you either pay upfront per session or on a performance-based model where your fee depends on how much of an increase you achieved from the initial offer to the final offer.

Regardless of the service you sign up for, I’d recommend you find someone who is:

1. Knowledgeable about the company and/or specific role you have an offer with
2. Has expertise and/or experience helping people negotiate salaries

Book a salary negotiation coaching session with Alex

Ultimately, the best salary negotiation service for you will depend on your specific needs and budget. It's best to research and compare different services to find the one that best aligns with your goals. 

Good news: we’ve done this part for you in our list of the best salary negotiation services below.

2. Best salary negotiation services ↑

Here are our recommended best salary negotiation services for overall value, pay-on-results, budget services, executives, and tech.

We selected these best salary negotiation services based on the following criteria:

• Expertise: Deep knowledge and experience in salary negotiation
• Customization: Personalized guidance tailored to individual needs and circumstances
• Support: Ongoing support throughout the negotiation process
• Results: A proven track record of helping clients achieve higher salaries

#1 IGotAnOffer (Best overall) ↑

IGotAnOffer has more than 190 coaches who come from top companies such as Google, McKinsey, and Goldman Sachs. It has an average satisfaction rating of 4.96 from 16,540 candidates coached, for salary negotiations as well as for other career needs. Ten percent of its coaches specialize in salary negotiation.

IGotAnOffer’s salary negotiation coaches will be able to give you expert, highly relevant advice. All of these coaches have not only had firsthand experience of salary negotiation themselves, from both sides of the negotiating table, but they also have a track record of helping candidates achieve significant compensation raises.  

Coaching is customized over 1-hour video calls per session, with personalized guidance for your specific needs and situation. Before and after your sessions, you’ll continue to be in touch with your coach over email so you can ask any additional questions you may have.

After purchasing coaching hours, you can use them for salary negotiation coaching and any other services later (career coaching, leadership coaching, mentoring, etc.) since there is no expiration to the coaching hours purchased. You can also work with multiple coaches using the coaching hours bought.

Clients who have worked with IGotAnOffer’s salary negotiation coaches have significantly increased their salaries by up to $100K annually.

With IGotAnOffer’s 100% money-back guarantee, if you aren’t satisfied with any of your coaching sessions for any reason, you can simply inform them within 24 hours of the end of your session and you’ll be eligible for a refund.

Click on a coach’s profile and instantly see their hourly availability. Prices are clearly displayed before you book. 

#2 The Salary Negotiator (Best pay-on-results) ↑

The Salary Negotiator specializes in job offer negotiations on a pay-on-results basis. Its coaches have experience coaching career professionals in varied industries, companies, and roles. It has an average 4.8 rating on Trustpilot from 92 reviews.

The Salary Negotiator’s pricing is based on performance. This means you only pay if their coaching services help you achieve a higher-salaried job offer. If you do, you pay 7% of the additional compensation they helped you negotiate in the first year. 

However, you might end up paying a lot more than you would on IGotAnOffer. For example, if your additional compensation is $20K, you’ll need to pay The Salary Negotiator $1,400 for coaching fees. At IGotAnOffer, you only pay $149 per hour.  

If you prefer to learn on your own without a salary negotiation coach, they also offer 2.5-hour-long video courses with text, downloadable templates, and tools. The downside is that video courses are for a general audience in mind. 

When it comes to salary negotiation, getting personalized insights and guidance from a coach that’s customized to your specific needs and circumstances is invaluable.

#3 Salary.com (Best on a budget) ↑

Salary.com is a comprehensive and well-regarded resource for salary information and negotiation assistance. It is particularly suitable for those on a budget as it offers free and low-cost tools and services.

It has three main features for helping you with salary negotiation preparation.

Salary.com’s Salary Wizard allows you to research and compare salaries for specific job titles, locations, and experience levels. This helps you understand the market rate for your position.

Its Salary Negotiation Guide is a detailed guide on effective salary negotiation strategies, including tips on how to research, prepare, and conduct the negotiation process.

Its Salary Negotiation Services are paid services such as one-on-one coaching and custom salary reports to help you navigate the negotiation process more effectively.

Salary.com’s main advantages are that it has comprehensive salary data and research tools, free and low-cost options for salary negotiation assistance, and detailed guides and resources to help you prepare for negotiations. It’s also a credible and well-established brand in the salary and compensation space, with an average 4.4 rating from 654 reviews on G2.

However, some advanced services, such as one-on-one coaching, may be outside the budget for some users, and the free tools may require more time and effort in doing research compared to paid services

#4 Fearless Salary Negotiation (Best for executives) ↑

Fearless Salary Negotiation is specifically designed for high earners, or those already earning at least $400K annually. It was founded by Josh Doody, author of the Amazon bestseller Fearless Salary Negotiation: A step-by-step guide to getting paid what you’re worth.

An electrical engineer, business analyst, and project manager, Josh also coached software developers and other professionals in their salary negotiations. He later compiled all his experience and advice into the book, which has earned a 4.2 rating among Amazon readers and which launched him on his salary negotiation coaching career. 

To date, he’s able to help clients increase their salaries by 30%, at an average of $42,273. He’s able to get significant results for clients who work at Alphabet, Amazon, Amazon AWS, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Github. The case studies on his site show salary increases of as much as $160K.

Josh offers a full-service, one-on-one coaching package from strategy to first-year results and to salary negotiation completion. He charges from $3K to $6K for strategy and 10% on salary increment for first-year results, but these will be paid only on completion. 

He also offers the Fearless Salary Negotiation book bundle with worksheets and email templates, a Get Your Next Raise course, and a longer Salary Negotiation Mastery program.

#5 Levels.fyi (Best for tech) ↑

Levels.fyi is the go-to resource for tech and other professionals to find in-depth information about their current and next job. 

Started in 2017 as a side project to help professionals compare levels across different companies, it now has 1.5 million users every month. 

Levels.fyi aims to “help every professional with the highest integrity insights and services,"  which services include salary negotiation assistance, resume reviews, tools to understand compensation, and an online community.

Its salary negotiation service guarantees salary increases based on its experience in negotiating thousands of offers across all roles and levels. It comes in three packages: 

• Professional package for professionals in any role ($1250)
• Senior package for third-level IC up to staff level and People Manager roles up to mid-level ($2,450)
• Leadership package for principal-level IC and other executives ($5,000)

Level.fyi offers a payment plan to pay the full package price in 3 or 4 installments via Klarna. All you have to do is let them know, and they’ll assist you with the enrolment process. 

However, given IGotAnOffer’s $149/hour pricing where you decide and control your budget for similar full package services, you’ll end up spending a lot more here than you would on IGotAnOffer.

3. Salary negotiation resources ↑

We also recommend these resources below for your further salary negotiation preparation.

You can learn more from our Meta offer negotiation guide, which is useful for whichever company you’re negotiating with. Additionally, you can watch our 10 Rules of Salary Negotiation here.

Other salary negotiation resources:

• Ultimate Negotiation Guide (American Negotiation Institute)
• 15 Rules for Negotiating a Job Offer (Harvard Business Review)
• How to Negotiate Your Salary in the Age of Pay Transparency Laws (Harvard Business Review)
• O*net (Department of Labor-sponsored website that provides a comprehensive look at the skills required for specific jobs across all industries, plus median pay per job)
• H-1B Data (For foreign nationals working for U.S. employers)
• Payscale (Salary comparison website) 
• Glassdoor (Salary comparison website)

Get support from a professional salary negotiator

Our coaching team has run thousands of salary negotiations as recruiters and hiring managers. They negotiate daily and are therefore extremely comfortable with the process.

A negotiation done well should usually yield from $10K+ to $100K+ in increase depending on your role and level. So, spending $150 to $500 on getting help from a coach has a huge ROI of at least 10x.

Here’s what our coaching team can help you with:

• Finding the weaknesses in your initial offer
• Determining what a reasonable total compensation is for you
• Practicing mock negotiation over the phone or video call
• Giving you advice on specific situations we haven’t covered above

Click here to browse our team of salary negotiation coaches.