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Salary Negotiation Scripts for Engineers: 7 Emails and Calls

The offer call lasts about fifteen minutes and sets your pay for the next two to four years. Measured by the hour, it is the best paid work you will do all year, and most engineers walk into it with no plan beyond "see what they say," against a recruiter who has this conversation every week.

Salary negotiation scripts fix the part of that imbalance you can fix in an evening. The words are not magic; having the sentence ready means you do not fill the silence with a concession. Below are seven scripts, as emails and call lines, each with what the recruiter will say next and what not to say. The fundamentals are in the tech salary negotiation playbook; this post assumes you have read it and goes straight to wording.

Before any script

Four things to have in hand.

  • Know the components. Base, annual bonus target, equity and its vesting schedule, sign-on, and level. At most large companies the level sets the band for everything else, so the level conversation comes first. To value a stock grant, read RSUs and equity explained.
  • Know your number. Two numbers: the total compensation you would sign for today without a second thought, and the one below which you walk. Write both down before the call; numbers decided during a call are always lower.
  • Know who you are talking to. The recruiter is not the decision maker and not your adversary. They carry your ask to an approver, so everything you say should be repeatable in that room: a specific number, a reason, and a signal that you will sign.
  • Everything ends in writing. Verbal agreements are starting points; each script moves toward a written version, and the last one closes it there.

If you hold more than one offer or expect to, handling competing offers covers the timing problem these scripts assume you have solved. Bracketed text is yours to fill in; say the call lines in your own words once you know the shape.

Script 1. Declining to give a number before the offer

When to use it. Any point before a written offer when you are asked for your expectations or your current salary. Giving a number first sets your ceiling; keep the conversation on fit until they have decided they want you.

On a call.

  1. "I'd rather not anchor on a number before I understand the role and the level. Can you tell me the band for this position?"
  2. If they share a band: "Thanks, that's helpful. That's in line with what I'd expect, and I'm happy to keep going." Do not say where in the range you sit.
  3. If they push: "I'm evaluating a few opportunities on total compensation, not base alone. Once I know the level you'd bring me in at, I can give you a useful answer."
  4. If they ask for your current salary: "I'd prefer to focus on what this role is worth. I'm confident we'll agree on compensation if the fit is right."

By email.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for the note. I'd rather not fix on a number before I understand the role and the level you have in mind; I've found that leads to better conversations on both sides. If you can share the band for the position, I'm happy to confirm whether we're in the same territory.

[Your name]

What they will say next. Most recruiters accept the deflection on the first or second try, and many share the band; in several jurisdictions it is already in the job ad. If a number is required to proceed, give a range whose bottom is your sign-today number, as total compensation.

What not to say. Your current salary, in any form. A number "just to give you an idea." "I'm flexible," which translates to "lower is fine."

Script 2. Asking for the full written breakdown and the level

When to use it. The moment a verbal offer lands. The instinct is to react; the move is to thank them, ask for it in writing, and set a date to respond. On the call, one line is enough: "Thank you, I'm really pleased to get this. I'd like to see the full breakdown in writing before I react to any one number." Then send this.

By email.

Hi [Name],

Thank you for the call today and the offer. Before I respond to the numbers, could you send the complete package in writing: the level, base salary, annual bonus target, the equity grant (units or value, and the vesting schedule), and any sign-on bonus?

I'll review it and come back with everything at once by [day].

Thanks again, [Your name]

What they will say next. They send it, usually within a day or two. Check it against what was said on the call; the two sometimes differ. If the level is not stated, ask for it; it is the most important field.

What not to say. "That sounds great." Anything that reads as a yes before you have seen the equity and the level.

Script 3. Countering by email with one anchored ask

When to use it. You have the written offer, you have done the arithmetic, and you know your number. One email, one ask, anchored to a reason the recruiter can repeat.

By email.

Hi [Name],

Thanks for sending the full package. I want to say first that the role and the team are exactly what I'm looking for; this is the offer I want to make work.

On compensation: based on [the market for this level / what I'm seeing elsewhere in my search / the scope of the role as described], I was expecting total compensation closer to [X]. The gap is mainly in [base / the equity grant]. If we can get to [X], I'm ready to sign this week.

Best, [Your name]

The shape matters more than the wording: enthusiasm, one total number, the component the gap sits in, and a commitment to sign. The recruiter can forward it as it stands.

What they will say next. Yes (rare; go to script 7), a partial move with "this is the best we can do", or a question about where your number comes from. Have the third answer ready before you send.

What not to say. A list of asks. "I was hoping for a bit more." Anything about rent or cost of living; the approver does not price those.

Script 4. Countering on a call when they push for an answer now

When to use it. The recruiter calls after your email, or calls with the offer and wants a decision on the line. Pressure to decide now is normal and not a threat; it is the recruiter's own deadline leaking.

On a call.

  1. "I appreciate the quick turnaround. I won't decide on this call, but I can tell you exactly what gets me to yes."
  2. "At [X] total, I sign. The gap from the current offer is [the difference], mostly in [component]."
  3. If they need an answer today: "Then it has to be on the offer as it stands, and I'd rather give you a considered yes on a better one than a rushed no on this one. Can you take [X] to your team and come back tomorrow?"
  4. If they offer a partial move live: "Thank you, that's a real step. Can you send that in writing? I'll confirm by [day]." A live partial usually has room left.
  5. Close with: "So you send me the revised numbers and I come back by [day]. Is that right?"

What they will say next. Usually they take the number away. A recruiter who says "I can't go back to them again" on the first counter can almost always go back once; one who says it on the third round means it.

What not to say. "Okay" to anything on the call. A number different from your email; a moving ask tells them it was never firm. If they go quiet, let them.

Script 5. Using a competing offer honestly

When to use it. You have a second written offer, or a final stage elsewhere with a date. The strongest card there is, and it only works if every word is true: recruiters ask for specifics and sometimes verify timing, and a caught bluff ends the negotiation.

By email, with an offer in hand.

Hi [Name],

I want to be straightforward with you because I'd rather work at [Company]. I have a written offer from another company at [Y total compensation, or the relevant component], and I've been asked to respond by [date].

I'm not asking you to match it line for line; the roles are different. But the gap is wide enough that I can't ignore it. If you can bring the package to [X], I'll sign and decline the other the same day.

Best, [Your name]

If they ask to see the letter: "I can tell you the components and the deadline, but I won't forward the document, as I wouldn't forward yours."

When you do not have one. Do not invent one, and do not imply one. Use the market instead, and say so.

I don't have another offer to point at, so I'll be direct about how I got to my number. For this level at companies of similar size and stage, the total compensation I'm seeing is around [X], and the scope you've described sits at the upper end of that. I'd like to get to [X]; if we can, I'm ready to sign.

Weaker than a competing offer, and the recruiter knows it; still far stronger than no reason, and it survives any follow-up.

What they will say next. With a real competing offer: a request for details, then usually a meaningful move. With the market version: often "where is that data from," so be ready to name the kind of source, then a smaller move.

What not to say. A competing offer you do not have, or its number rounded up. "They're offering a lot more" without a figure; vagueness here reads as a bluff even when it is not.

Script 6. Moving to equity or sign-on when base is capped

When to use it. The recruiter says "that's the top of the band for this level," and you believe them. Base is often genuinely capped; equity and sign-on are usually approved through a different channel, and a one-off sign-on is the easiest lever. If you think the level itself is wrong, raise that first; a level change moves every band.

By email.

Hi [Name],

Understood on base, and thanks for being clear about the band. I'd like to look at the other components to close the gap.

Two options that would get me to yes: an additional [Z] in the equity grant, or a sign-on bonus of [Z] with a compensation review at six months written into the offer. Either works for me; whichever is easier on your side.

If we can do one of those, I'll sign on receipt of the revised letter.

Best, [Your name]

What they will say next. Sign-on is where recruiters most often say yes quickly; equity moves are slower and sometimes need a second approver. An early review counts only in writing.

What not to say. "Fine, base is fine then." The cap is not the end of the conversation; it is the start of a different one.

Script 7. Accepting and closing with the terms confirmed in writing

When to use it. You have the number, or the offer as it stands is the one. Close cleanly, confirm every term in writing, and stop negotiating. The email pins down what causes problems later: start date, exact equity figure, any promised review.

By email.

Hi [Name],

Thank you for working through this with me. I'm pleased to accept the offer for [role title] at [level], and I'm looking forward to joining.

To make sure I have the final terms right: base salary of [X], annual bonus target of [percent], an equity grant of [units or value] vesting over [schedule], a sign-on bonus of [Z], and a start date of [date]. [If applicable: and a compensation review at six months, as discussed.]

Please send the updated letter reflecting these and I'll sign on receipt. If anything above doesn't match your records, let me know before it goes out.

Best, [Your name]

What they will say next. Relief, then the letter. Read it against your email line by line; a mismatch at this stage is almost always clerical, easy to fix before you sign and hard afterwards.

What not to say. Anything that reopens the negotiation. After a yes, a new ask costs more goodwill than it is worth.

Timing and tone

How long to take. Ask for the written offer, then two to five working days. Longer than a week needs a reason; "I'm waiting on another company" is a fine one if true. Respond to each round within a day; silence past that reads as disinterest or a bluff.

How many rounds. Two is typical: your counter, their move, your close. Three if a competing offer arrives mid-conversation or the level changes. Four or more is nibbling, and it spends goodwill you will need on your first day.

When to stop. When they have moved and called it final in writing, and the offer is above your walk-away number. When you notice you are negotiating to win rather than for a number you need. Stop, accept, be gracious; the recruiter remembers.

Tone throughout. Warm, specific, unhurried. Every script above is built to be forwarded without embarrassment to the person approving your pay; read yours back with that in mind before you send it.

Where coaching fits

Scripts give you the words; the call is where you find out whether you can say them with a real person pushing back. The free practice interview on techinterview.coach has a salary negotiation round: an AI plays the recruiter on a voice call, pushes for a number, counters your counter, and afterwards you get a written recap of what you held, what you gave away and what to drill. It is free and needs a LinkedIn sign-in. Run it twice, once with your sign-today number and once with your walk-away number, and notice where your voice changes.

A human negotiation coach is worth the money when the offer is large, when you are negotiating level rather than pay, or when a competing offer has made it a sequence you have never run. One session against your real numbers costs a small fraction of a single band step. Browse negotiation coaches and read for offer-side experience: coaches who have sat on the approving side.

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