career
Salary negotiation preparation checklist: questions, research, and priorities
A careful offer-conversation preparation guide and owned worksheet for organizing facts, questions, and priorities before you respond.
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Quick facts
- Best for
- Job seekers reviewing an offer or preparing a compensation conversation
- Format
- Web guide and Markdown worksheet
- Start with
- The written offer and questions you can verify
- Not included
- Legal, tax, financial, or individualized compensation advice
How to use this resource
- List offer details exactly as written, including timing and items you need clarified.
- Separate research notes from personal priorities and assumptions.
- Choose a small number of questions or requests you can explain professionally.
- Practice a short, respectful conversation and leave room for the employer's response and timeline.
Preparation is not a promise of a change
A preparation worksheet can help you understand an offer and articulate your questions. It cannot tell you what an employer will change, whether a request will be accepted, or what decision is right for every person.
UC Berkeley Career Engagement advises researching relevant compensation context and preparing what you want to say. This page adds a way to keep offer facts, research notes, and personal priorities separate so a conversation does not depend on vague memory.
Keep different kinds of information separate
| Category | Example |
|---|---|
| Written offer detail | A term stated in the offer letter or official follow-up. |
| Research note | A current source and its context, such as role, location, or experience level. |
| Question | A request for clarification about a term, timing, or process. |
| Personal priority | What matters to your decision without presenting it as an employer obligation. |
Requirements and limitations
- Read the written offer and the employer's stated response process before assuming what is negotiable.
- Use current, relevant sources for any market research and distinguish facts from preferences.
- Seek qualified advice for legal, tax, immigration, or complex financial questions.
Source, licensing, and verification
Source: UC Berkeley Career Engagement
Use terms: UC Berkeley source terms apply to the linked source. FreeFindsHub's original worksheet is released under CC0 1.0 Universal and is provided as-is without warranty.
Ready to continue?
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