You got the offer. $185K base, $40K sign-on, equity you haven't modeled yet. The recruiter wants an answer by Friday. You know you should negotiate — every engineer forum tells you so — but the moment you open the reply draft, the words won't come.
This post is the words. Line by line, scenario by scenario. Copy them, change the numbers, hit send.
Rule zero: never negotiate against yourself
Before any script works, internalize one thing: the recruiter is trained to get a number out of you first. If you say a number first, you've capped yourself. Every script below is built around that principle.
If a recruiter opens with "What are you looking for compensation-wise?" — you deflect. You do not answer. Not in the first call, not in the follow-up email, not when they rephrase it a third way.
For the full deflection playbook, see our guide on how to answer salary expectations. The scripts below assume you've gotten past that stage and have an actual offer on the table.
Script 1: The recruiter screen (before any offer exists)
Recruiter: "To make sure we're aligned, what's your target base salary?"
You:
"I'd rather hold off on a specific number until I understand the role and level better. Right now I'm interviewing at a few places and seeing bases from the mid-$100s up through the low $200s depending on scope. If you can share the band for this level, I can tell you whether it's in range."
Three things this does:
- Signals you have other options without naming them.
- Flips the question back without being combative.
- Forces them to anchor first.
If they refuse to share a band, keep deflecting:
"I understand. In that case, let me get through the loop, see the full scope, and we can revisit comp once there's a concrete offer to discuss."
Script 2: Reacting to the verbal offer
The recruiter calls. They're excited. They name a number. Here's the critical move — do not react, do not accept, do not even sound pleased.
Recruiter: "We'd like to offer you $185,000 base, $40K sign-on, and 200 RSUs vesting over four years. We think this is really competitive."
You:
"Thank you — I appreciate you putting this together, and I'm genuinely excited about the team. I want to give this the thought it deserves rather than respond off the cuff. Can you email the full breakdown, and I'll come back to you within a couple of days with questions?"
That's it. Do not counter on the phone. You need the written offer, the equity details, the vesting cliff, the refresh policy — all of it — before you can counter intelligently.
Script 3: The written counter
This is the one most engineers get wrong. They either lowball themselves ("would $195K be possible?") or they fire off a wish-list with no justification.
Here's the template:
Hi [Recruiter],
Thanks again for sending over the offer. I've had a chance to review it alongside what I'm seeing in the market and from other conversations, and I wanted to come back with a counter.
I'm very interested in joining [Company] — the work on [specific project/team] is exactly what I'm looking for, and the conversations with [hiring manager] made it clear this is the right team.
To make this work, I'd need to see the following:
- Base salary: $215,000 (vs. $185,000 offered)
- Sign-on bonus: $60,000 (vs. $40,000 offered)
- Equity: 260 RSUs over four years (vs. 200 offered)
The base adjustment reflects what I'm seeing for [level] engineers with [specific skill — distributed systems, ML infra, whatever's actually true] in [location/remote]. The sign-on helps bridge the unvested equity I'd be leaving behind at my current role. The equity ask brings the four-year total closer to the range I've seen for comparable offers.
I'd love to get to yes on this. Happy to jump on a call if easier.
[Your name]
Why this works:
- Justified, not demanded. Every ask ties to something real.
- Three levers, not one. If they can't move base, they can move sign-on or equity.
- "Get to yes." You've told them a path exists. They'll work to find it.
Need to pin down what to ask for? Our salary negotiation email template has a longer version with more variants.
Script 4: When they say "the base is fixed"
Common move. Don't fold.
Recruiter: "Unfortunately base is pretty firm at this level — we have internal bands we have to stay within."
You:
"That's helpful to know. If base is capped, where's the flexibility? I'd want to understand whether we can get the total comp closer to my ask through sign-on, equity, or a performance bonus structure. The level question is also worth revisiting — if the band doesn't fit the scope we discussed, is there a path to leveling up the offer?"
Two openings here. One: non-base levers. Two: the leveling conversation. The "fixed band" line is usually true for that level — moving up a level unlocks a new band.
Script 5: The silent close
After you've countered, shut up. The hardest script is no script at all.
Engineers lose money in the pause after their counter. The recruiter says "let me take this back to the hiring committee" and the engineer, nervous, adds "of course, I'm flexible, I just wanted to put it out there…" — and just like that, the counter has been softened before anyone even considered it.
Do not do this. Say:
"Thanks — take the time you need. I'll wait to hear back."
Then wait. 24 hours. 72 hours. Whatever it takes.
Script 6: The exploding offer
Recruiter: "We need an answer by end of day Friday."
You:
"I understand you're trying to close this out, and I want to move quickly too. I have one other process wrapping up next week — I'd want to make this decision with full information rather than rushed. Can we agree on [date 7–10 days out]? I'm committed to giving you a clear yes or no then."
Almost every deadline is softer than it sounds. Push once, politely, with a reason. They'll usually move it.
Script 7: Accepting (yes, this needs a script too)
When you've landed where you want:
Hi [Recruiter],
Thanks for working through this with me. The updated offer — $210K base, $55K sign-on, 250 RSUs — works for me, and I'm ready to accept pending the written offer letter.
Could you send over the formal paperwork, and let me know what onboarding looks like from here?
Looking forward to joining the team.
Get it in writing before you tell your current employer anything. Verbal offers unwind. Signed offers don't.
What these scripts can't tell you
The scripts above are the shape of the conversation. The numbers you put in them matter more. Countering $185K with $190K leaves money on the table. Countering with $240K when the band tops out at $210K wastes credibility.
The right counter depends on the company's actual bands, your level, your location, and what competing engineers at your experience level are being offered right now. Guessing wrong in either direction costs you.
That's what SalaryAsk's offer analyzer is built for — paste your offer, get a counter number grounded in current compensation data, and the exact language to use. Free on the first offer.
The one-line summary
Deflect first. Get it in writing. Counter with three levers and a reason. Then shut up and wait.
The engineers who do this consistently negotiate 10–20% more than the engineers who don't. The scripts aren't the hard part — using them is.