This is a compendium of resources shared at the FLI Network Dinner on Wednesday 10/22/2025.
From the moment you apply for a position, it is wise to be prepared for an eventual offer and possible negotiation. Here are six things you can do to better prepare for negotiating an offer:
Keeping organized can help save you time throughout your job/internship search process. Adopt any particular organizational structure you need, but here are some things that can really help you with a future negotiation:
- Save your application materials: save copies of your resume, cover letter, and any other application materials you might have submitted to the position.
- Save the text of job descriptions and don’t just save links! Save the actual text or screen prints. If there is a specific salary (or hiring-range) for the position, make sure that is captured somewhere.
- Note pertinent information about the position to aid in a negotiation:
- Are there multiple locations or different teams you could be assigned to?
- Does the job description detail out any salary or benefits information?
You need to know what you need to not only survive, but to thrive, in your job. Setting a budget can help you accommodate estimated and expected costs for food, housing, transportation, savings and other needs.
Here are some resources to help you set a budget:
- Pay Check City – provides a free payroll calculator for taxes in all 50 states
- Nerd Wallet – a cost-of-living calculator that helps you compare two different cities
- MIT Living Wage Calculator – helps establish the basic need level based on location
- MIT Federal Credit Union – tips on creating a budget, including links to additional budget tools and resources
There may be multiple sources to find information about salary. The more information you gather, the more confident you might be in the salary you can expect.
- Job posting: this may be the most reliable source of information, but can be quite a wide range depending on the position.
- Salary tools: here are some tools that can also help you identify additional salary ranges for different positions:
- MIT Survey Data – reported salaries are aggregated from student and recent graduate responses
- Glassdoor
- Salary.com
- Payscale.com
- Levels.fyi
- Bureau of Labor Statistics – the Occupation Outlook Handbook includes salary information for different occupations
- O*Net – the Occupation Information Network provides both median wage information along with state-by-state ranges
- Some job boards, like Indeed, may estimate salary for certain positions if not included. You may want to be wise against relying to much on estimated data.
- Networking contacts: peers and alumni (from LinkedIn, the Directory, and Advisors Hub) might give you additional insights about the salary ranges for certain positions.
Most likely you will receive a variety of salary ranges from the different sources. However, by overlaying the different ranges, you might be able to generate a confidence interval for what might be the most common salary range you might anticipate.
Keep in mind that the higher end of a salary range (75 percentile) is common for higher-skilled or more experienced workers, while the lower end (25 percentile) might be more entry-level. Try to avoid discounting your skillset or experience, but knowing this might help you feel more prepared in advocating for a salary increase.
Pay attention throughout your interview process as you might obtain additional insight or information to aid your negotiation.
- What are valuable traits you have learned from the interview?
- Do they seem interested in a certain skillset or experience you have demonstrated? – knowing what attributes might be in-demand or valuable to them might help you highlight them later during a negotiation.
- Is there a project they have detailed that you know you can add immediate value to? – familiarizing yourself with areas that you can add value to might give you an edge by forecasting how you contribute immediately.
- What’s important to you?
- How is the opportunity supporting your career goals and values? – knowing if this is an opportunity you want will help you evaluate it later in situations where you might have competing offers.
Once you start your job/internship search, you may start to get offers quickly and may not have much time to prepare. Sometimes you may be getting offers as you wait for new opportunities to be posted, while you are applying to some positions, or interviewing for others.
Consider:
- Where are you at in other search processes (application, interviewing, offer)? – while you receive offers you might want to extend your response deadline to those offers, and possible expedite interview scheduling for others.
- How interested are you in this position (as opposed to others you have interviewed for)? – you will need to evaluate the offers you receive and weigh-out if it is worth the risk to wait for other opportunities or accept the offer you have (and forego the rest).
- What might you still need to know about the company/organization to make a decision? – sometimes you may receive an offer and not have sufficient insight into the experience to determine if it is right for you.
In addition to your peers, consider connecting with alumni (i.e. the Directory or Advisors Hub) to gain additional insights in the job/internship experience or the organization.
You can use informational interviews to inquire about cultural aspects or fit to determine if the company might be of more (or less) interest to you. This information can help you more effectively decide if the opportunity is one you want.
You can also learn about possible challenges or strategies for negotiating an offer. Ask them about any tips they might have regarding negotiating.
First of all, CELEBRATE! It’s great to get to this point.
Regardless of whether you are in other searches, establish your response timeline:
- Avoid feeling pressured to accept right away, advocate for time to think about the offer
- Showcase your excitement and gratitude
- Inquire about how much time you have to decide on your offer
- If you are feeling pressured to accept quickly (e.g. 48 hours), consider contacting CAPD@mit.edu for additional guidance
In addition to these factors, here are other factors to consider:
- Are you waiting on other offers? How long do you need to wait before you get responses from other companies you are actively recruiting with?
- How long do you have before the employer needs an answer? You may be able to negotiate for additional time to decide.
- Do you really, really want this job? It’s good to think if this is something you truly want.
CAPD provides guidelines for all community members participating in on-campus recruiting.
- Guidelines for students – details on your rights and responsibilities for engaging in on-campus recruiting, including guidelines on interviewing, negotiating, and responding to offers.
- Guidelines for employers – in addition to following Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) guidelines and those recommended by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), CAPD details additional guidelines for employers engaging in on-campus recruiting.
While CAPD is unable to provide you legal or financial advice, we may be able to listen to your concerns on these topics and direct you to additional resources.
- Review your job offer: State-by-state guidelines – these guides, based on all fifty states might help you understand your rights and responsibilities
- New employee’s glossary – a quick reference guide to some of the more common terms and phrases used as part of benefits, compensation, and the world of work
In some instances you might have multiple offers to decide between simultaneously. To help you decide, CAPD has a worksheet to help you choose between offers.
Don’t worry if you do not have competing offers. You might still find it helpful to use this tool to evaluate the current offer to decide if you would want to keep this offer or continue on your search.
While not everything in your offer is negotiable, it is good to know what you might be able to factor into a negotiation or not.
| Usually negotiable | Sometimes negotiable | Usually non-negotiable |
| Offer deadline | Telecommuting/hybrid work | Vacation/PTO |
| Start date | Position title | Health insurance |
| Salary | Primary work location | Retirement plans |
| Signing bonus | Performance review timing | Non-disclosure agreements |
| Relocation bonus | Non-compete agreement timeframe | Other benefits applicable to all |
Do not worry if you do not know what all of these mean right now. You can take time to learn about them and meet with CAPD for guidance.
While you have done a lot of preparation work already, it is always a good idea to plan your strategy for the actual negotiation.
Consider different scenarios and how you might respond to each (if it comes up):
- What if they only give me 48 hours to decide? (e.g. an “exploding offer”)
- What if I got another offer at a different company?
- What if they say they don’t have the budget to increase my salary?
- What if they offer other perks like bonuses?
- What if they offer to think about a raise in the future instead of increasing my base salary now?
You will want to think about who might be the best person to discuss your offer with. This person could be a recruiter, HR manager, or hiring manager. Usually this is the same person who sends you the offer, but regardless you can ask them.
Finally, practice will help you become more proficient. So strategize with the help of friends, mentors, and CAPD.
Negotiations can feel daunting, but you have already done some good work in preparation for this moment. As you enter into the negotiation, here are some tips to help you feel more confident:
- Leverage your research – by doing pre-work in establishing appropriate wage levels, you should feel empowered to request what you feel is reasonable.
- Be prepared to set a “first offer” or clarify their offer – You might need to propose an amount that is close to your “ideal” but still falls within your identified range to target. Have confidence in your research but be prepared to back up your request with a rationale based on your skills, experience, or abilities.
- Listen and address their concerns, but advocate for yourself – ultimately, this is a discussion where you and your prospective employer can find a mutually agreeable outcome.
- Be prepared for them to say no – even if you do not get the salary you are hoping for, you still have a choice in the matter and can decline.
A negotiation is usually a discussion, and to navigate the discussion you will want to prepare yourself to respond to potential objections. Here are some things to keep in mind as you discuss the offer:
- Understand their objection(s) – you might ask clarifying questions to understand their hesitation of rationale.
- Lean-in on your research – use your research into the salaries you have found and share with them insights and clarify any discrepancies.
- Promote your value – highlight the skills, competencies, or strengths you bring that can add immediate value.
- Propose alternatives – identify and suggest other ways they can improve the offer (i.e. signing bonuses, housing allowances, stock options, etc.)
- Stay professional throughout – avoid getting too emotional or careless during the process
Negotiation is about finding a mutually-agreeable outcome, or a “win-win” situation.
Hopefully through the discussion with your prospective employer, you have had a chance to find a way for you to walk away happy with the offer. However, you always retain the power to walk away from an offer if it is not satisfactory.
Sometimes you might need to revisit the negotiation more than once.
Regardless of the outcome of the negotiation, it is wise to get any revised terms in writing. They might ask for verbal acceptance before they send a revised offer letter, so take notes so that you know what you have also agreed to.
Once you sign and return your offer letter, you have committed to the opportunity.
If you are declining an offer, you should inform the recruiter as soon as your decision has been made and if you have a conversation, follow it up with a well written thank-you letter.
Reneging: is it really that bad?
(From the Recruiting Guidelines for Students): Accepting an offer is a commitment to the employer. Reneging on an offer could be seen as an ethical and possibly legal violation of that commitment. If you are not ready to make that commitment, do not accept the job offer. CAPD considers reneging a serious ethical breach, except under dire circumstances. Reneging may result in the forfeiture of your right to participate in any additional campus recruiting. Before making a decision to renege on an offer, meet with a Career Services staff member to weigh your options and determine the best course of action.
Advocating for your salary after the offer
Just because you have accepted an offer does not mean that your salary can no longer be affected. You can continue to advocate for your salary throughout your career. Here are some tips that might help:
- Generate a “brag sheet” – keep track of your accomplishments, accolades, and awards. If you have performed well, capture those metrics to present to your supervisor or leadership to advocate for salary increases, bonuses, and promotions.
- Monitor your company’s performance and profitability – timing your advocacy around periods where profits are high or performance is good is wise. Be mindful of asking for salary increases during periods of decline.
- Revisit your values – overtime, what is important to you might change. Early in your career, you might want to pursue high salaries; and later you might want more schedule flexibility.
- Continue to advocate for yourself beyond your current position – sometimes you might need to change companies to positively affect your salary over your career.
Final thoughts
- Have self-compassion – in any point within your career, you may not get everything perfect, and may make some mistakes. Keep on advocating for yourself as much as you can and seek support as you need.
- Show gratitude – gratitude is a powerful social lubricant and may make encounters a lot easier and less stressful. Show appreciation and give thanks as you navigate any process.
- Leverage your network – finally, you are not alone! Your network and the resources of MIT can help you along the way.
Here is a copy of the slide deck if you would like to revisit other parts of the presentation:
CAPD understands that you might need additional support with navigating the job/internship negotiation process. If you would like to discuss your specific needs related to an offer or negotiation, schedule an appointment with a Career Advisor on Handshake.
