Research your pay and plan a salary negotiation

Find a fair pay range from public sources and get a calm script for asking for more.

The problem

Many people accept the first offer or never ask for a raise because they don't know what is fair or what to say. Even a small increase compounds over years of raises and future offers.

Step by step

1. 1Research the pay range for your job title in your area: look up the occupation on the Bureau of Labor Statistics "Occupational Employment and Wages" pages (bls.gov), and check Indeed and Glassdoor salary pages for your city. Write down the low, middle and high numbers you find.
2. 2List what makes you worth the higher end: certifications, years of experience, special skills, results you've delivered.
3. 3Open ChatGPT or Claude and paste the prompt below with the offer (or your current pay), your research and your list.
4. 4Practice the script out loud, ideally with someone playing the employer (or use ChatGPT voice mode). Pause after you ask; let them respond.
5. 5Get the final offer in writing, including pay, schedule, benefits and start date, before you accept.

Copy-paste prompt

Help me negotiate pay. Situation: [new job offer / asking for a raise]. Job title and location: [details]. Offer or current pay: $[amount]. Pay ranges I found: [list with sources]. Why I'm worth more: [list]. Other things I'd value: [e.g., schedule, PTO, training, sign-on bonus]. (1) Suggest a specific number to ask for and explain why, based only on my research. (2) Write a short, polite script for the conversation (or email), including how to respond if they say "that's our max". (3) List 3 non-salary things I could ask for instead. Keep it confident and friendly, not aggressive.

Tips and watch-outs

• Use several public sources; any single salary website can be off for your area.
• AI's suggested number is only as good as your research. It is not a guarantee of what an employer will pay.
• Get the final offer in writing before you resign from a current job.

Review AI output before using it. Don’t paste confidential, customer or patient data into tools your company hasn’t approved.