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Welcome to Module Seven — The Negotiation. This is where most people leave money
on the table. And I mean significant money — studies show failing to negotiate
your first offer can cost you over half a million dollars across your career due
to compounding raises. But you can't negotiate effectively without data. So this
first lesson is about knowing exactly what you're worth.
Start with the data. Glassdoor, Levels.fyi for tech roles, Payscale, LinkedIn
Salary insights, Bureau of Labor Statistics — cross-reference at least three
sources. No single source is perfectly accurate, but triangulating gives you a
reliable range.
Your most valuable source? People. Talk to recruiters. Talk to people in similar
roles. Ask your network. Real humans provide context that databases can't —
they'll tell you that Company X pays above market because they have limited
equity, or that the healthcare industry in your city is paying twenty percent
above national averages because of talent shortages.
Then define three numbers. Your floor — the absolute minimum you'd accept. Below
this, you walk away. Your target — what the data says is fair and realistic.
Your stretch — the aspirational but achievable number in a best-case
negotiation.
Total compensation is the full picture. Base salary, annual bonus, equity or
stock options, benefits value, retirement matching, and perks. A
seventy-thousand-dollar base with a twenty-percent bonus, stock options, and
premium benefits might be worth more than an eighty-five-thousand-dollar base
with nothing else. Calculate your total package, not just the headline number.
Know your numbers before you ever sit at the negotiation table. Market data
gives you confidence, credibility, and leverage. Next lesson, we build the
actual negotiation framework — the tactics and strategy for the conversation
itself.