Act as a Career Coach: Salary Negotiation Prompt
Act as an experienced career coach helping me negotiate a job offer. Here is my situation: [role, current offer details, market research if any, and what matters most to me beyond salary]. Ask me clarifying questions first if you need more context, then give me: a specific target number to counter with and the reasoning behind it, three talking points I can use to justify that number, and a suggested opening line for the actual conversation or email. Be direct about anything in my situation that could weaken my negotiating position, rather than just telling me what I want to hear.
Most negotiation prompts produce generic encouragement — “know your worth,” “be confident” — without a specific number or an honest read on your actual leverage. This version explicitly asks for both a real target and a direct account of anything that weakens your position, which is more useful than reassurance alone.
What this produces
Expect the model to ask a few clarifying questions first if your situation as described is underspecified in some way, then respond with a specific counter-offer number and the full reasoning behind it, three concrete talking points, and a suggested opening line for the actual conversation or email itself.
Variations
Want a different version of this prompt rather than a small edit? Here are two full alternates, ready to copy on their own.
Act as an experienced career coach helping me negotiate a job offer. Here is my situation: [role, current offer details, market research if any, and what matters most to me beyond salary]. First give me a specific target number to counter with, the reasoning behind it, and three talking points. Then, roleplay the actual negotiation conversation with me — you play the hiring manager, responding realistically including likely pushback, while I practice my responses in real time.
Act as an experienced career coach helping me negotiate a job offer, focused specifically on [equity / remote work flexibility / signing bonus / start date] rather than base salary. Here is my situation: [role, current offer details, and why this specific benefit matters most to me]. Ask clarifying questions first if needed, then give me a specific ask, the reasoning behind it, three talking points, and a suggested opening line for the conversation or email.
FAQ
Which AI model works best for this prompt?
Any major assistant handles it — the structure matters more than the model. Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini and fill in your role, market, and the offer on the table.
Can the AI give me accurate salary market data?
Treat AI salary figures as a starting range, not verified data — models can cite outdated numbers, so cross-check against Levels.fyi or Glassdoor before using a figure in a real negotiation.
Does this work for a raise at my current job, not just a new offer?
Yes — state that it’s an internal raise conversation in the context section. The talking points shift from competing offers toward documented impact since your last review.
