Nobody likes salary negotiations. They make everyone dance the “will they” or “won’t they” waltz at the end of a long hiring soirée. And as a potential employee, you might be tempted to take the first offer so you can hang up your dancing shoes and call it a night. But wait! You can give your tired tootsies a break and still negotiate the rest of the dance with these carefully crafted words.

1. I’m excited about the opportunity to work together. Negotiations are a tête-à-tête, not a melee! This positive phrase recenters talks around a collaborative effort toward a mutually beneficial pairing. Your negotiation goals may be opposite from a prospective employer’s, but you are working together to create a compensation package that suits both parties. Everyone’s goal is to get you on the team.
2. Based on my research of the market… You did your homework, know your fair market value, and you’re not about to be taken for a ride. Plus facts offer a concrete foundation for your negotiations and help ground the employer in salary reality.
3. Is that number flexible at all? It’s tough to push back against a too-low offer without sounding greedy. But this phrase will help you do it tactfully. The employer can push back with a “no,” come up from their initial offer, or consider other perks such as extra vacation time or stock options. Hey—you were graceful!
4. May I take a day or two to consider the offer? In this late step of the hiring dance, overeagerness can be your enemy. Even when an offer meets or exceeds your expectations, keep your cool and ask for time to consider it. This buys you time to really think about the offer (out of the heat of the moment) and to research and build a counteroffer, if that’s in the cards. Plus you can move in-person negotiations to a more easily controlled email or phone conversation.
5. If you can do that, I’m on board. How hard is it to spell out exactly what it would take to hire you? As it turns out, it’s pretty hard, but this little phrase takes the pressure off you and your would-be employer. It proposes a clear end to the will-they-won’t-they waltz if the employer just says yes to your latest counteroffer. And then everyone can go home and put up their feet.

You’ve hung in with the hiring dance this long, so don’t go home just yet! Show you’re also an expert with words, with the confidence, amiability, and know-how necessary to land the salary you’re worth.