Research a realistic range, avoid naming a number too early, let the employer make the first offer where you can, then counter once with a specific figure backed by your scope and the market. Look at the whole package, and for remote dollar roles compare the real take-home after fees, taxes and missing benefits.
What people tell me
I have a couple of years of experience and I am interviewing with other companies. Recruiters keep asking my current salary and my expectation in the first call, and I never know what to say. I am worried that if I ask for too much they will drop me, and if I ask for too little I will regret it for years. I am also comparing local offers in PKR with some remote roles that pay in dollars, and I do not know how to compare them properly.
A composite of the messages behind this question, with personal details left out.
Key takeaways
- Decide three numbers before any call: your ideal, your target and your walk-away figure.
- Deflect early salary questions politely until you understand the role, then give a researched range, not your current salary.
- Counter once, with a specific number and a short reason. Most reasonable employers expect it.
- Compare total packages, not headline salary: bonus, leave, health cover, equipment, learning budget, notice period.
- For dollar-paid remote roles, compare net monthly income after transfer fees, taxes, currency swings and missing benefits.
Why negotiating when switching matters so much
Your starting salary at a company tends to anchor every raise after it. A small difference at the offer stage can compound for years. At the same time, switching is often the moment of greatest leverage, because the employer has already decided they want you.
Negotiating is normal. Most hiring managers expect a counter-offer, and a polite, reasoned one rarely costs you an offer.
Step 1: know your three numbers
Before your first call, write down:
| Number | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ideal | What you would be delighted with, at the top of your research |
| Target | A strong but realistic figure for your level and this company |
| Walk-away | Below this, you would rather stay where you are |
To set them, use several sources: salary sites such as Glassdoor, listings that publish ranges on Sefism jobs, and discreet conversations with peers at similar companies. Public data is thin in many markets, so treat every number as a rough signal and look for ranges that agree across sources.
Step 2: handle the early salary question
Recruiters often ask in the first call. You do not have to answer with a number immediately.
"I would like to understand the role and the level first. I am sure we can find something that works if it is a good fit. What range has been budgeted for this position?"
If they insist, give a range whose bottom is your target, not your walk-away:
"Based on my research for this level, I am looking at roughly X to Y, depending on the full package."
Avoid volunteering your current salary. Your value to them is about the new role, not your old pay. If they press, you can say: "I would prefer to focus on the value I bring to this role."
Step 3: let them make the offer, then counter once
When an offer arrives:
- Thank them and ask for it in writing, including all components.
- Take a day. "Thank you, I am excited about this. Could I get back to you by Thursday?"
- Counter with one specific number and a short reason:
"I am very keen on this role. Considering the scope we discussed, especially owning the payments service, and what I am seeing for similar roles, I was hoping for X. If we can get there, I am ready to accept."
A specific number (not a vague "a bit more") and a clear "I will accept" make it easy for them to push internally.
Step 4: negotiate the whole package
If base salary is stuck, other things often move:
- Joining bonus or earlier first review
- Title or level
- Extra leave, remote days, flexible hours
- Health cover for family
- Laptop and internet allowance
- Learning budget or conference time
- Notice period and start date
Comparing local PKR offers with dollar-paid remote roles
This comes up a lot for developers in Pakistan, and the headline number can mislead. A dollar salary often looks much larger once converted, but compare like with like:
| Factor | Local employer | Remote, paid in dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Currency | Stable in PKR, but loses value if the rupee weakens | Protects against rupee weakness, but rates swing both ways |
| Transfer costs | None | Fees and exchange margins from services such as Payoneer or Wise |
| Taxes | Usually deducted by employer | Often your responsibility; rules change, so check current guidance with a tax adviser |
| Benefits | Often health cover, provident fund, leave | Often none if you are a contractor |
| Security | Employment contract, notice period | Contracts can end quickly |
| Hours | Local time | May overlap with another time zone's working day |
Work out your net monthly income in both cases, subtract what you would need to pay yourself for benefits you lose, and add a buffer for the risk of the contract ending. Only then compare. A remote role can be clearly better, but it is rarely as much better as the raw conversion suggests. How do I find a remote software job that pays in dollars? covers the search side.
A two-week plan
| Days | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | Research ranges from at least three sources. Set ideal, target and walk-away |
| 4 to 5 | Write and practise your deflection line and your range line out loud |
| 6 to 10 | Interviews. Take notes on scope and responsibilities you can use later |
| 11 to 14 | Offer arrives: ask for it in writing, take a day, counter once, decide |
Common mistakes
- Giving your current salary first. It anchors the offer to your old pay.
- Countering three or four times. One well-reasoned counter, maybe a small second one, is enough.
- Accepting on the call out of relief. Always take a day.
- Bluffing about other offers. It can backfire badly.
- Ignoring notice periods. A long notice at your current job can cost you an offer; mention it early.
If you are still stuck
The Job search cheat sheet covers the stages before the offer. If you want someone to sense-check a specific offer, join Sefism: it is free to learn and you get credits when you join. Members can ask a question with their numbers, or book a 1:1 session to practise the conversation.
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