Three Things I Learned About Salary Negotiation

I Left 5 Million Won on the Table in My First Negotiation

The first time I changed jobs was the first time I negotiated salary. The HR person asked "what's your desired salary?" and I named my current salary plus 5 million won. My heart was pounding. Five million more — was I being too greedy?

When they immediately said "sure, sounds good," I was thrilled. But thinking about it at home, I got suspicious. An instant "yes" probably meant I'd aimed too low. I later asked a colleague who joined in the same role — they were making 7 million won more than me. That day, I started studying salary negotiation seriously.

(That 7 million won still stings when I think about it.)

Don't Be the First to Name a Number

This is because of the anchoring effect. If you say a number first, it becomes the reference point. Name it too low and they'll happily accept. Name it too high and they'll negotiate down from there.

"I'd appreciate a fair offer based on my current compensation level and market conditions" — that kind of deflection works well. It can feel uncomfortable, but that discomfort is worth millions of won.

On my second job change, I used this strategy, and the company's opening offer was 8 million won higher than what I'd been planning to ask for. If I'd spoken first, I would've left that 8 million on the table. That's two international vacations.

Bring Data, Not Emotions

"I deserve more" isn't a negotiation. For my third job change, here's how I prepared. I collected 22 job postings from job boards with similar experience and tech stacks. Calculated the median from the posted salary ranges and prepared 3 specific contributions I could make: performance improvements, code quality gains, and junior mentoring.

"The market average is around this range, and based on the contributions I can make, I'm requesting this amount" — framed this way, it's a business proposal, not an emotional plea.

Salary Isn't Just the Number

On my last job change, I conceded 3 million won in base salary in exchange for 3 days of remote work per week, a 2-million-won annual education budget, and additional RSU allocation. In monetary terms, this was worth far more than 3 million.

Remote work saves 2 hours of daily commuting — that's 480 hours per year. Calculate that as an hourly rate and it's worth millions on its own. At the negotiation table, you need to look at the total package.

Negotiation Isn't Combat

Going in aggressively might get you a bit more upfront, but it can sour the relationship after you start. If your first interaction with HR is adversarial, things get uncomfortable going forward. "I'd like to find a point where we're both satisfied" — that attitude pays off long-term.

Though this varies by personality. The relationship-oriented approach just happened to suit me.

I Got 15% Without Changing Jobs

I applied similar principles at my current company. I quantified the past year's results: 40% API response time improvement, 12 new features shipped, 2 junior devs onboarded. Showed my position relative to the market and presented future plans. Got a 15% raise without changing jobs.

Changing jobs costs adaptation energy and carries risk. Getting properly recognized at your current company is a valid strategy too.

Salary negotiation is inherently uncomfortable. I still get nervous. But nobody else is going to articulate your value for you.