According to APEC (the French association for executive employment), nearly two-thirds of professionals who negotiate their starting salary get the amount they asked for, or more. Yet a large share of candidates skip this step out of fear of jeopardizing an offer they've already secured - when a well-conducted negotiation almost never puts a serious offer at risk.
When and how to bring up the salary question
The right time to raise compensation largely depends on who takes the initiative. Ideally, let the recruiter bring up the topic first - typically during the second or third interview, once mutual interest is confirmed. This approach puts the candidate in a stronger position: responding to a question asked feels more comfortable than forcing the subject too early, before having demonstrated real value for the role.
If the question comes up in the very first exchange, it's still possible to politely defer it ("I'd first like to make sure the role matches my expectations before discussing that") without appearing evasive. Once the offer is formalized in writing, on the other hand, negotiation becomes more natural: the candidate then has a concrete starting point to work from.
According to APEC's advice sheets on salary negotiation 🔗, this step remains a common, normalized practice among professionals - far from the aggressive or inappropriate move some candidates still fear it to be.
💡 For recent graduates approaching their first job, APEC also offers dedicated support for negotiating right at the start of a career 🔗, with benchmarks adapted to that specific context.
Preparing with reliable market data
An effective negotiation rests above all on comparable data, not on gut feeling or figures mentioned informally by acquaintances. Comparing your offer against published salary scales by role, sector, and experience level lets you walk into the interview with a realistic range rather than an arbitrary figure, which is easier for a recruiter to push back on.
Geographic location remains a decisive factor to fold into that comparison: an identical role in Paris can show a 15 to 20% gap compared to an equivalent offer in the regions, which makes any raw comparison between two offers misleading if it ignores this parameter. For finance roles specifically, our overview of salaries in finance and investment banking gives useful benchmarks by function and experience level for this preparation stage.
Setting a wide but credible range - rather than a single figure - leaves room for discussion while avoiding the impression of being out of touch with the market if the lower end is ultimately what's agreed.
Arguments that work with a recruiter
The most effective arguments rest on verifiable facts rather than personal needs. Mentioning your rent or cost of living carries no weight in a recruiter's eyes, since they reason in terms of value brought to the role, not the candidate's personal constraints.
Conversely, a rare skill on the market, a recently obtained certification, experience directly transferable to the target role, or a competing offer already received are concrete leverage points. Framing the request as an open question rather than an ultimatum ("Would it be possible to consider moving toward X?" rather than "I absolutely need X") keeps the conversation collaborative while still firmly defending your position.
📊 Building your professional network ahead of a negotiation often provides more precise compensation benchmarks than what's publicly available; our guide on networking in finance covers how to build these connections without the approach coming across as self-interested.
The special case of a first job
For a recent graduate with no prior salary history, negotiation follows a slightly different logic. The real room to maneuver is often limited by strict internal pay grids, particularly at large companies that apply uniform scales by entry cohort. It would be wrong to conclude, however, that no negotiation is possible: a particularly successful final internship at the company itself, a rare dual skill set (engineering plus finance, for example), or several competing offers received in parallel remain valid leverage even at the very start of a career.
At this stage, negotiation often focuses more on the timing of the first salary review or on peripheral elements (signing bonus, relocation support) than on the base salary itself, which is harder to move on a first job. Researching the specific practices of the targeted company in advance - through your network, former interns, or specialized forums - helps calibrate expectations to that organization's actual reality rather than to a market average that may not represent how it really operates internally.
Mistakes that derail a negotiation
- Putting forward a figure with no justification, which gives the recruiter the impression of an arbitrary demand rather than a thoughtful assessment of your own market value.
- Negotiating aggressively or as an ultimatum, a stance that can sink an otherwise solid offer, particularly for a first job.
- Comparing your situation to a specific colleague's or friend's by name, a practice most recruiters see as inappropriate.
- Negotiating before the offer has been formalized in writing, which exposes you to misunderstandings once the position is actually filled.
- Immediately accepting the first offer out of fear of losing the opportunity, when a reasonable counter-proposal is rarely seen badly if it's well argued.
Negotiating beyond base salary: bonuses and benefits
When room to negotiate on base salary seems limited - which remains common in periods of budget constraint for the company - broadening the discussion to total compensation often helps reach a satisfying compromise. Annual performance bonus, profit-sharing, extra remote work days, a continuing education budget, or the timing of the first salary review are all alternative levers worth exploring.
This approach carries a double benefit: it shows the recruiter a constructive rather than rigid negotiating style, while offering room to maneuver that the company can sometimes activate more easily than a base salary increase, particularly if the latter is tightly bound by an internal pay grid.
Arriving at this negotiation stage with an already solid application file - a clear resume, a coherent cover letter - naturally strengthens the candidate's position: salary negotiation is never fully separate from the rest of the file that preceded it. FinanceCV lets you generate a professional, ATS-compatible resume in minutes, so you approach this step from a position of strength rather than playing catch-up.
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