salary negotiation
Salary negotiation is the conversation where you ask for pay that matches your worth, before you sign or after you have proof you deserve more.
In plain English
Your cousin just got a job offer from a bank in Lagos and she is on the phone with you, whispering because she does not want her mother to hear her practising what to say. The HR person offered her ₦280,000 a month and told her to reply by Friday. She wants to say yes immediately, out of relief, but you tell her to breathe first.
That pause before you accept is the whole game. Salary negotiation is simply the conversation where you try to move the number the employer first mentions closer to the number that reflects your skill, your market value and your bills. It happens most at the point of a job offer, but it also happens when you are already working and it is time for a raise.
Many Nigerians skip this step entirely because we were raised to receive what we are given and say thank you. But companies expect a little back and forth. The first offer is rarely the ceiling, it is an opening bid, much like the first price a trader gives you at Balogun market before the real negotiation starts.
Your cousin ends up asking for ₦320,000, backing it with a printed salary survey showing what similar analysts earn in Lagos banks, and she gets ₦300,000. That gap between ₦280,000 and ₦300,000 did not come from luck, it came from one honest conversation she almost avoided.
In the United Kingdom, someone offered a graduate role at £26,000 might ask for £28,000 by pointing to a competing offer or a certification the role did not originally require. Same principle, different currency, same courage needed.
For Nigerians abroad sending money home, this matters even more. An extra £2,000 a year negotiated once can mean thousands more naira reaching family every single month for years, simply because you asked.
Tunde is offered ₦450,000 monthly as a data analyst in Abuja. He researches similar roles, finds the range is ₦450,000 to ₦550,000, and asks for ₦520,000, mentioning his SQL certification. The company settles at ₦500,000, adding ₦600,000 to his yearly income just from one email.
Questions people ask
What if the employer says the offer is final and non negotiable?
Ask calmly if there is flexibility in other areas like transport allowance, data allowance, remote days or a review date after three months. If truly nothing moves, decide if the base offer alone still works for you before you accept.
How do I know what number to ask for without sounding greedy?
Base your ask on evidence, not emotion. Look at a salary survey for your role and city, check what similar postings offer, and add a small stretch above the middle of that range so there is room to meet in the middle.
Should I negotiate if this is my first ever job?
Yes, gently. Even in an entry level job you can ask about the range before naming your own figure, and you can still request things like a signing bonus, laptop allowance or an earlier review date even if the base salary is fixed.
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