When HR asks: "What are your salary expectations?"

Salary negotiation script: what to say on the HR call

The first line to say, the one ask, the two replies when they push back, the sentence that shows you will say yes, and the same ask as a short email. Put in the offer and your number; the page writes your lines in CTC and fixed-paybase and bonus words.

The rule this page follows
  1. Never say a number first. Ask for their range.
  2. If pressed, give a researched range, with your number at the bottom of it, not one figure.
  3. One ask, one reason. Then say you will accept at that number.

Your situation

No offer yet? Put the range they told you, or the one you expect. Write it the way HR said it: 14 LPA, 14,00,000, ₹14L.Write it the way HR said it: 95,000, $95k.
Leave it empty and the script asks for about 12% above the offer.
The script uses the first line as the one reason. Three reasons sound like a list; one sounds like a fact.
Checking whether the AI version is switched on…
Privacy: the fill-in template runs in your browser. Nothing you type leaves it.

Your script

Fill in the left side and press a button. Square brackets mark the facts only you can fill in.

Your opening line, the ask, two push-back replies, the accept signal and the counter email will appear here.

On the call itself

You planned the ask. HR planned the reply.

"What is your current CTC?" comes before you finish the opening line. ClapAssist is a Mac and Windows app that listens to the call and shows you what to say, in short lines you can read while you talk. It stays out of screen share on every plan; only you can see it.

Download with 10 free minutes

How it works

1

Put in the offer, your number and one true reason

The country sets the words: CTC, fixed, in-handbase, bonus, equity. Current pay is optional; the script never offers it first.

2

Press a button

"Show the fill-in template" writes the lines in your browser, with [brackets] where only you know the fact. "Write my version" (when it is switched on) writes them in your own words.

3

Say the opening line out loud

Press the 30-second clock next to it and say it once, then copy or print the script. A line you have said is a line you will not fumble.

Two worked examples

Both are made up. They show what the page writes; load one, then replace every line with your own facts.

Example 1, made up

Backend developer, 4 years, India

Offer 14 LPA, current 10.5 LPA, wants 16 LPA. Reason: the scope grew during the interviews. Stage: offer received.

"The offer is 14 LPA. The scope we discussed is bigger than the job post, so I was hoping we could get to 16 LPA as total CTC, with as much of it fixed as possible. That is the one thing I'd ask for."

The page also flags that 16 is about 14% above 14, well inside one ask.

Example 2, made up

Product designer, mid level, United States

Offer $95,000 base, wants $105,000. Reason: another offer in writing. Stage: counter email.

"One request: I have another offer at [amount], and I'd rather join you, so I'd like to ask for $105,000 in base instead of $95,000. That's the only change I'm asking for."

The bracket stays until the person fills in the real number; the page never invents one.

Questions people ask

Should I say my expected salary first?

No. The first number said in the room becomes the anchor, and the offer lands at the low end of it. Ask for the range budgeted for the role. If they insist, give a range you researched, with your number at the bottom of it, not one figure.

What if HR says the budget is fixed?

Say you are not asking them to break it, then ask what else can move: a higher fixed share of the CTC, a joining bonus or an earlier salary reviewa signing bonus, equity or a start date. Name one and say it would get you to yes.

Should I mention another offer?

Only if you really have one. Say the number, not the company, and say you would rather join them. Never bluff: HR can ask to see it, and a bluff that fails ends the talk.

Is it better to negotiate on the call or by email?

Make the ask on the call, where you can hear the reply and answer the push-back. Then send the same ask in a short email so it is in writing. The script gives you both.

What if my current pay is low?

Your current pay is a fact, not a ceiling. Do not offer it before they ask; if they ask, state it in one line and move the talk back to the range for this role and its scope.

Next on this path

For the call itself

The script covers the ask. The call has ten more questions.

ClapAssist is a Mac and Windows app. It listens to the interview on your computer and shows you what to say, in short lines you can read while you talk. Your resume and notes stay on your device. It stays out of screen share on every plan; only you can see it.

Download with 10 free minutes
Mac and Windows · No card needed for the free minutes