250+ Negotiations Taught Her to Negotiate in a Tough Job Market
Negotiation expert Annie Murray shares how to negotiate large offer increases even in a tough job market.
I got the chance to interview Annie Murray, a negotiation expert who's helped secure over $10 million per year in added compensation for over 200 tech professionals. I wanted to challenge the common views on negotiating in today's market.
Find the article form of our discussion below.
Our conversation revealed why 30% of candidates are leaving money on the table, how to spot the signals that your offer might get pulled, and the surprising insight about what really drives successful negotiations.
Drawing from hundreds of successful negotiations she's coached at Valued and her experience as a recruiter at Amazon and Microsoft, we explored how internal leverage, built throughout the interview process, often drives larger increases than external factors like competing offers.
Topics:
The real story behind rescinded offers in 2025's market
Why traditional negotiation advice is failing candidates
The Risk Thermometer framework for reading company signals
How to save an offer that's about to be pulled
The 5 proven tactics of successful negotiators
Why pre-offer preparation matters more than the actual negotiation
What really makes companies willing to go above band
The truth about "final" offers
Article below…
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The Current State of Tech Negotiations
"It's kind of hard to know exactly because we hear so many conflicting things," Annie explains when I ask about the current market. "For a moment there, it seemed like layoffs were on the decline. But then Intel and Dell happened. And we saw them lay off, unfortunately, quite a few people."
Despite the uncertainty, Annie emphasizes that negotiation is still very much possible. The key is understanding how the market has evolved.
The Truth About Rescinded Offers
When I ask about the real story with pulled offers, Annie shares some surprising data. After combing through extensive data on platforms like Blind, they found that while offer rescissions peaked in early 2022 to early 2023 with about four offers pulled monthly, we're now seeing closer to one per month.
More importantly, Annie explains that offers typically get pulled for just three reasons:
Market conditions and hiring freezes (outside your control)
Unprofessional behavior during negotiations
Overly aggressive compensation demands
"It's not so much of, oh, they asked for a reasonable number in a reasonable way and the offer got pulled," Annie emphasizes. "It's more like these outlier behaviors that are causing these offers to get taken away."
The Risk Thermometer: Reading Company Signals
I've heard Annie talk about this concept of a risk thermometer when approaching negotiations. She explains it's about looking for specific signals from companies that indicate your negotiating position.
"There are signals that we call red flags, aka things that might indicate you don't have that much leverage here, versus green lights, which are signals that companies can send that are indicating, 'Oh, we really like you. We're going to do what it takes to get you to sign.'"
Green Lights:
You're the only/top candidate
Recent funding or strong earnings
Rising stock performance
Recruiter indicates compensation flexibility
No pressure on timelines
Internal referrals
Skills exceeding requirements
Strong interview feedback
Red Flags:
Multiple final-stage candidates
Recent budget cuts/freezes
Declining stock performance
Rigid salary bands
High urgency to fill role
Slow responses
Vague role details
Unwillingness to document details
The Emergency Toolkit: Saving a Troubled Negotiation
What if you get in one of those rare situations where they threaten to pull the offer? Annie shares her proven approach: "The best turn of phrase that I'd recommend using is 'I'm confident we can get to a number that works for everybody and money isn't everything.'"
This works because it:
Returns to a collaborative position
De-emphasizes financial impact
Opens the door for continued dialogue
Even if things seem dire, Annie notes that offers can often be revived by talking directly to the hiring manager. "They are the one who has the authority here, not the recruiter."
The 5 Core Tactics of Successful Negotiators
When I ask about advanced tactics that help candidates succeed, Annie breaks it down into five key elements:
Avoid Number Fixation "The more you're married to a number, the more you're going to be fixated on trying to get it above everything else. And we really got to remember that the more we push back, the more we alienate the company."
Strategic Number Presentation Present a number that feels thoroughly considered with advisors and family. Hedging or frequently changing numbers undermines credibility.
Focus on Value Add "Talk to the hiring manager. Present your 90-day goals for your time in this role. That is really going to help them see that you are the best fit for this position."
Show Excitement and Willingness to Sign "A lot of people think that it's more strong to seem a little bit less interested, but recruiters get benefited in their metrics if they know that you're gonna sign."
Read the Room Pay attention to verbal and non-verbal cues. After 2-5 pieces of pushback, consider changing approach.
Success Story: Turning an IC Offer into a Director Role
Annie shares a fascinating case where a product manager received an individual contributor offer well below market rate. Through careful positioning focusing on stakeholder management and their 30-60-90 day plan, they secured a Director-level position instead.
The winning argument? They highlighted how their IC-level title would impact their ability to influence senior stakeholders effectively. The hiring manager called it "a really intelligent way of arguing this" – and approved the Director title with corresponding compensation.
The Four Essential Ingredients for Successful Negotiations
Annie emphasizes that every successful negotiation needs four critical elements:
They Have to Like You You must be someone they want to fight for internally, while still remaining firm about what you need.
They Need Internal Justification Companies need to justify exceptions, especially to compensation committees at bigger companies.
You Must Be Winnable They need to believe you'll accept if they meet your terms. Otherwise, why expend political capital?
You Must Show Excellence Your performance throughout the process needs to justify the ask.
Work-Life Balance: The Hidden Factor
Annie emphasizes looking beyond pure compensation. Using TikTok as an example, she notes how some candidates focus on compensation without considering the 80-hour work weeks some teams require.
"Are you comfortable working 80 hours a week for higher compensation, or is it worth taking a 10k pay cut for reasonable work-life balance?"
However, she notes it's very team dependent: "I was at Amazon, and a lot of times people ask me, 'Oh, you must have thick skin to work at Amazon.' I was in the recruiting department with a team of wonderful women who never gave me any issues."
Looking Forward: How to Navigate This Market
Annie's final advice focuses on balancing assertiveness with flexibility. "You have to be someone they want to fight for internally," she explains. But you also need to know when to stop pushing.
Remember her core principle: "The comp you accept today is the comp you're living with for the indefinite future."
Want to go deeper? Annie and I are running free live workshops on the topic:
→ Lightning Lesson: How to answer Salary Expectations questions without losing leverage (free recording)
→ How to negotiate Startup Offers (free recording)
→ How to negotiate Big Tech Offers (Thu, Jan 16th at 5:00pm PT)
To go even deeper and maximize your total compensation in your next offer—and throughout your career, you can check out my full negotiation course or work with Annie or me 1-on-1.
🤝 Valued: 1-on-1 Negotiation coaching
⚡️ $250 OFF: 📘 Maven Live Course: 1 Week Salary Negotiation Masterclass