Negotiating an entry-level salary can be tricky. You want to get what you’re worth, but you don’t want to offend or scare off the recruiter—especially in a competitive job market. Worse yet, negotiating doesn’t come naturally to most Americans.

Your Task. 

To build your negotiating skills, read the Communication Workshop at the end of this chapter. Then, role-play a situation in which a hiring manager offers a candidate a starting salary of $49,500. The candidate wants $55,000 to start. The candidate responds to preliminary questions and negotiates the salary offer.