How To Negotiate Your Salary for the Remote Job of Your Dreams (With Email Template)

Never settle for a salary that doesn’t value your worth. We’ll show you how to get what you deserve the right way in this guide.

Be honest - does the idea of negotiating for a better salary make you a little uncomfortable?

You don’t want to come across as ungrateful or lose the job offer, but you also don’t want to undervalue your worth and settle for something lower than you deserve.

This tightrope act is even more challenging if you’re applying for a remote position and may never get the chance to meet your hiring manager or interviewer in person.

Fortunately, you can utilize a few smart strategies to ensure this process flows in your favor, which is exactly what you’ll learn in this guide. We’ll even show you how to negotiate salary via email using our free template.

Before you grab that, let’s cover some ground rules:

6 Do’s and Don’ts for Negotiating Your Salary

Whether you’re applying for a remote position or an office gig, you should know these fundamental tips for negotiating your salary:

Don’t Bring Up the Salary Conversation First

Some hiring experts believe bringing up your potential salary shows you’re less interested in the position and only care about the paycheck. Others say if you provide your salary expectations first, you may shoot yourself in the foot by throwing out a figure that’s too low.

That’s why everyone agrees you should try your best not to bring up the salary conversation first.

Don’t Assume Your Previous Salary Should Be Your New Salary

Interviewers sometimes ask what you made in your previous roles. While you should answer this question honestly, you should also make it clear that you’re not sure if this amount translates for this new position.

It’s important to stress that you need to know the ins and outs of the job responsibilities and other essential details before you can commit to a figure.

Your job duties in this new role may be completely different or more difficult, which would make it fruitless to use what you made in the past as a benchmark.

Do Your Homework

When you have as much information about the position as possible, you can accurately gauge what a fair wage looks like.

Try to research the going rate for the remote role you applied for before the interview. Remote roles are often priced a little differently than in-house positions, so it pays to have a general idea before you say something way off base.

Location may play a big part in your remote salary negotiations too.

While you may live in an expensive locale with high salaries, a remote company may not be in a position to meet your requirements. So you may have to adjust your salary expectations or be willing to walk away if they can’t match them.

Consider how your experience, recent positions, and what it takes to live comfortably factor into where you fall in this average range.

Do Give Out a Salary Range

In a perfect world, you should wait to give your salary expectations until you hear what the position may pay. But if a hiring manager asks what you expect to make, you may feel put on the spot and pressed to name a specific number.

So for these times, it’s best to give a salary range and let the interviewer know that you’d like to hear more about the position before settling on a concrete figure.

Your salary range will include a minimum -- the salary amount you can’t afford to go below -- and what you’d ideally like to earn. This will then become your guide for what you’re willing to accept.

Here’s an example of how you should answer this question:

“Based on what we’ve discussed and my previous experience, I’d consider a salary in the range of $XX,XXX to $YY,YYY. Is that along the lines of what this position may pay? Before I settle on a number, I’d like to know more about what the job entails.”

Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions During Your Interview

It’s essential to ask the right questions about what the job really requires to firm up your salary range. Averages are one thing; what’s actually expected of you may provide a better indication of what fair compensation means.

So during your interview, try to ask questions like:

Can you describe my day-to-day tasks?
What responsibilities will I have?
How many projects will I manage each week? Each month?
Will I be managing anyone else besides myself and my own work? If yes, how many people?
Will I be expected to remain on-call or within reach after hours, on weekends, during holidays, etc.?

Answers to these will help you understand the entire scope of your responsibilities, which should make it easier to define your minimum salary requirement.

Don’t Talk Yourself Out of a Good Salary; Do Know Your Value

Let’s face it: we’re often our own worst enemy when it comes to salary negotiations.

But remember, just because you made a certain salary at a previous role doesn’t mean you’re locked into this figure forever. Switching jobs is the best chance you have to earn a significant pay boost, especially if you were underpaid to begin with.

Think about this: since last you negotiated your salary, you most likely gained experience, probably learned additional skills, and may have even gone back to school to score a few more credentials.

So know your value, and don’t be afraid to ask for what you’re worth.

How to Negotiate Your Salary in an Email Template

Let’s say you received a remote job offer (congratulations!), but the salary isn’t what you were hoping for or expecting. You’ll need to learn how to negotiate your salary via email to counter their initial offer.

Follow this email template to kick off negotiations:

Dear [Hiring Manager],

Thank you very much for considering me for [the position] and for making me an offer for employment. I’m so appreciative and excited at the possibility of working with you and the [company name] team!

Before I can accept your offer, I wanted to touch base on the salary you proposed.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to accept the position at that salary, and I was hoping we could come up with another figure that works for both of us.

After researching more about the role and hearing what the job entails, I would feel more comfortable accepting the position at a salary of [insert salary request].

To give you a better idea, here’s how I came up with this figure:

[List your experience and how you can bring value to this role]
[Mention what the going rates are for this position based on your research and why your experience warrants this salary amount]
[Supporting elements that may be relevant for why this salary is justified]

I’m really excited about this position and the thought of working with you and your team, so I’m eager to work something out.

If you need anything else from me, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Thank you again!

Best regards,

[Your name]

You’ll notice that this email example doesn’t just demand a higher salary -- it shows why this figure would be justified based on your research, not just a made up expectation.

It also mentions that you’re appreciative of the offer, excited for the possibility of working with their team, and hope to work something out (i.e., continue the conversation/negotiation).

A hiring team can’t fault you for any of these, and they may adjust their thinking based on your strong points.

Since you already know your minimum salary requirements, it will be easy to decide whether their counter offer is worth accepting the position or if you need to start applying elsewhere.

Final Thoughts on Negotiating Your Salary for Remote Roles

To get the highest possible salary for any remote roles you apply for, you have to perform the legwork and show up prepared before the interview process.

At a minimum, research average salaries for the position, figure out what you hope to make, and double-check that your expectations are realistic for a remote company to deliver.

Rather than settling for or accepting an offer that isn’t high enough, use the salary negotiating email template we shared in this guide. You should at least get closer to a figure both you and your future remote employer are happy with.

Now that you know how to negotiate your salary for a remote role, it’s time to find your next dream position.