For individuals
Rehearse your salary negotiation until the silence stops being scary
Updated 8 October 2026 · 3 min read
You will negotiate a salary a handful of times in your career, each time with years of income at stake, and almost always without ever having practised. The offer arrives, you feel you should ask for more, and the fear of losing the offer does the talking. A few rehearsals against a counterpart who pushes back change that more than any amount of reading.
What changes for you
You hear "that is above our range" ten times before it matters. The AI hiring manager opens with a number, defends a budget and goes quiet after your counter. By the third session the silence is just a pause, and you use it.
You find out what you actually do under pressure. The analysis shows the exchange where you conceded, how much, and what you got for it. Most people discover they gave up 10 to 20 percent in their first reply, before the other side had argued anything.
You practise the whole conversation, not just the number. Signing bonus, start date, remote days, review date: the scenario rewards players who open a second issue instead of haggling on the base salary alone, which is how a "final" offer becomes a better package.
You can try the script. The guide on negotiating a developer salary gives you the words; the scenario lets you say them to someone who answers back until they come out naturally.
You do it when you want, for free. Ten sessions with no credit card. Each one takes 10 to 20 minutes, in English, French, Spanish, German or Polish.
Before your first session
Spend ten minutes on paper: your BATNA (your current job, another offer, or continuing to interview), the base below which you will decline, and the precise number you will open with and why. Players who skip this step negotiate against themselves.
Honest limits
The counterpart is a briefed AI, not your future manager; it trains reflexes and arguments, not the reading of one specific person. It works in writing, so practising the voice call is on you. And it will not tell you what you are worth: that comes from your own market research, which the scenario assumes you have done.
Price, verified on 13/09/2026
Free: 10 sessions for life. Negotiator: 12 euros per month, 30 sessions. Master: 29 euros per month, 100 sessions. See the plans.
What a salary session looks like
The salary negotiation scenario puts you in the role of Alex, a senior developer earning 52,000 euros, with a competing offer at 65,000 and market data between 62,000 and 70,000. Your goal: a raise to at least 63,000, with remote days, training budget or stock options as other issues. Sarah, the engineering manager, has her own budget and constraints, which you do not see.
Sample exchange, written for this page to show the format:
You: "Thanks for making time. Before we talk numbers, can I walk you through what the platform migration delivered last year?"
Sarah (AI): "Of course, but I should say upfront that our raise budget this year is tight."
You: "Understood. Based on the 30 percent infrastructure savings and the market range of 62,000 to 70,000 for my level, I'm asking for 67,500. How is the budget for this year set?"
What the analysis checks in a salary negotiation
| Skill | What it looks for here |
|---|---|
| Strategy and planning | Did you prepare an anchor and a reservation price, and adapt them? |
| Communication | Were your arguments specific (results, market data) and did you listen to her constraints? |
| Value creation | Did you open other issues (remote days, training, review date) when the base was blocked? |
| Emotional intelligence | Did you read the budget pressure without giving in to it? |
| Closing ability | Did you turn agreement into clear terms and a date? |
| Assertiveness | Did you hold your number for more than one exchange? |
The full method is on the methodology page.
