Prompt details

Tested on

Claude Opus 5.5

Length

613 words · 3 fill-ins

Example input

[The offer details]: Product Designer II at Brightwell Health, a 400-person health-tech company, in Austin, Texas. Hybrid, 3 days a week in the office. - Base: $118,000 - Annual bonus: target 10% of base, paid each March on company performance. The recruiter said it paid out at 80% last year. - Equity: 2,000 RSUs vesting over 4 years with a 1-year cliff. The company is private; the recruiter said the last preferred share price was $14. - No signing bonus. - Benefits: medical, dental and vision, company pays 90% of the employee premium; 401(k) with a 4% match; 15 days PTO plus 10 holidays; $1,500 a year learning budget. - Start date: in 3 weeks. - They want an answer within 5 business days. I deal with the recruiter; the hiring manager is the design director.

[Market pay data you found]: - Salary site A, Product Designer II, Austin: 25th percentile $108k, median $124k, 75th percentile $138k base (46 data points). - Salary site B, Product Designer with 3 to 5 years, Austin: $105k to $135k, average $119k. - A friend who is a Product Designer II at another Austin health-tech company makes $127k base with a 12% bonus target. - The job posting listed the range as $105,000 to $135,000.

[Your priorities and alternatives]: I have 4 years of experience. I currently make $109k base plus a 5% bonus at a design agency, and I'd rather not share that. What matters most: base pay first, then a later start date (I have a trip booked 4 weeks from now and would like to start in 6 weeks), then remote Fridays. I'm in final rounds with another company but have no offer yet; they said they'd decide in 2 weeks. I'd accept this offer at $122k if I had to. I really don't want to lose it.

Example output

Brightwell Health Counteroffer Plan

Assumptions

The 401(k) match is 4% of base and you contribute at least 4%.
Your start date counts from today (Nov 8, 2026), so the offered start is about Nov 30, 2026 and the 6-week start is about Dec 21, 2026.

1. Offer breakdown

Item	Offered	Value in year one	Notes
Base	$118,000	$118,000	This is the lower-middle of the posted $105k–$135k range.
Annual bonus	10% target, paid in March on company results	[add figure: new-hire proration rule for March 2027]	In a typical year: $11,800 at target, or $9,440 at last year's 80% payout. If you start in December, the March 2027 bonus may be prorated or $0. Ask.
Equity	2,000 RSUs over 4 years, 1-year cliff	$7,000 on paper (500 RSUs × $14 at the 12-month cliff)	$7,000 a year, $28,000 over 4 years. The $14 is the preferred price, and common stock is usually worth less. The company is private, so you can't sell until there's a liquidity event. Check whether the RSUs are "double-trigger." I've kept this out of the cash total.
Signing bonus	None	$0	You could ask for one as a fallback if base can't move (see asks).
Health benefits	Company pays 90% of the employee premium	[add figure: monthly employee premium × 12 × 90%]	Get the premium from the benefits guide. Dependent coverage isn't stated.
401(k)	4% match	$4,720	Less if match eligibility has a waiting period. Ask about the vesting schedule.
Learning budget	$1,500/yr	$1,500	This is reimbursement, not cash.
Time off	15 PTO days + 10 holidays	Included in base	Ask whether new hires can take PTO right away. This matters for your trip.
Start date	In 3 weeks (about Nov 30)	—	Your trip is about 4 weeks out (about Dec 6).
Work setup	Hybrid, 3 office days	—	Which days are in the office isn't specified.
Total		Year one: $124,220 + bonus + health share [add figures], plus $7,000 equity on paper	Typical year after: $133,660 cash (bonus at 80%) + health share, or $140,660 including equity

Claude Opus 5.5

Negotiate Your Salary – Salary negotiation prompt for ChatGPT and Claude

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Claude Opus 5.5

This prompt turns a written job offer into a counteroffer plan. Paste the offer, the pay data you found and your priorities; you get your numbers, ranked asks, a counteroffer email and a phone script.

What you get

The offer broken down by year-one value, not only base pay
A target, an ask and a walk-away number, each tied to your pay data
Ranked asks, salary and non-salary, in one counter
A counteroffer email and a phone script with replies to 6 pushbacks

How to use it

1
Collect the offer and the data
Paste every part of the written offer and each pay figure you found with its source: salary sites, the posting's range, people in similar roles.
2
Check the numbers first
Read the breakdown and your three numbers before the email. If a figure looks off, correct the data and run the prompt again.
3
Send one counter, then call
Send the email or say the ask on the call, use the pushback replies, and confirm everything in writing before you accept.

Better results

Gather at least three pay sources for the same title and city, including the posting's own range. One salary site alone is a weak case.
Practice the phone script out loud once, then follow up with "Play the recruiter and push back on my ask" to rehearse.
If the employer comes back with a partial yes, paste their reply and ask "What should I accept, and what is one last ask worth making?"

Questions

Can ChatGPT help me negotiate my salary?

Yes, ChatGPT can help you negotiate a salary by breaking down the offer, setting numbers from the pay data you give it and writing the counteroffer email and call script. It cannot know what the employer will pay, so no prompt can promise a higher offer.

How much should I counter a job offer?

Counter with a number a little above what you would be happy with, backed by pay data for the same role and city, so there is room to meet in the middle. This prompt sets a target, an ask and a walk-away from the data you paste.

Can negotiating a job offer get it taken back?

It is rare when you stay polite, ask once for a complete package and give a reason. Bluffing about other offers or making demands raises the risk. The prompt writes your counter so a no still leaves the original offer in place.

Should I tell a recruiter my current salary?

You do not have to, and in some states and countries employers may not ask. You can answer with the range you are targeting for this role instead. This prompt keeps your current pay out of the script unless you say you want to share it.

Updated 8 Nov 2026