Why the salary-negotiation advice you've heard is backwards for most people

Most negotiation advice tells you to name a number first, anchoring high. In my six years reviewing offer data across three companies, candidates who asked the employer to share their range first ended up with comparable or better outcomes, with far less risk of anchoring themselves too low.

The fear behind naming a number second is that you'll seem evasive. In practice, a simple "I'd love to hear the range you have budgeted, then I can tell you if it works" reads as confident, not weak, and it protects you from the real risk: naming a number lower than what they'd already planned to offer.

The anchoring-high advice works best for people with strong outside offers to leverage. Without one, asking first and reacting is usually the safer, higher-expected-value move, even though it feels less assertive in the moment.

Part of the deeper dive: The Complete Guide to Interviewing, Negotiating, and Surviving the Year After a Promotion.