First of all, based on my experience and years of working as a people manager, I highly recommend avoiding the use of these words literally “I want more salary” under any circumstances. I think it gives a wrong impression besides the facts it is passive and not concise nor specific. Here comes how I think about the topic of “more salary” in different situations.
When negotiating a job offer, salary is just one thing among other things we should consider. I used to say to job candidates, the offer is not only a salary. The offer is a package and we should look at the whole package and not just one part of it. What if the salary level is good but the healthcare benefits are not? or what if there isn’t any 401K, limited vacation days, no bounces, etc.
All these I mentioned are perhaps obvious things that come to mind when talking about a job offer. But there are other important parts of the job opportunity which people often tend to forget. Learning and building up a practical experience are among the underestimated benefits which most of the jobs provide to employees on top of paying them. I think it should be considered as a part of the job offer’s compensation package.
The majority of college graduates and undergraduates usually pay a lot of money to get a degree but is a degree itself enough to get a well-paid job offer? I think the answer is no. A college degree gets the person into the door of the practical life but the experience is what helps anyone to progress, get promoted and get more money. Other things, a job candidate should consider as parts of the offer’s compensation package e.g., the work environment, the direct manager as a person and the future colleagues, the commute to work and convenience, and the employer’s brand especially when it will be listed in a resume.
In the case of negotiating a salary increase with the direct manager, I would also avoid saying “I want more salary” literally. Outside the annual salary increases which usually a fixed percentage of salary increase given to most of the employees, a substantial salary adjustment and/or increase should be based on facts and earned when meeting certain criteria. A dialog with the direct manager/supervisor to agree and set the criteria for a salary adjustment/increase is always a better approach to take compared to just saying “I want more salary”.
Adam Salih 