With Virginia and Maine joining a growing coalition of states mandating pay disclosure, job seekers now have the upper hand in negotiations.
Salary negotiations used to be a lopsided affair: one side knew exactly what the job paid, while the other side guessed. Today, however, the playing field is rapidly leveling.
Virginia and Maine are the latest states to require many employers to disclose salary ranges in job postings, bringing the total to 18 states and Washington, D.C. Virginia’s law took effect on July 1, with Maine’s following on July 29. For job seekers, this legislative shift means walking into salary negotiations armed with concrete data rather than blind assumptions.
Salary-transparency laws do more than just inform; they “help narrow pay gaps and reduce wage discrimination” among historically marginalized demographic groups, according to Keith Spencer, a career expert at ResumeNow.
Jan Hendrik von Ahlen, managing director and employment expert at JobLeads, agrees. “It helps candidates because this inevitably changes the starting point of the negotiation,” he noted. Without a stated range, job seekers often guess blindly, risking lowballing themselves by thousands of dollars or pricing themselves out of a role due to unrealistic expectations.
The High Cost of Not Negotiating
HR experts universally agree that workers should negotiate their starting pay whenever possible. Because future raises and bonuses are typically calculated as a percentage of your base salary, failing to negotiate early in your career can compound into $1 million to $1.5 million in lost lifetime earnings, as Carnegie Mellon University economist Linda Babcock has highlighted.
Despite this, many candidates still leave money on the table. According to Resume Genius, only 45% of workers attempt to negotiate their starting salary, while 55% accept the initial offer without question.
Here is how to arm yourself with the tools and strategies needed to negotiate your starting pay like a professional.
1. Benchmark the Market
Once you know a company’s stated willingness to pay, your next step is to determine if that range is fair. Cross-reference the posted salary with similar roles on platforms like Indeed, Glassdoor, and professional message boards like Reddit.
“Continue doing your own market research and use posted salary ranges as helpful context,” Spencer advised. Do not rely too heavily on any single data source; look for the consensus.
2. Aim for the Top of the Band
When deciding how much to ask for, resist the urge to play it safe by aiming for the middle. Experts recommend treating the top of the posted range as your baseline target, not a pipe dream.
“The top of the band is not just some number, but [the company’s] real budget set aside for this role,” von Ahlen explained.
When anchoring your request near the top of the range, justify it with specific, quantifiable accomplishments. If a role requires three years of experience and you have six, highlight that added value. Avoid vague justifications like “I feel I’m worth more” or “the cost of living is high.”
Crucially, do not let a posted range artificially shrink your expectations if your market research suggests you are worth more. “A salary range is a floor to build on, not a cage or a ceiling,” von Ahlen said. If the posted range falls significantly below your target, be prepared to walk away.
3. Navigate Suspiciously Wide Ranges
In response to these new laws, some employers have begun posting abnormally broad salary ranges (e.g., $80,000 to $160,000). Career experts warn that this practice undermines the spirit of transparency.
“A very wide range is simply not a salary range at all, but the employer refusing to comply and publish the actual salary band as the law now states,” von Ahlen said. Some companies use this tactic to cast the widest possible net, only to benchmark the “real” range against the candidates who apply.
If you encounter a suspiciously wide band, treat it as an invitation to ask a strategic question during the interview: “I noticed the posted range is fairly broad. Could you help me understand what distinguishes a candidate at the bottom of that range from someone at the top?”
4. Negotiate Beyond Base Salary
If a company’s budget is strictly capped at the top of their posted range, do not ask for a base salary that exceeds it. Instead, pivot to negotiating other valuable components of your compensation package. Requesting a signing bonus, additional paid time off, flexible working hours, or remote-work stipends can significantly enhance your overall offer without breaking the employer’s salary band.
5. Rehearse Your Pitch with AI
Once you have done your research, it is time to practice. Many job seekers are now using large language models like ChatGPT or Claude to simulate mock negotiations.
Kevin Grunewald, a talent acquisition professional with a decade of experience, recommends uploading the job description and relevant market data to an AI chatbot, then using a prompt like this:
“Act as a hiring manager at [Company] for a [Job Title] position. I just received an offer for $[X]. I want to negotiate a higher salary. Push back realistically using common employer objections like budget constraints, market-rate arguments, and experience gaps. I will practice responding in real time. After each exchange, give me honest feedback on what I said well and what I should improve. Start by making me an offer slightly below my target so I can practice countering it.”
Many AI platforms now support voice conversations, allowing you to practice delivering your pitch aloud and building vocal confidence.
A 2026 survey from Eastern Washington University found that this practice works: 78% of professionals who used AI to prepare for salary negotiations reported feeling more confident, and 48% specifically used it for role-playing.
Note of caution: AI can occasionally hallucinate or scrape inaccurate salary data, so always double-check its claims. Furthermore, AI cannot gauge how desperately a company needs to fill the role, so use its feedback as a guide, not an absolute rule.
Confidence and context are your greatest assets. While salary-transparency laws do not guarantee you will receive the absolute highest possible offer, they remove the guesswork from the equation. And as experts agree, having that clarity alone gives job seekers a significantly stronger hand at the negotiating table.