Strategy: If an employer cannot meet your desired senior compensation tier today, propose an agreed early six-month performance review tied to explicit technical milestones.
Script: 'I understand that because this offer is at the Senior I level, you cannot meet my target of $170,000 today. Because I am confident that my technical leadership and delivery will quickly operate at the Senior II level, would you be open to writing a formal six-month compensation and level review into the offer? If we establish three concrete technical milestones during my first ninety days—such as leading the migration of the auth service and maintaining zero production regressions—and I achieve them, we would adjust my compensation to $170,000 at the six-month mark. This gives the company complete confidence while giving me a clear path to market parity.'