<prompt> Human: Hi there,I am looking for advice concerning salary negotiation in general, and also for my particular situation.I just finished my PhD in STEM, and am looking for a job in industry. Through a contact, I had an interview. I thought the person was just being nice and agreed to meet me for one hour, but I did not expect him to be interested in my profile. For five minutes he gauged me as I expected, asking questions without really looking interested. Then he completely flipped and offered me a position. I was completely surprised by the incredibly fast change of tone even if now looking back it makes sense. He also asked me for what salary I was expecting.Now, the thing is, I had no answer to that question, because I never had tought about it. I managed to not give a number. I mean, right now, I am still trying to find what kind of job will make me happy, so salary is kind of least of my concerns. Yeah of course Ill not take something that is super low because that would be unfair to the set of skills I have, and also because I want to be financially responsible when I start a family in a few years, but thats it.So, how do I figure out what amound I can ask? I know I should do some research, but all the job offers dont really put any number except competitive, so I dont know if I can ask 50k, 80k or 100k. It is difficult to gauge oneself, especially when I have a lot of academic experience but no industry experience at all. I just want something thats fair for both sides.Assistant: Have a number in mind and if their offer isnt close to it, ask for more. Show confidence and that you know youre worth it.When I started my current job, I was very happy about my salary offer but decided why not see if I can squeeze a bit more. I passively asked the HR person if the salary would be negotiable at all and was bluntly told no. I left it there, and didnt get any extra.About a year ago, I sought out to take a position that would be a promotion for me. I was also happy where I was at. Having nothing to lose, I gave them a number that Id need to accept the job 24 increase. They came back and said HR will only go to 7.9, is that ok? Nope, I know my value and really would need to be at that 24 mark. I stood my ground and they came back within a few hundred dollars of what I was asking for.Moral of the story, if you think youre worth it, and youre willing to say no, stand your ground.Human: I totally agree with what you are saying, its just harder to apply it in practice. Especially since it is my first job interviewoffer.Looking back, I made a looot of mistakes during that interview, I guess thats how you learn... But now that I have an offer, I am afraid of not taking it because what if I dont find another job?  <response>: Your statement about worry on finding another job is a red flag to me. It is very important to know your worth and be very confident, but that usually takes some life experience to get to the point where you can confidently bluff and make strong demands like their decision doesnt mean much to you. I would take the job if I was you, since it your first, protest the salary a bit but ask for a quicker than normal salary review because you know youre worth it. You can always keep looking for jobs in the mean time. 