How early in the process should you start negotiating? I'm beginning to learn that the answer is as late in the process as possible. There are many things to negotiate in today's job market, and the time to start doing that depends almost wholly on the relationship you build with your future line manager. Don't negotiate with HR. The HR process is designed to find red flags and eliminate them, whereas the relationship with your line manager will always be more nuanced. Let's discuss HR Screening calls, and I'll share my worst performance in an interview process with you.