The scenario
In new-offer mode, you might be handed a number below what you'd targeted, with the AI framing it around the smaller team size or budget attached to the role compared to your last one. The negotiation tests whether you hold your number, ask for a sign-on component instead if the base is fixed, or fold too early because the pushback feels final when it isn't.
In internal-raise mode, the scenario shifts to defending a raise after a specific result, say a CAC improvement you drove over the last two quarters, with the AI questioning whether that result was really yours or the product of a market-wide trend you happened to benefit from.
What gets covered
Both modes cover how you open the conversation, how you respond when the other side pushes back on your number or your reasoning, and whether you land on a concrete next step rather than letting the conversation trail off. New-offer mode leans on comparing total compensation, including budget or team ownership as part of the package, not just base salary.
Internal-raise mode leans on defending a specific result with enough detail that it holds up when someone questions whether you can really take credit for it.
Scoring
How scoring applies here
Unlike other interview types, this session isn't scored on hireability. It's scored on how the negotiation itself went: whether you held your position under pushback, whether you asked clarifying questions instead of reacting to the first number offered, and whether you closed with a clear next step rather than an open-ended silence.
The abrupt-ending penalty applies directly here, since walking away from the conversation without landing on a next step, a follow-up date, a written offer, a next conversation, counts against the score even if everything you said up to that point was reasonable.
Frequently asked questions
How does negotiating a marketing manager offer differ from defending an internal raise?
New-offer mode simulates negotiating a job offer you haven't accepted yet, often including budget or team size as part of the package. Internal-raise mode simulates defending a raise for a current role, usually anchored to a specific channel or campaign result you're claiming credit for.
Am I being scored on whether I'd get hired?
No. This session scores how the negotiation itself went, whether you held your position, asked good questions, and reached a next step, not general hireability the way other interview types do.
What happens if I walk away from the budget or comp conversation without agreeing on anything?
That counts against you specifically. An abrupt ending without landing on a next step, a follow-up date, a revised offer, another conversation, is a named penalty in the scoring.
Does budget or team size factor into the negotiation for this role?
It can, especially in new-offer mode, since marketing management compensation often ties to the scope of budget or team you'd own, not just a flat salary figure.
Related pages
Practice the real money conversation first
Run a salary negotiation AI interview in new-offer or internal-raise mode and see how your reasoning holds up against real pushback.