The Angel Edit: Never Take No at Face Value

The Angel Edit: Never Take No at Face Value

Read Time: 4 minutes

Topics Covered: Negotiation, Career Advocacy, Reframing Rejection, Salary Growth

I got the best kind of update from one of my career accelerators a few days ago.

She had taken an intentional career break (which, by the way, is a brave and strategic move when done right) and then found a role she was excited about, until the company came back and said they were moving the job level down.

This meant a more junior title, which meant a lower salary.

It didn’t align with her expectations but that’s when I reminded her to never take “no” at face value.

Instead of walking away, we stayed in the process. We showed up with clarity, positioned her at the level she should be seen at, and kept the conversation going. That gave her a lot more opportunities to be seen by the company as a top 1% high value candidate.

And guess what? She got the offer, and she’s walking into this new role with a 40% salary increase!

Let this be your reminder: Even in a tough market, opportunities are always there if you advocate for yourself. The same rules to promotions and internal salaries too or basically any moment where a “no” shows up.

Early in my career, I used to take these rejections personally. I waited and hoped someone would see my value and reward it. But the “no’s” kept coming. A new perspective clicked when I saw a sales leader negotiate a huge deal:

Instead of pushing for one big “yes,” he broke the request into two parts:

The first part asked for a payment upfront.

The second proposed a follow-up payment based on agreed deliverables.

That approach changed everything for me. So the next time I made a request for a raise and heard “no,” I didn’t stop there. I asked:

• What would make it a yes later?
• What KPIs do I need to meet?
• What does success look like in six months?

And then I proposed Part B: When I hit the goals, we will revisit the conversation and adjust compensation accordingly.

That two-prong ask gave both sides clarity and gave me leverage. It also made the conversation focused on the outcomes, and forward-looking instead of defensive.

We all hear “no’s”. But the top 1% do things differently. They get curious and ask, “What can I do to move this no to a yes later?” So the next time you hear a “no”, ask yourself if it is the end of the road, or just the start of the real conversation.

Ready to move with clarity and confidence? Download the Career Power Move Playbook, your 5-step guide to standing out and stepping up.

Rooting for you, 

Angel Kilian

Founder  l Career inFocus