( CNN ) -- When it comes to negotiating a salary for a new job it can pay to ask for a precise figure . New research has suggested that asking for an amount that is less `` round '' -- like $ 105,000 instead of $ 100,000 -- increases the final outcome . The idea is that precise numbers give recruiters the impression a candidate has thoroughly researched the job . `` It matters because round numbers seem less informed . People who use them seem like they have n't really done their homework , or they 're just sort of being arbitrary , '' said Malia Mason , an associate professor at Columbia Business School , who led the study . She says the perception that a number came out of nowhere leads negotiation counterparts to be more aggressive in their counteroffers , which translates into worse outcomes for people who make round offers , compared with people who make precise offers . `` Precise numbers are just one way to communicate to people 'do n't mess with me ' or ' I 'm informed , I 'm not just throwing some number out there , ' '' Mason said . Read more : Can Twitter help you land a job ? The real burden for the job seekers is to then prove they are not just throwing numbers out there . Mason says actually doing the calculations of how much to ask for , to back up the offer amount , is `` far more important '' than simply using the precise numbers recommended by the study . Candidates may figure out the going rates for the jobs from Websites or by asking someone within the company who would be open to telling you . Ramit Sethi , author of `` I Will Teach You to Be Rich , '' offers courses on negotiation using techniques based on his own experience , real-world data from his students and tests that he runs . He says that doing relevant research , and then giving the perception that you have reasons for the dollar figure sought , is the most important part of negotiation . `` When you walk into a room , you should already know not only the pay range of your job , but you should have it documented and printed out and ready to present , '' Sethi said . Good negotiators should be able to justify why they should be paid the higher end of that range , Sethi said . It involves explaining one 's experience , knowing the company 's challenges and letting the recruiters know how you can solve their problems . Read more : What does it take to get a job in China ? To show recruiters that you can back up your salary request , Sethi recommends candidates use the `` briefcase technique , '' actually typing up a plan of how they would help the company and pulling it out ( possibly from a briefcase ) during a negotiation . `` It shows what they would do in 30 , 60 , 90 days . And when you do this people 's jaws drop . And when that happens , five or ten thousand dollars ' raise in negotiation is almost trivial . It 's almost beside the point , because you 're showing how much value you can add to the company , '' he said . Mason points out that there are broad benefits to providing reasons in a salary negotiation . Not only does it help convince the recruiter of the candidate 's worth , but it gives the recruiter material to back up the decision . `` People do n't like being told 'it 's my way or the highway . ' People like to have reasons , '' she says . `` What you want to do in a negotiation is have your counterpart understand why that number that you 're suggesting makes sense , so that he or she can explain to herself why it makes sense , so she can go explain to the rest of her company or the rest of her team why it makes sense . ''
In negotiations , there is an advantage to offering a number that is not a round number . Precise numbers give recruiters the impression that the candidate has thoroughly researched the job . But actually researching the job is more important , experts say . Good research may be able to justify a high salary .