You are not seeking a job to make friends, you are seeking an fair exchange of value for time/product/skill. Seek situations where you can practice negotiation

You are not seeking a job to make friends, you are seeking an fair exchange of value for time/product/skill. Seek situations where you can practice negotiation where the stakes are lower than 25% of your earning for 1-2 years of your 50ish-earning-year life (pretty easy to do). Keep in mind that countering is not personal - you are both seeking your interests, which will rarely be totally in common. Keep in mind, also, what the best alternative to agreement is. If you shoot too high, they will either come back lower, or say no, or go silent. What is the next step? Seek another opportunity. That is a much better alternative than accepting well below your potential (presuming you have savings or otherwise security). Avoid getting into negotiation situations where your best alternative is bad, even unacceptable. That is when you will be forced to take the worst deal. It is generally avoidable, so plan ahead. But above all, practice. Doing it once every 1-5 years with high stakes is a great way to fold or go all in or otherwise poorly play your hand.