Ms. Ryan recommends asking a lot of questions, reading up on the organization from third-party perspectives, and checking out job-search websites like glassdoor.com to see what employees and ex-employees say about it. Keep in mind: The goal is to approach any negotiation cautiously and with a clear head.

Know your market value

Not only should we do our homework in the moment, Dr. Cialdini said, we should also be continually assessing our market worth, “so that if an unexpected opportunity comes up, you don’t have to rush and do a slack job on this crucial factor.”

Keep an updated spreadsheet on hand with a list of your skills and achievements so you can quickly review it when you have an offer. You also have to know how much to charge for your services beforehand. Ms. Ryan suggests using tools like salary.com, paysa.com and payscale.com to figure out what others like you get paid in your ZIP code.

The idea is to plan ahead so you’re not scrambling in the moment. Having a firm understanding of how much your skills are worth will allow you to not rush after every opportunity that arises (and yes, this includes hasty email responses).

Adopt an abundance mind-set

Recognizing that there are unlimited possibilities can give you the security and confidence you need to create successful outcomes. “A lot of people that make decisions based on fear are people that are playing small versus thinking big,” said Caroline Castrillon, a business coach and the founder of Corporate Escape Artist. Negative thoughts can become self-fulfilling prophecies if you say them to yourself enough, she added.

Try reappraising negative self-talk by noticing when it leads to thoughts of failure. Do you imagine losing out on future opportunities if you don’t eagerly accept the ones that are in front of you? As a freelance writer, I’ve often fallen into the trap of taking on too many assignments for fear that saying “no” would limit my options later on.

But according to Dr. Nicholson, we need to reframe how we use scarcity and abundance in our own head before we can apply it outwardly. When you worry about all the things you’re going to lose out on if you don’t take a particular opportunity, you’re using the scarcity mind-set on yourself rather than as a persuasion strategy, he said. “You’re at a real disadvantage mentally.”