How to research your market rate before you negotiate

Negotiating without data is guessing. An hour of research gives you a range you can state calmly and defend, which is most of what a successful negotiation requires.

Use postings with listed salaries

Pay-transparency rules mean many postings now list a range. Filter a job board for your title and location and note the ranges from ten to twenty postings. Ignore the outliers at both ends; the middle of the remaining ranges is your market band.

Cross-check with self-reported data

Salary survey sites and crowd-sourced databases are noisy but useful for direction. Look at the median, not the average, and match seniority and company size as closely as possible. If the numbers disagree with the postings, trust the postings; they are what employers are actually offering.

Adjust for the specifics

• Company size and funding: larger and better-funded companies generally pay more base salary.
• Location: remote roles are often benchmarked to a company's home market, which can work for or against you.
• Total compensation: bonus, equity, pension contributions and benefits can move the picture by 10–30%.

Turn it into a range

Your target is the number you would be pleased with; your floor is the number below which you would decline. Make the target sit in the upper part of the market band and the floor near its middle. Say the target first when asked; never lead with the floor.

Know your own numbers

Write down your current total compensation and the value of anything you would lose by moving (unvested equity, a pending bonus). A new employer cannot factor in what you do not mention.

Keep the research current

Markets move. Repeat this exercise every six months even if you are not looking; knowing your rate makes internal pay conversations easier too.