The most common reason people underearn isn't poor negotiation technique — it's walking into the conversation without data. A specific, sourced number changes the dynamic entirely: you're no longer asking for more, you're citing the market. Here's how to build that number.

Use multiple sources, not one

No single salary source is authoritative. Triangulate. General aggregators give a broad range; role-specific communities (for example, level-based data in tech) are more precise where they exist; government labor statistics provide a conservative baseline by occupation and region; and pay-transparency job postings — increasingly required by law — are real numbers real employers are advertising right now. Postings are often the most current signal of all.

Adjust for the variables that move pay

  • Level/seniority: the single biggest factor. Compare to your actual scope, not your title, which may be inflated or deflated relative to the market.
  • Location: still significant even in remote roles, many of which use location-based bands. Know whether the employer pays nationally or by geography.
  • Company stage and size: a funded growth company, a large enterprise, and an early startup pay very differently for the same title, often trading base for equity or stability.
  • Industry: the same role pays materially differently across sectors.

Turn the data into a number

Don't walk in with a single figure. Build a range: the bottom is the minimum you'd genuinely accept given the full package, the top is supported-but-ambitious based on your research, and your target sits in between. When asked, cite the basis: "Based on market data for this role at this level in this market, I'm targeting the X to Y range." A sourced range is hard to dismiss; a bare demand is easy to.

Watch for the implausible

Research also protects you. Pay that is dramatically above market for the experience required is one of the most reliable scam indicators, and pay far below market for a senior role often signals a misclassified or fake listing. Calibrating to real data tells you not just what to ask for, but which listings to distrust — the same signal True Jobs factors into its legitimacy scoring.

Keep it current

Salary data ages. Re-check before each negotiation rather than relying on what you learned a year ago, and weight recent postings heavily — they reflect what employers are paying in the current market, not a historical average.