Walking into a salary conversation without data is walking in blind. Here's how to find accurate, current salary information for your role and location.
Entering a salary conversation without market data is like negotiating a car purchase without knowing the market price. You might get lucky. More likely, you'll accept less than you're worth.
Market research gives you three things: a credible anchor point for negotiation, the confidence to advocate for yourself without apologising, and a clear signal of whether an offer is fair before you accept it.
Glassdoor
One of the most widely used salary databases. Filter by job title, company size, location, and years of experience. Focus on data from the last 12 months — older data can significantly misrepresent the current market, especially post-pandemic.
LinkedIn Salary
Strong for professional and white-collar roles. Shows median salary, the 10th–90th percentile range, and filters by industry, seniority, location, and years of experience. Particularly useful for comparing how much one factor (like location or industry) affects compensation.
Levels.fyi
The gold standard for tech compensation — especially engineering, product management, and data roles. Shows total compensation including base, equity (RSUs/options), and annual bonus. Critical for roles where equity is a significant component.
Indeed Salary
Broad dataset particularly strong for entry-level, trade, and non-specialist roles.
Payscale
Useful for non-tech professional roles. Has a detailed self-assessment tool that accounts for your specific skills, certifications, and experience level — not just your job title.
Industry association reports
Many professional bodies publish annual salary surveys — CIPD for HR, IMA for finance, CIM for marketing, PMI for project management. These are often more precise than general databases because the sample is role-specific.
Your network
The most direct source and the most underused one. Trusted peers in similar roles will often share what they earn — especially if you share first. Conversations about salary are less taboo than many people think.
Compensation is a package, and a lower base salary with a strong total package can easily beat a high base with nothing else. Account for:
| Component | What to Check |
|---|---|
| Annual / performance bonus | Is it guaranteed or discretionary? What's the typical range? |
| Equity | RSUs, options, ESOP — what's the vesting schedule? |
| Pension / retirement contributions | Employer contribution % |
| Health insurance | Employer-covered premium, quality of plan |
| Remote flexibility | Days per week, is this in writing? |
| Annual leave | Days per year; any additional purchase scheme? |
| Training & development budget | Annual amount, what it can be used for |
| Signing bonus | One-time; check if there's a clawback period |
A job with a £5K lower base salary but full health coverage, 10% pension matching, and genuine full-remote may be worth more in total value than a higher-paying role with none of those.
Once your research is complete, define:
1. Your floor — the absolute minimum you'd accept given your current circumstances. This number stays in your head; it never comes out of your mouth in a negotiation.
2. Your target — what you genuinely believe your skills are worth in the current market, supported by your research. This is what a fair outcome looks like.
3. Your anchor — what you open with during negotiation. Set this 10–15% above your target. This is what gives you room to move while still landing at or above your target.
If an offer comes in below your floor, that's a clear signal to either negotiate aggressively or decline. If it meets your target out of the gate, you've likely left a little on the table by not having a conversation — but it may still be the right decision based on the overall fit.
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