Do you know your (salary) worth?
Summary
Knowing your worth starts with market awareness — understanding current salary benchmarks and hiring trends is critical to confidently positioning yourself in conversations around pay.
Data removes guesswork (and hesitation) — using multiple sources — salary guides, recruiter insight and market conversations — helps you anchor your expectations in reality, not emotion.
Confidence in your number impacts the outcome — candidates who clearly understand and communicate their value are more likely to secure stronger offers.
The market doesn’t stand still — salaries shift based on demand, skill scarcity and economic conditions, so staying informed is essential to staying competitive.
Your value is more than your current salary — skills, experience, impact and market demand all play a role in determining what you should be earning — not just what you are earning today.
When it comes to stepping into a new role or going for an internal pay rise — how do you figure out the salary to ask for?
There has been a lot of change in the job landscape over recent years, meaning things can be little more ambiguous when it comes to what a title may mean or what a role is worth. This is why it is doing your market research and gathering a few different data points can really help you to be comfortable in the number you put forward.
Here’s a few ways we suggest you research to discover your worth.
Search for similar open roles
Take a look at similar job listings to the role you are going for, where the salary is transparently included. Collect data on a few, taking note of what experience they are after and you will gain an idea of the ball-park figure and ‘value’ of that role in the market.
Salary benchmarking guides
Salary guides are a great tool to help you understand current industry trends and provide a market average range for you to benchmark your salary against.
Reach out to your network
This is a great opportunity for you to leverage your network. Look at your exisiting relationships and reach out to people you know and are comfortable chatting to, in the roles you aspire to be in. Ask for guidance around the range you have in mind to assist you in understanding your market worth.
Know your strengths and weaknesses
Understanding your worth also requires a level of introspection — taking a look at your experience, the qualifications you have, the extra value adds you can bring to an organisation. Similarly, you also need to understand where your weaknesses are and how you may stack up against the competition. This will help complete the picture you need when setting the salary you ask employers for.
