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Get ready · Lesson 2 of 10

Find Your Market Value: Build a Salary Range

Learn where to find real pay figures, compare them fairly and turn them into a low, typical and high range you can explain.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Before you ask for money, you need to know what your work is worth. This lesson shows where to find real pay figures, how to compare them fairly, and how to turn them into a simple range you can explain.

Why your own figure matters

Without your own figure, the first number someone else names becomes the yardstick. And in hiring, the employer usually knows the pay range much better than you do. Doing your homework closes that gap. It also gives you something solid to hold on to when you feel nervous.

On the left, a person next to a notepad titled My figures listing $62,000, $66,000 and $68,000 with a check mark, labelled Homework closes the gap. On the right, a smiling employer next to a card reading Pay range $?, labelled Employer knows the range better.(opens the full-size picture)
Three figures of your own close the information gap.

Where to look

Look in three places. First, job ads that list pay for roles like yours. Second, salary surveys and official pay figures. Third, what recruiters or people in your field tell you. Use sources the other side would recognise, so your number is hard to wave away.

Three cards, each with a check mark: an Office assistant job ad showing $62,000 a year, a bar chart called Pay by job, and two people with speech bubbles. Labels read Job ads with pay, Salary surveys and Recruiters and peers, with a banner Sources they'd recognise.(opens the full-size picture)
Three places to look, all sources the other side would trust.

Compare like with like

Compare the same level of job, a similar kind of employer and the same country or city. A senior role in a big city tells you little about a junior role somewhere else.

Also check whether each figure is before or after tax. Pay is usually quoted before tax, so compare before-tax figures with each other, never one before-tax figure with one after-tax figure.

A checklist reading Same level, Similar employer, Same place. Two job cards, Senior in a big city at $90,000 crossed out and Junior in a small town at $48,000. A pay slip with the labels Before tax highlighted and After tax faded.(opens the full-size picture)
Only compare figures that match, and before tax with before tax.

Keep a simple list

For each figure, write down the amount, where it came from and the date. Old figures can mislead, because pay moves over time. Three good figures are enough to start.

A table with columns Amount, Source and Date and three rows: $62,000 job ad March, $66,000 survey May, and $68,000 recruiter June. Beside it a calendar marked Now, a chip Check the date, and a chip 3 good figures to start.(opens the full-size picture)
Amount, source, date: one line per figure.

Make a range

Now turn your list into a range: the lowest, the typical and the highest figure. Then add one sentence on why the range is fair. For example: “Similar roles in this city advertise between $62,000 and $68,000.” That sentence becomes your reason later, when you ask.

A range bar split into Low, Typical and High with $62,000, $65,000 and $68,000 beneath. A person speaks a bubble reading Similar roles in this city advertise between $62,000 and $68,000, with a tag This sentence is your reason.(opens the full-size picture)
Low, typical, high, and one sentence that explains them.

Check your take-home pay

One more check. A raise on paper is not the same as a raise in your pocket. Tax and other deductions take a share, so a raise adds less to your take-home pay than its size. In one worked example, an extra $100 a month before tax added about $63 after tax. Look at both numbers before you decide what is worth it.

A pay slip showing $100 and a TAX tag. A bar chart with a tall dark bar, $100 Raise before tax, and a shorter green bar, About $63 In your pocket, plus a wallet and the label Look at both numbers.(opens the full-size picture)
A $100 raise before tax was about $63 in the pocket in this example.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll learn how to find out what your work is worth, using real pay figures, and how to turn them into a simple range you can explain.

Without your own figure, the first number someone else names becomes the yardstick. And in hiring, the employer usually knows the pay range much better than you do. Doing your homework closes that gap, and it gives you something solid to hold on to when you feel nervous.

Look in three places. First, job ads that list pay for roles like yours. Second, salary surveys and official pay figures. Third, what recruiters or people in your field tell you. Use sources the other side would recognise, so your number is hard to wave away.

Compare like with like: the same level of job, a similar kind of employer, and the same country or city. A senior role in a big city tells you little about a junior role somewhere else. And check whether each figure is before or after tax. Pay is usually quoted before tax, so compare before-tax figures with each other.

Keep a simple list. For each figure, write the amount, where it came from, and the date. Old figures can mislead, because pay moves over time. Three good figures are enough to start.

Now turn your list into a range: the lowest, the typical, and the highest figure. Then add one sentence on why the range is fair. For example: similar roles in this city advertise between sixty-two and sixty-eight thousand dollars. That sentence becomes your reason later.

One more check. A raise on paper is not the same as a raise in your pocket. Tax and other deductions take a share, so a raise adds less to your take-home pay than its size. In one worked example, a hundred extra a month before tax added about sixty-three after tax. Look at both numbers before you decide what's worth it.

So remember: use real pay figures, with their sources and dates. Compare like with like, and before tax with before tax. And turn your figures into a range with a reason. Before the next lesson, find three real pay figures for your role and write down the range. Next, you'll set your target and your walk-away point.