Salary Research for Job Seekers

Equal Pay Day moved BACKWARD in 2025 to March 25th, revealing a harsh truth: transparency without enforcement doesn't create equality. 60% of job postings now include salary information—up from just 18% in 2020—yet women still earn just 85 cents to a man's dollar. Even more disturbing? The gap is widening. Of 98 countries with equal pay laws, only 35 have implemented any accountability mechanisms. We're seeing the illusion of progress without the substance. True salary transparency requires action at every level: For individuals: - Share your salary information with "trusted" colleagues - Explicitly ask for pay ranges before interviews - Document salary discussions and decisions - Normalize compensation conversations in your workplace - Research industry standards using sites like Glassdoor and Payscale For managers: - Conduct regular pay equity audits in your teams - Establish clear compensation criteria based on skills and responsibilities - Remove salary history questions from your hiring process - Advocate for transparent promotion pathways For organizations: - Implement formal pay bands with clear progression criteria - Regularly publish company-wide gender and racial pay gap data - Create accountability mechanisms for addressing inequities - Train managers on recognizing and addressing unconscious bias in compensation decisions The data is clear: companies with meaningful transparency see pay gaps narrow significantly in the first year alone. But posting a salary range isn't enough if there's no accountability behind it. Let's move beyond performative transparency toward meaningful equity. Please share this post if you think salary transparency should come with real action. Joshua Miller #SalaryTransparency #PayEquity #Workplace

Negotiating salary is hard. Leveraging data makes it so much easier. Here are 6 unique ways to research salaries for your target role: First, a quick note on how to use this date. Salary will likely come up in your first interview. Do this research before. Aim to gather as much data on the salary range for the role as possible. Then aim for the largest "reasonable" jump you can make (usually the ~70% mark of the range). 1. Find Salaries In States That Require It Most companies won't post a salary range. But several states have passed laws that requires them to. So search for your target job on LinkedIn and filter for those states. Then adjust the salary range for the cost of living in your area. Now you have more accurate salary data! 2. H1BData Info When companies sponsor an employee's visa, they're required to disclose the job title and salary. H1BData[.]info lets you search through all of that data. Since these are actual salaries from real jobs, this is some of the most accurate data you can get. 3. Levels FYI Want to work in tech? Levels[.]fyi doesn't just have salary information. They also have info on internal "levels" that MAANG and F500 companies use to determine salary. Use this info to determine if the offer you get is a good one for your level. 4. Glassdoor Glassdoor gives you salary data in different cuts. You can view general data for your city, job title, and years of experience. Or you can find user-submitted salary info for specific job titles at specific companies. 5. Blind Blind has a salary comparison tool, but don't use it. Instead, search the forums for: [Company] + [Job Title] + Salary Look through the convos of people anonymously sharing salary info. It's a great way to go beyond base to understand bonuses, equity, and more. 6. Look At The Competition Most job seekers only look at this data for their target company. Don't stop there. Find out what their competition is paying for similar roles. Then use that data to your advantage in the conversation.

As more states require pay ranges on job listings, new research from Glassdoor finds that they're mostly but not always accurate. To address this question, we took ~150k job listings and matched them at the employer-city-title level to user-reported salaries on Glassdoor. 67% of salaries fell within the stated pay range, while 22% fell below the pay range. Why the discrepancy? 3 reasons to explore: [A] First instinct would be that pay transparency laws provide flexibility for "good faith" or "reasonable" estimates and if enforcement is not very stringent, employers may be willing to share a higher range but negotiate down. [B] Occupations/industries report & offer pay in different ways. Ranges for salaried tech & professional jobs are the most accurate, while listings for more tips/incentive-based jobs often bake that additional comp into their pay estimates (while the salary data for this analysis we use is base pay only). [C] Self-reported salaries give us precise matching at the employer-city-title level, but there is a natural lag between what current employees make vs. what the company offers new employees, which is based on the current market. Good reminder to track your employer's job listings to see if it's time to ask for a raise! Another useful tip for job seekers: when you see a pay range on a job listing, you shouldn't just assume you'll earn the top of the range or even the midpoint! The modal salary is the bottom of the pay range and half of the salaries are in the bottom 40% of the pay range. To learn more, read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/g3s6wjSH To close: A special shoutout to our summer intern, Luna Liu, who conducted this research & is now a 1st-year PhD student at Notre Dame! #transparency #paytransparency #research

After a 12-month gap, I was ready to return to work and accepted a role with a salary that was less than I hoped - but I negotiated for an increase to my desired salary at the 6-month mark. 6 months came and went, no increase. I brought the issue to my boss and she informed me that the project she was hoping would bring in more business had not performed well and there would be no increase until the 1-year mark. 1 year came and went, still no increase. I decided to consider exploring other opportunities. I was referred for an HR manager role through my network. When asked about salary I didn't want to give them my current salary because I already knew I was being underpaid. So, instead, I offered them my expectations. I gave them a range that was higher than my current salary but in line with my value and what I knew I could and should be making. They came back with an offer even higher than my quoted range and I accepted. I learned several lessons: - Sometimes people rescind their offers. Things change. Know your value and the reputation of the company before accepting an offer. - Don't be afraid to give your salary expectations instead of your salary history. In some places, it's no longer legal for employers to ask for salary history. - Do your research, know the average salary range for the position, industry, company, and location. These all factor into it. If salary history comes up, address it head-on. Let them know you're aware that you're currently underpaid and that you're looking for something more in line with your experience, value, and the market average, and give them your range. How have you handled the salary question when you're job searching, and you know you're being underpaid? #LinkedInTopVoices #Careers #JobSearch #Interviews

If you accept the first salary offer, you just left money on the table. Most people do this. They get an offer, and instead of pushing back some… they just take it. That’s exactly what one of my students almost did, until I showed them how to negotiate like they should. Here’s what happened: They were working as a Systems Engineer and landed an offer for $10K more than their current salary. Not bad, right? But then they did some research. The market rate for their role was actually $10K-$20K HIGHER than what they were offered. So they came to me and said, “Broadus, I know I deserve more, but how do I ask for it?” This is what I told them: You don’t just ask for more money. You PROVE why you’re worth it. Here’s the exact script I gave them: 👉🏾 Hey [Recruiter’s Name], based on my research and experience, I’d love to revisit the salary discussion. Here are four key reasons why: 1️⃣ I’ve been in an engineering role for over a year and a half, gaining the necessary experience. 2️⃣ During interviews, hiring managers told me I exceeded expectations. 3️⃣ As an internal hire, I understand the company’s process, reducing ramp-up time. 4️⃣ I already have 70-80% of the required skills for this position. Based on industry data, this role in my location typically pays between $X and $Y. 👉🏾 What are the chances we can meet at [$X] instead? And guess what? The recruiter came back with a $10K increase. Here’s why this works: 👉🏾 It’s a logical, value-based argument, not an emotional plea. 👉🏾 It provides specific proof, you’re showing, not just telling. 👉🏾 It uses market data, you’re backing your ask with facts. 👉🏾 It’s a COLLABORATION, not a demand, the phrase “What are the chances?” makes it a discussion. If you’re about to negotiate your salary, do these three things: ✅ Research your salary range (Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, LinkedIn Salary Insights). ✅ List out your key value points, what makes you the best choice? ✅ Use this script and ask with confidence. The first offer? It’s NEVER their best offer. Negotiate. Ask. Demand your worth. If you want more real-world strategies to land high-paying cloud roles, drop a "Script" in the comments, and I will send you a script you can use on your negotiations!

As an executive recruiter, I've observed a common mistake professionals make when faced with salary pushback: immediately becoming defensive or flexible. Here's a more strategic approach 👇 When a recruiter challenges your salary expectations, avoid these common responses: • "I'm flexible on the number" • Lengthy justifications of your experience • Immediate concessions • Defensive reactions • Apologetic backtracking Instead, employ these strategic responses: • Redirect the discussion: "Could you share the allocated budget for this role?" • Explore total compensation: "Let's discuss the complete compensation package structure." • Reference market data: "Based on my research of similar roles in this market..." • Probe their perspective: "Help me understand how you arrived at your range." • Focus on value creation: "Let's discuss how my expertise can deliver value beyond the base salary." Remember: Salary discussions are business negotiations, not personal judgments. Your worth isn't determined by their budget constraints. The key is maintaining professional confidence while gathering information. Often, the first mention of salary concerns is the beginning of a negotiation, not the end. Check out my newsletter for more insights here: https://lnkd.in/ei_uQjju #executiverecruiter #eliterecruiter #jobmarket2025 #profoliosai #resume #jobstrategy #salarynegotiation

Many job seekers are hurting themselves right now. Part of it is because of this brutal job market... In 2014, my job search took me 14 months. It was incredibly painful and incredibly demoralizing. I remember that by month 10 I was willing to take anything. So I lowered my salary expectation... 👉 Big mistake. It may be tempting to ask for less to seem like a "good value" to an employer, but the truth is that the opposite happens. Let's say a recruiter has budgeted $130k-$160k for a role. They ask you, "what's your salary expectation?" and you reply, "I'm looking for $90k-$110k." 👉 They're not going to think, "wow, what a great value." No, they're going to think, "o wow, he must not be very good at his job." I see this happen all the time. Please, please, please don't undervalue yourself. Make sure you: 1. Research CURRENT salaries (they've gone up, not down!) 2. Calibrate those salaries to your experience 3. Ask for a wide range (a $50k range is totally okay) Know your value. Ask for your value. Get your value. You deserve it! 👉 P.S. For those not sure where to get salary information, just let me know below and I'll share my list of favorite salary websites with you. _

This past week alone I came across over 15 exciting museum jobs on LinkedIn I couldn’t share because they didn’t list a salary. 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗜 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆: “No salary, no application.” “Not worth my time to apply, even if I can check tax documents… chances are if they aren’t willing to post it, it isn’t competitive.” “I look for the salary before I read anything else. Why waste my own time?” “My first impression if they do not list a salary is that the position must not pay very well. This usually deters me from applying.” 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗵𝘂𝗴𝗲 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀. 𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆, 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗷𝗼𝗯. “My first impression? The position must not pay very well.” “I refuse to share the job announcement within my networks (virtual or otherwise). It says to me that the employer is out of touch.” “I’ve gotten less picky after 6 months of job searching...but the sites that post salary tend to be more responsive. The others? They ghost.” “I applied once for a role I was excited about—then turned down the offer because the pay was insultingly low.” 𝗜𝗻 𝗮 𝗳𝗶𝗲𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲: “I, generally, see this as a potential red flag. If they are not transparent in the job description, will they be transparent when you're working for them?” “It’s a red flag. Museums that don’t post salaries are wasting people’s time—or trying to chisel applicants.” "In the end, I do not apply to positions that don’t post a salary. That tells me you’re not transparent as an organization, whether it be compensation or elsewhere” “If it's on LinkedIn I will sometimes comment on the post and ask what the salary is. Their response (or lack thereof) often tells me a lot about how they operate as an organization and whether I would consider working for/with them.” “If I come across organizations where they are selectively choosing which roles have public information, I will avoid any applications there.” And in many places, it’s not just a bad look, it’s illegal. States with salary transparency laws include: AL, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, HI, IL, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, NV, NJ, NY, NC, OR, PA, PR, RI, VT, VA, WA, WI. Cities too: Atlanta, Cincinnati, St. Louis, New Orleans, and beyond. So my question is: Why is your organization still doing this? It’s actively harming your reputation, limiting your applicant pool, and contributing to long-standing inequities in the field. It’s 2025. Be better.

I’ve got an offer from Microsoft. eBay has offered a better sign-on bonus. Looks like Salesforce is also ready to match. Which one should I take? I received this message from a client who needed help in deciding on the right job offer. While it’s a great problem to have, it’s also one of the most misunderstood. When people get multiple offers, they tend to focus only on salary or brand name. But the right question is: Which offer creates the strongest compound return for your career? Here’s how I walk clients through offer selection (especially in tech): 1. Assess the 24-month runway → Will you still be learning and growing 2 years from now, or will you plateau after 6 months? → Will this team give you mentorship or treat you like a fire extinguisher? 2. Study the team structure & decision-making power → Are you working in a core product org or a side initiative that could shut down tomorrow? → Will you own features, influence roadmaps, or be a ticket-taker? 3. Check the track record for promotions → How long do people usually stay in your level before moving up? → Ask: “Who was the last person in this role and where are they now?” 4. Evaluate long-term visa & location safety (especially for international hires) → H-1B sponsorship, green card timelines, internal mobility not all companies are equal. → Get clarity upfront so you don’t scramble later. 5. Don’t forget: your manager > your brand → A great manager will open doors for you. → A bad one will block your growth, erode your confidence, and slow your career down. My client didn’t take the highest offer. She took the smartest one. Today, she’s working at a top company, and she’s thriving there. 📌 Save this if you're comparing offers. Repost if you know someone who's comparing multiple offers. P.S. Follow me if you are a job seeker in the U.S. I share practical advice to help you land your dream role. 

“I am looking for analyst roles, just like my current job.” Someone wrote me on LinkedIn with this during our career conversation last week. I pulled up her resume. She was doing advanced statistical modeling, building predictive algorithms, and presenting insights to C-level executives. At her company, they called this an “analyst” role. At most tech companies? That is a “data scientist” position with 40% higher compensation. Here is the problem: Job titles mean nothing. Job responsibilities mean everything. I have seen people underpaid by tens of thousands of dollars because they searched for familiar titles instead of understanding what they actually do. The same role can be called: - Business Analyst at one company - Data Scientist at another - Research Associate at a third - Senior Analyst at a fourth Each with completely different salary bands. Before you start job searching, do this exercise: List what you actually do day-to-day. Research how different companies title those responsibilities. Look at salary ranges for each variation. Apply to the role, not the title. The person doing machine learning and statistical analysis should not limit themselves to “analyst” positions just because that is what their current company calls them. Your skills determine your value. Do not let someone else’s job title determine your salary. I have watched too many talented people leave money on the table because they did not research how their expertise translates across different organizations. The biggest career mistake? Thinking job titles are standardized across companies. What surprising job title variations have you discovered in your field?