I saw a stat that 60% of salary negotiations fail because people don't ask for a specific number

Found it in a report from a career coach's newsletter I get. How do you even figure out what that 'right' number is for your role?

4 comments

4 Comments

theas282mo agoMost Upvoted

Honestly, the online sites give you a ballpark, but they're often off. I always check the job description for required years of experience, then look at similar job posts on company career pages. Sometimes they list the salary range right there. If not, I'll search for that exact job title at that company on sites like Glassdoor, filtering for recent posts. For my last role, I saw the company posted a range for a different but similar job, and I used that as my anchor. You need a mix of sources to get a real picture.

the_oliver6d ago

I gotta push back on that a bit, @scott.cameron. You mention "filtering for recent posts" on Glassdoor, but I feel like even those are usually skewed by people who had a bad experience and are venting, you know? I've seen ranges on there that are way off from what I actually got offered (or what I know coworkers make). The whole "mix of sources" thing sounds good in theory, but it can actually make you second-guess yourself more. If you spend too much time cross-referencing three different sites and a random job listing for a similar role, you end up with a fuzzy number that might not even be real. Better to just pick one solid source, like talking to a real person in your network who works there, and go with that. Anything else is just noise that wastes your time before you even get in the door.

the_emma2mo ago

Find out the pay range before you even interview" is the real key. My friend got burned by not doing that. She went through three rounds only to find out their top offer was way below her last job.

scott.cameron2mo ago

That report about the 60% failure rate is really interesting. But the hard part is definitely figuring out the "right" number to ask for. Do you think the best way is to just look at online salary sites, or is there a better trick? I've heard some people say you should find out the pay range for the job before you even interview.