How to Find Your Market Salary (& Stop Underselling Yourself

Chances are, you were never taught how to find out what you should be earning. You accepted the offer, told yourself it seemed fair, and moved on.

What you might not realise is how much the market may have moved on too.

And that gap compounds quietly, through raises not claimed, contributions not made, and investments into Future You that never happened.

Throughout this week, we’ve talked about how to approach salary conversations, from building confidence to handling the negotiation itself.

And one thing keeps coming up: things tend to go better when you’re not walking into a salary conversation armed only with optimism.

A concrete, well-supported number changes the entire tone of the conversation.

So let’s break down exactly how to find your market salary.

What "Market Salary"  Means

A market salary isn't one number. It's a range, and that range shifts depending on where you live, what industry you're in, how senior you are, the size of the company, and the scope of your role.

A product manager at a tech startup in San Francisco is in a very different market to a product manager at a traditional bank in Dublin. Same title, completely different salary range.

The goal is to find the range that's realistic for your role, your level, and your market. Once you have that, you have context to work with.

Step 1: Start with the Data

Pull up at least two or three salary comparison tools.

Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, and Indeed are all worth checking.

Search your job title plus your location and note the ranges that come up.

Then do it again on different platforms, because the figures will vary.

At the same time, search for 5-10 current job ads for roles similar to yours.

Many now include salary ranges, particularly in markets where pay transparency laws are pushing employers to disclose. These are some of the most valuable data points you can get because they reflect what companies are willing to pay right now.

What you're looking for across all of this isn't one number - it's where the ranges start to cluster, and that cluster is your benchmark.

Step 2: Reality-Check with Real People

Data gets you most of the way there, and people in your network close the gap.

Recruiters are one of the most underused resources when it comes to salary research.

They're talking to candidates and hiring managers all day - they know what the market is paying right now, at your level, in your field, often more accurately than any calculator.

And you don't need to be actively job hunting to reach out. A short, direct message is enough: “I'm researching current salary ranges for X roles with Y years of experience, what are you typically seeing?" Most recruiters are happy to answer and gain a new contact in the industry.

People in your wider network, whether that's a former colleague, someone you studied with, or a contact in a similar role, are worth approaching too.

You don't have to ask what they earn directly. Try: "If you were negotiating a new role at my level right now, what range would you be working with?"

People are more willing to have these conversations than you'd expect. They feel awkward to initiate, but they turn out to be some of the most useful you'll have.

Step 3: Build Your Three Numbers

Once you have your research, the next step is turning it into something you can actually use.

Take everything you've gathered and define three anchor points for yourself.

• Your minimum is your floor. Below this number, the role genuinely isn't worth it to you, whatever else it offers.
• Your target is the fair, well-researched number you want and think is realistic.
• Your stretch is the ambitious-but-defensible top of your range, the number you'd be quietly thrilled to land.

Having all three keeps you grounded in a negotiation without losing your footing. It also means you're not making decisions on the spot, under pressure.

Step 4: Connect It To Your Impact

Finding your market rate is the foundation. The next step is connecting it to your own track record. Together, they're a much stronger case than either alone.

It's worth taking some time to write down 5-7 concrete achievements from the past 12-18 months, framed as outcomes rather than tasks.

Not "Managed and grew social media presence" but "I grew our reach by 40% and improved click-through rates by 15%."

Instead of, "I manage successful accounts" try "I retained three accounts worth £200k that were at risk of leaving."

So when the conversation does come, you're not scrambling to remember what you've actually delivered.

Market data plus documented impact is significantly harder to argue with than either alone. When you come with both, you're no longer making a hopeful request - you're making a well-supported case.

This Isn't Just About Asking More

It's worth naming something clearly: doing this research doesn't fix a broken system.

Women do negotiate. The research consistently shows this, and yet the pay gap persists. Because the data also shows that women are often evaluated differently when they do, and that promotion patterns still favour certain profiles.

These aren't individual failings. They're systemic patterns that market research may not fully cancel out - but doing this preparation still makes you significantly harder to underpay.

Every woman who walks into a salary conversation with a researched range and a documented track record is in a stronger position than one going in on instinct alone. That matters both for her and, over time, for everyone.

Know Your Number - Then Use It

Knowing your market salary range isn't about being demanding or difficult - it's about showing up to a professional conversation with clarity and context.

We’re already facing biases before we've said a word, and showing up with data is one of the most straightforward ways to push back on that.

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Want to learn how to negotiate once you’re in the room? Watch Victoria’s Nabarro’s How to Successfully Negotiate Your Salary webinar replay linked below.