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Know your worth: Our top salary site recommendations for 2023

Like many women, you’ve probably struggled with advocating for your worth in the workplace. The thought of negotiating your salary is daunting. What if I ask for too much? What if I don’t ask for enough? Will they think I’m unprofessional? These are just a few of the questions that may run through your head whenever the topic of salary comes up.

You may have heard that it’s important to know your market value, but where do you even start? Thankfully, there are a number of great resources available to help us determine our worth and negotiate confidently. These salary site recommendations will help you negotiate a salary that reflects your skills, experience, and hopes for the future.  

Why do salary research?

One of the most important reasons to do salary research is that it helps you develop confidence when negotiating your salary, which can be an intimidating experience. When you know what your market value is, you can feel confident asking for a higher salary and not worry about whether or not you’re asking for too much or too little.  

Additionally, knowing your market value gives you leverage during negotiations – if an employer offers a lower salary than what you deserve based on your skills and experience, you can confidently say another company would offer more. Information is empowering. 

Where to start?

There are several great resources out there that can help with your salary research. When researching salaries, it’s important to consider a variety of factors, such as your experience level, job title, location, and more. Sites like Glassdoor and Payscale are great places to start when doing salary research – they offer helpful tools to help you determine your market value and list average salaries by job title in different locations across the country.

Other resources that can help with salary negotiations include articles on negotiation tactics written by experts in the field (ahem, like our awesome negotiation guide). These articles can give you valuable tips on how to approach salary negotiations confidently and effectively. Many online courses or coaching programs focus on negotiation techniques and strategies. These resources may be a good fit for you if you’re looking for additional support or entering a management position. 

You can also ask friends or colleagues in the field about their salary. While some people may be hesitant, new policies like NYC’s salary transparency law have made conversations about these salary less stigmatized. Even if you are not based in New York, seeing salary ranges can help you get a sense of what’s a baseline in the field. 

The best salary comparison websites of 2023

Most salary comparison websites get their data from real people who have worked in the field and are familiar with what their skills and experience are worth. These sites give you a more accurate idea of your market value, so you can confidently ask for a higher salary or walk away from an offer that isn’t reflective of your true worth.

Glassdoor

One popular site for this purpose is Glassdoor, which offers detailed salary research on several different industries, including technology, finance, healthcare, and of course, marketing. With information provided by employees from different companies across these industries, Glassdoor is a valuable resource for salary research.

We also like that Glassdoor has a rating feature that allows you to leave reviews on employers and salaries, so you can get a better idea of what it’s like to work at different companies. This is a helpful reminder that salary is only one thing to negotiate for and think about when entering a new rol. 

Payscale

Payscale is unique in that you can set up a profile to more accurately assess the worth of your job skills in the market. Plus, all of Payscale’s salary data is collected through surveys they perform, keeping it completely unbiased.

LinkedIn Salary

LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform, so it’s no surprise they also provide salary insights. With their powerful search tools, you can easily find salary data on specific job titles and locations, giving you more information on which to base your negotiation discussions.

SalaryExpert

SalaryExpert offers more than just salary data – it also includes employee reviews, information about benefits and perks, interview questions for different positions, as well as average salary ranges based on your experience.

Factors that affect salary ranges

Salary comparison websites look at a number of factors when determining a salary range for different jobs. Some of the key considerations include:

Experience level:

The more experience you have in a particular field, the more you’re likely to be paid. For example, if you’re just starting out in marketing, your salary will likely be lower than someone with five years of experience in the industry.

Location:

Your salary is also impacted by where you live and work – for example, if you move from New York City to a smaller city or town, it’s possible that your salary will decrease since there are typically fewer opportunities available in these locations and the cost of living is lower. Additionally, salaries can vary across different regions within the same city or state – so even if you stay put when negotiating your salary, it’s important to research average salaries by location.

Industry:

Similar to location, the industry you work in can impact the salary offer you receive. For example, if you’re a marketing professional working in tech, your salary may be significantly higher than what someone with the same qualifications working in healthcare might earn.

Education:

Not all career paths require a degree. In some instances, you may need to have a degree, but not in a related field. In fact, it’s very common to meet people in marketing who didn’t study marketing in college. However, having a degree in your field of work can boost your salary and make you more competitive, particularly for graduate degrees such as an MBA. 

With all of these factors considered when determining salary ranges, it’s important to research what people with similar qualifications are earning – this is one of the main benefits of using salary comparison websites! 

Hopefully, these tips and resources will help you feel more confident when approaching salary negotiations. Remember, it’s important to advocate for yourself and negotiate based on your true worth to ensure that you’re compensated fairly for your skills and experience. In fact, companies expect that you will and may offer a lower salary number in anticipation of this negotiation. If you’re looking for even more information on how to approach salary negotiations, check out our detailed negotiation techniques and strategies guide.

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