Ask HN: How do you know you are getting "fair market rate"? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you know you are getting "fair market rate"?

7 pointsmsoad6 comments

I am currently worried that maybe I'm getting paid less than what I worth. I am a end to end web developer in SV working for a "big company" as a permanent employee. I'm getting $140k salary. But from what I hear I think I might be able to make more. Specially because I am an immigrant (Green Card holder) and not a native English speaker. I don't know how to make sure what is my actual worth in market.

Interviewing can help but there are two problems with interviewing.

1. It can damage my professional repetition if I use other companies as a measurement tool.

2. No other company have exact equal condition. They might be a startup with high risk or a company with bad culture. Even they pay more, I wouldn't be as happy as I am.

What you are 'worth' is different to every employer as they all have a unique combination of requirements + expectations.

All you can do is find out what the range of $$ people are getting paid for comparable roles and see where you sitting on the line, then figure out if you are happy with your $$ in relation.

Go and talk to recruitment agents. You don't need to tell them where you are currently working, just what you do.

Part of their job is to know what people are worth.

I've talked to a fair amount of recruiters and they were all over the place as to what I was worth but a few consistently underpriced my skills claiming they were being "honest" with me.

Also, don't believe the bullshit that a recruiter's job is to get you as much money as possible. A recruiter has a choice of either closing the position for a client and making some money or making nothing. A few grand either way isn't going to make a bit of difference to them. They will work both sides of the table at your expense.

A recruiter is not trying to get you as much money as possible, they work for the employer.

There is no black and white answer, just ask high and negotiate down if you have to! Make sure you sell yourself on why you are awesome so they are at least interested in haggling.

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How many years of experience do you have?

I have 3 years of "US experience" and about 6 years of experience in total.

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