How do I know what I’m worth on the job market?

oktober 25, 2026

Your market value as a job candidate is determined by looking at what employers in your field, region, and at your level of experience typically pay for comparable roles. It’s not a fixed number, but a range shaped by your education, experience, industry, and the specific value you bring to an organization. In this article, we answer the most common questions about calculating market value, comparing salaries fairly, and how to use that knowledge in a salary negotiation.

How do you determine your market value as an employee?

You determine your market value as an employee by comparing your current role, years of experience, education, and industry against what the market pays for similar profiles. Start by gathering salary data from reliable sources, look at job postings in your field, and take stock of the unique skills you bring to the table. Together, these give you a realistic picture of what you’re worth on the job market.

Calculating market value is not an exact science — it’s an informed estimate. You build that estimate from several layers:

Job level and responsibilities: What are the tasks and decision-making authorities in your role? A senior project manager with budget responsibility has a different market value than someone with the same title but without that authority.
Years of experience in your field: It’s not just the years spent with your current employer that count, but the breadth and depth of your total work experience.
Education and certifications: Relevant degrees and additional qualifications move you higher within the salary range.
Industry and company size: Larger companies and profitable industries tend to pay more than small businesses or nonprofits for comparable roles.
Location: Salaries in major metropolitan areas are generally higher than in other regions, due to higher costs of living and the concentration of large employers.

Put all these factors side by side and you have a well-founded basis for determining what a market-rate salary would look like for you.

What sources do you use to compare salaries?

To compare salaries reliably, use a combination of salary surveys, job boards, industry reports, and conversations with people in similar roles. No single source gives the full picture, but together they provide an accurate frame of reference for your market value.

The most accessible starting points are:

Salary comparison tools: Websites such as Glassdoor, LinkedIn Salary, or Payscale offer free salary check tools based on job title, industry, location, and experience. They provide an indicative range.
Job postings: More and more employers are listing salaries in their job ads. Actively search for comparable roles and note the figures mentioned.
Industry agreements and pay scales: If your sector has a collective bargaining agreement or established pay scales, these provide a legally grounded baseline and insight into the salary structure.
LinkedIn Salary Insights: LinkedIn offers salary data based on anonymized profile information from users in similar roles.
Conversations in your network: Informal conversations with former colleagues, peers, or people in similar roles give you the most realistic and up-to-date information. It may feel uncomfortable, but it’s one of the most powerful sources available.

Use at least three sources and look for the overlap. That gives you a range within which your market-rate salary most likely falls.

What factors increase your value on the job market?

Your market value rises when you combine scarce skills with demonstrable results and a strong professional network. Knowledge and experience are the foundation, but it’s your visible achievements and specialized expertise that set you apart from others with similar backgrounds.

Concrete factors that increase your market value:

Specialized expertise: The more specific and rare your knowledge, the more employers are willing to pay. Think data analysis, AI applications, legal specializations, or deep industry knowledge.
Demonstrable results: Can you clearly describe the impact you’ve had? Cost savings, revenue growth, process improvements, or successful projects all strengthen your negotiating position.
Leadership experience: Managing teams, projects, or budgets significantly increases your value, even when moving to a different organization.
Network and visibility: A strong professional network and visibility in your field — through publications, speaking engagements, or an active presence on relevant platforms — make you a more attractive candidate.
Adaptability and a growth mindset: Employers value people who pick up new skills quickly and grow alongside changing circumstances.
Languages and international experience: Fluency in multiple languages or international work experience is a differentiating factor in many industries.

Invest deliberately in the areas where the job market experiences scarcity and where you already have a foundation. That’s the fastest route to a higher market value.

Why do women more often underestimate their market value?

Women more often underestimate their market value because they tend to attribute their achievements to teamwork or luck rather than their own abilities, and because they less frequently seek out information about what colleagues or the market earns. This is not a character flaw — it’s the result of deeply ingrained social patterns and unwritten rules within organizations.

Several mechanisms play a role here:

Impostor syndrome: Many women doubt their own competence, even when their performance is objectively excellent. This leads to undervaluing themselves in salary negotiations.
Less salary transparency in networks: Women talk less openly about salary among themselves than men do, which means they have fewer reference points for assessing their own position.
Modesty as a social norm: Women are socially rewarded more often for modesty and collaboration, while self-promotion tends to be judged more negatively than it is for men. This makes it harder to clearly and confidently assert one’s own value.
Unfamiliarity with the unwritten rules: Salary negotiation is a game with unwritten rules. Those who don’t know or recognize those rules are already at a disadvantage.

The good news: these are learned patterns that can be broken. By actively gathering market information, articulating your achievements in concrete terms, and learning negotiation techniques tailored to women, you can fundamentally strengthen your position.

How do you use your market value in a salary negotiation?

You use your market value in a salary negotiation by backing up your desired salary with concrete data and demonstrable achievements, rather than reasoning from personal financial needs. A well-prepared negotiation starts with facts, not feelings.

Prepare with facts and figures

Gather salary data from multiple sources before entering the negotiation. Know the range for your role, industry, and location. Establish your minimum, your realistic target, and your ideal outcome. Never go into a negotiation armed only with the feeling that you deserve more.

Frame your value in terms of results

Translate your contributions into concrete terms: which projects have you led, what savings or revenue have you generated, what additional responsibilities have you taken on? Employers make decisions based on value to the organization. The more concretely you can describe that value, the stronger your position.

Additional practical salary negotiation tips:

Name a figure or range first, so that you set the anchor in the negotiation.
Use silence as a strategy: after stating your desired salary, you don’t need to immediately backtrack.
Negotiate on benefits and perks as well — such as bonuses, a professional development budget, or flexible working hours — if there’s less room to move on salary.
Practice the conversation in advance, ideally out loud, so that your phrasing sounds natural and confident.

When is the right time to reassess your salary?

The right time to reassess your salary is during a performance review, after completing a significant project, when taking on new responsibilities, or when you notice that the market pays more than you’re currently earning. Don’t wait for your employer to take the initiative — that initiative belongs to you.

Concrete moments when a reassessment is both logical and well-positioned:

Annual performance reviews: This is the most obvious moment. Prepare with salary data and a summary of your achievements over the past year.
After a promotion or expansion of duties: If you’re doing more than your job description requires, you deserve to be paid accordingly. Raise this as soon as the additional responsibility becomes structural.
After completing a course or certification: New qualifications increase your market value. Use that as a natural opening for a conversation.
When you receive an external offer: A concrete offer from another employer gives you a strong negotiating position with your current employer — provided you handle it honestly and professionally.
After two years without a pay increase: If your salary hasn’t been adjusted in two years or more, it’s more than reasonable to initiate a conversation, especially if the market has moved upward in that time.

Schedule the conversation at a time when your employer has space and isn’t under pressure. A well-timed conversation backed by solid preparation significantly increases the chances of a positive outcome.

How we help you know and claim your market value

Knowing what you’re worth is one thing. Actually claiming it in a conversation with your manager or a prospective employer is a skill in itself. That’s exactly where we help ambitious women.

In our Masterclass Stratego for Women, participants learn, among other things:

How to understand the unwritten rules of organizations and use them to their advantage
How to articulate their own qualities and achievements clearly and confidently
How to apply negotiation techniques that align with their personal style
How to conduct a stakeholder analysis to understand who they’re dealing with
How to build a strategic professional profile without losing sight of who they are

The program runs for six months and takes place in small groups of no more than twelve women, allowing space for personal input and genuine depth. We work with concrete tools you can apply the very next day — not theory that ends up collecting dust in a binder. Want to find out whether the masterclass is right for you? Contact us for a no-obligation conversation.

Veelgestelde vragen

How do I know if my current salary is well below market value?

If multiple independent sources — such as salary tools, job postings, and conversations in your network — consistently show a higher range than what you’re earning, that’s a clear signal. A rule of thumb: if you’re more than 10–15% below the market average for your role, industry, and location, it’s time to have the conversation. Also factor in your benefits package, as that forms part of your total compensation.

What should I do if my employer doesn't acknowledge my market value or avoids the conversation?

Ask for a concrete time in the near future when the conversation can take place, and confirm it in writing. Back up your request with facts: salary data, your achievements, and the value you add. If your employer consistently offers no room and the market pays significantly more, that’s also valuable information — it may be a signal that moving to a different employer is the better move, both financially and professionally.

Am I allowed to ask what my colleagues earn to better assess my market value?

There is no legal prohibition on discussing salary with colleagues, even if some employers discourage it through employment contracts or company culture. Such clauses are generally not legally enforceable. Openly discussing salaries contributes to greater transparency and a fairer job market — and it gives you valuable reference points for assessing your own position.

How do I justify my market value if I have little work experience or have just graduated?

Focus on what you do bring to the table: relevant internships, projects, certifications, languages, and demonstrable skills that are scarce in the market. Look specifically at entry-level positions in your field and location to establish a realistic starting point. Also be open to negotiating for fast-track growth opportunities, an early performance review, or a professional development budget if the starting salary has less flexibility.

What is the difference between market value and assessed work capacity, and which matters most in a negotiation?

Market value is what the external job market is willing to pay for your profile. Assessed work capacity is an internal concept some employers use to evaluate an employee’s productivity, often in the context of subsidies or reintegration programs. In a standard salary negotiation, your external market value is the strongest argument, because it shows what you could earn elsewhere. That gives you an objective and hard-to-refute reference point.

How do I keep my market value strong when my industry is changing rapidly?

Continuously invest in skills the market demands, even if your current role doesn’t yet require them. Follow trade publications, industry reports, and LinkedIn discussions to see which competencies are gaining importance. Set aside time at least once a year to critically review your own profile: which skills are becoming scarcer or obsolete, and where can you stand out? That way you stay proactive rather than reactive.

Is it a good idea to use an external job offer as leverage with my current employer?

Yes, but only if you use it honestly and professionally — and only if you’re genuinely willing to consider the offer. Don’t use it as a bluff; employers see through it, and it can damage your credibility. Frame it as: ‘I’ve received an offer that confirms my market value, and I’d like to discuss that with you because I’d prefer to stay here.’ That opens a constructive conversation without creating an ultimatum.