How to negotiate your job offer using startup salary data in 2023

After a recent survey, we found 58% of people negotiated their last job offer. With almost half of candidates not negotiating the first offer from a potential employer, you may be leaving additional money on the table.

Negotiating a job offer can be a daunting task, but it's important to ensure that you're being fairly compensated for your skills and experience. One way to do this is by leveraging public salary data.

Introducing Wellfound’s new startup salary tool aggregating startup salaries and equity compensation data in 2023 for startups in the US. Know the market. Know your worth. Walk into any negotiation with confidence you're earning a fair salary.

Do your research

Before entering into salary negotiations, it's important to do your research and get a sense of what the market rate is for your position. For example, let’s look at salary startup data for software engineers in the Austin, Texas area.

Review the data

Once you've inputted the initial search filters, review the data. For example “The average salary for a Software Engineer in Austin is $130,583, which is 28.1% higher than the average Austin startup salary o f$101,917.” Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Determine your value

Based on your research, determine what you believe your skills and experience are worth in the market. Be prepared to explain why you believe you're worth a certain amount. Check out the tech stack function to see how your specific engineering skills may increase or decrease your compensation range.

Be flexible and know your bottom line

While it's important to be confident, it's also important to be flexible. Consider other forms of compensation, such as stock options or benefits, if the company is unable to meet your salary expectations.

By leveraging public salary data and following these tips, you can negotiate a job offer that is fair and reflective of your skills and experience. Get started with the Startup Salaries and Equities tool today.