Took me 8 months to figure out my salary ask was way too low for the market

Susan Henderson · 2026-04-19T17:10:04.920067+00:00

Kept getting ghosted after interviews until a recruiter in Austin flat out told me my number was 20k under the standard. Anyone else get a reality check on their worth?

lily_sullivan822mo ago

Hang on, is it really a "reality check" though? I feel like the whole "market rate" thing is a trap if you let it run your life. Sure, you might have been asking for less than average, but that number is just a guess from a bunch of different companies with different budgets. I've seen people chase the highest number and end up in a job they hate, or get laid off first because they cost too much. A recruiter telling you you're 20k under doesn't mean that's what you're worth as a person, you know? It just means that's what the bigger companies in that city are willing to spend right now. Maybe you dodged a bullet if those companies ghosted you over a number, because they probably would have treated you like a line item too.

6

michaelcoleman4mo ago

That recruiter did you a solid by being straight with you. Happened to a friend in tech who was asking for Philly wages while applying for Boston jobs. He kept getting weird silences after the salary talk until someone finally spelled it out for him. The market rate can be a complete blind spot if you have not looked for a job in a while.

5

the_harper4mo ago

Got to love when the market rate is a secret you have to guess. I was probably leaving a whole extra salary on the table for years.

1