Know Your Worth in 60 Seconds: Market Salary Based on Your Experience + Location

You've been at your company for three years. You've taken on more responsibility, led successful projects, mentored junior team members. But that voice in the back of your head won't shut up:

"Am I being paid what I'm worth?"

You Google "average salary for [your job title]" and find a range so wide it's useless. $60K to $120K. Great. That narrows it down.

You check Glassdoor and see conflicting numbers from different cities, company sizes, and experience levels - none of which match YOUR exact situation.

You ask a friend what they make, and it's awkward and inconclusive because they're in a different industry with different responsibilities.

So you go back to work, still not knowing. Still wondering. Still feeling like maybe you're leaving money on the table - or maybe you're actually doing fine and just being paranoid.

Here's the truth: you deserve to know what you're worth. Not ballpark estimates. Not national averages. YOUR worth - based on YOUR experience, YOUR skills, and YOUR location.

And you can find out in 60 seconds.

Why Generic Salary Tools Fail You

Let's talk about why Googling "average salary" leaves you more confused than when you started.

They give you national averages - which mean nothing if you live in Austin vs. Des Moines. A $90K salary in San Francisco is completely different from $90K in Nashville, but generic tools treat them the same. They don't account for YOUR experience - the difference between 2 years and 5 years of experience can be $30K+, but most salary tools just give you a single number or a massive range. They ignore industry context - a Product Manager at a FinTech startup makes very different money than a Product Manager at a healthcare non-profit. Generic tools don't know the difference. They mix entry-level and senior roles - when you search "Software Engineer salary," you get results that blend fresh bootcamp grads with 10-year veterans. That $95K "average" might be meaningless for your actual level. They can't tell you if YOU specifically are underpaid - even if you find a decent estimate, you still don't know: "Given MY background and MY location, should I be making more?"

The result? You're stuck with vague ranges, outdated data, and zero clarity on whether you should be negotiating, job searching, or feeling good about your current pay.

The Failed Solutions You've Probably Tried

Solution #1: Glassdoor / Payscale / Salary.com

You plug in your job title and location. You get a range. And then... what?

Is the range accurate? Is it current? Where do YOU fall in that range - and why? Are you comparing yourself to people with your same certifications, tech stack, or years of management experience?

The problem: These tools give you aggregated data, not personalized insights. They can't tell you if YOUR resume and YOUR background justify asking for the high end or if you're actually right in the middle.

Solution #2: Asking Friends or Coworkers

Awkward. Incomplete. And probably not helpful unless your friend has your exact title, years of experience, and lives in your city.

Even if they share their salary, you don't know:

If they negotiated well or poorly when they were hired

If they're underpaid or overpaid relative to market

How their background compares to yours

The problem: Anecdotes aren't data. One person's salary doesn't tell you what you should be making.

Solution #3: LinkedIn Salary Insights

Better than nothing, but still frustratingly vague. You get a range based on job title and location, but no insight into:

How your specific skills/experience stack up

Whether companies in your industry pay differently

What compensation looks like for YOUR niche (e.g., "React developer with AWS experience in healthcare")

The problem: It's still averages. It doesn't answer the question: "What should I be making given everything I bring to the table?"

Solution #4: Recruiter Calls / Job Postings

Recruiters might tell you what a role pays, but that's one data point for one company. Job postings increasingly hide salary ranges or post laughably wide ones ("$70K-$150K depending on experience").

The problem: You're guessing based on fragments of information, not getting a clear picture of your market value.

How CareerCheck Tells You What YOU Should Be Making

Here's how it actually works - and why it's different.

Step 1: Your Profile Matters

CareerCheck doesn't just ask for your job title. It looks at:

Your years of experience (not just total, but in relevant roles)

Your specific skills and technologies

Your education and certifications

Your industry and company type

Leadership/management experience

This matters because a Senior Data Scientist with 6 years of Python and ML experience makes very different money than a Senior Data Scientist with 6 years of SQL and reporting.

Generic tools treat these the same. CareerCheck doesn't.

Step 2: Location Is Everything

A $100K salary in San Francisco is different from $100K in Denver. Cost of living matters. Local market demand matters. CareerCheck factors in:

Your city/metro area

Regional salary trends

Remote vs. on-site market rates

Local demand for your skill set

You get a number that reflects what people with your background earn in your actual market - not a national average that might be 30% off.

Step 3: Real Market Data

CareerCheck pulls from real salary data - job postings, compensation surveys, anonymized offer data - to show you:

Your estimated market value (the midpoint of what you should be making)

Your likely range (what companies might offer based on size, funding, industry)

How you compare (are you below market, at market, or above market right now?)

This isn't guesswork. It's based on what companies are actually paying people like you, right now, in your location.

Step 4: Instant Clarity

Within 60 seconds of entering your profile, you see:

Your market salary - the number you should be targeting

Your range - low/mid/high based on company type and negotiation

Gap analysis - if you're currently employed, how far off you are from market rate

No more wondering. No more Googling conflicting numbers. You know.

Real Use Cases: When to Check Your Worth

Use Case #1: You're Negotiating Your Current Salary

Your annual review is coming up. You want a raise, but you don't know what number to ask for.

Without market data: You guess. You ask for 5% because it sounds reasonable. You have no leverage. With CareerCheck: You see that people with your experience and location typically make $15K more than you. You walk into that conversation with data: "Based on market rates for my role and experience level in [city], I should be at $X. Here's my case for getting there."

Suddenly, you're negotiating from a position of strength.

Use Case #2: You're Deciding If It's Time to Job Search

You've been feeling underpaid, but you're not sure if it's worth the hassle of job searching.

Without market data: You stay put, resentful and wondering. With CareerCheck: You find out you're making $20K below market for your experience level. That's not a feeling - that's real money you're leaving on the table. Time to update the resume.

Or maybe you find out you're actually at market rate and the real issue is career growth, not compensation. Either way, you know.

Use Case #3: You're Evaluating a Job Offer

You get an offer: $95K base + equity. Is that good? Should you counter?

Without market data: You compare it to your current salary, maybe ask a friend. You accept or counter based on gut feeling. With CareerCheck: You see that $95K is below the midpoint for your experience and location - market rate is closer to $108K. You counter with confidence: "Based on my research and market rates for this role, I was expecting something closer to $105K-$110K."

You just negotiated yourself an extra $10K+ because you had real data.

Use Case #4: You're Switching Industries or Roles

You're a Marketing Manager in retail considering a move to SaaS. Do you take a pay cut? A pay bump? What should you expect?

Without market data: You guess based on job postings and hope for the best. With CareerCheck: You see exactly what Marketing Managers with your background make in SaaS companies in your city. You know what to expect and what to negotiate for.

Use Case #5: You're Just Curious (And That's OK)

Maybe you're not job searching or negotiating right now. You just want to know: "Am I being paid fairly?"

That's completely valid. Knowing your worth isn't just about taking action - it's about peace of mind. Either you find out you're doing well (great!), or you find out there's opportunity (also great, because now you know).

What "Knowing Your Worth" Actually Gets You

Let's be clear about what changes when you have this information.

Confidence in negotiations. You're not guessing or hoping - you're asking for what the market says you're worth. That confidence shows, and hiring managers respect data-backed requests. Better career decisions. Should you stay or go? Take the offer or keep looking? You're making decisions based on real numbers, not anxiety or assumptions. Leverage in conversations. Whether it's a performance review, a promotion discussion, or a job offer negotiation, walking in with market data shifts the power dynamic in your favor. Peace of mind. Even if you're not job searching, knowing you're paid fairly (or knowing exactly how much opportunity exists if you do decide to move) takes the "am I being screwed?" anxiety off the table. Clarity on next steps. If you're $25K underpaid, your next move is obvious. If you're at market but feeling stuck, maybe it's time to level up your skills or aim for a promotion. Either way, you know.

How to Calculate Your Market Value Right Now

Stop wondering. Here's what to do:

Option 1: Use CareerCheck's Know Your Worth Calculator (60 Seconds)

1. Go to CareerCheck's Know Your Worth tool 2. Enter your role, experience, skills, and location 3. Get your personalized market salary - what people with YOUR profile actually earn 4. See your range (low/mid/high) and gap analysis if you're currently employed

Time: 60 seconds. Cost: Free. Accuracy: Based on real market data for your specific profile and location.

Option 2: Manual Research (2-3 Hours, Less Accurate)

If you want to do it yourself: 1. Search Glassdoor, Payscale, LinkedIn Salary for your title + location 2. Filter by years of experience (if possible) 3. Check recent job postings with salary ranges 4. Find 5-10 data points and calculate an average 5. Adjust for your specific skills/background (guesswork)

Time: 2-3 hours. Cost: Free. Accuracy: Rough estimate, lots of assumptions. The difference? CareerCheck does the research, filtering, and personalization for you in 60 seconds. Manual research takes hours and still leaves you guessing.

The Bottom Line

You don't have to wonder if you're being paid what you're worth.

You don't have to rely on vague ranges from generic salary tools that ignore your experience and location.

You don't have to ask awkward questions or piece together incomplete data from job postings.

You can know - in 60 seconds - what someone with YOUR background, in YOUR location, should be making.

And once you know, you can:

Negotiate your next raise with confidence

Decide if it's time to job search (or if you're actually doing fine)

Evaluate job offers with real data

Stop leaving money on the table

The question isn't "Am I being paid what I'm worth?"

The question is: "Why haven't I checked yet?"

Calculate your market value now - it takes 60 seconds, and it's free. Related reading:

How to negotiate salary when you know your market value

Should you job search? Know your worth first

How to know if you're underpaid (and what to do about it)

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FAQ

How do I know what salary I should be making for my experience?

Use a personalized salary calculator like CareerCheck's Know Your Worth tool. Enter your specific role, years of experience, skills, and location - you'll get a market salary based on what people with YOUR exact profile actually earn, not generic national averages.

What salary should I be making based on my location and experience?

It depends on your exact role, skills, industry, and metro area. A Senior Software Engineer with 5 years of React experience in Austin makes very different money than one in Cleveland. Use CareerCheck to get your personalized market rate - it factors in all these variables to show you what YOU should be earning.

How accurate are online salary calculators?

Generic calculators (Glassdoor, Payscale) give rough averages but don't account for YOUR specific experience, skills, or local market. CareerCheck's calculator is more accurate because it uses your detailed profile (years of experience, tech stack, certifications, industry) + your location to show what people like YOU actually earn.

How do I know if I'm being underpaid?

Compare your current salary to market rate for your role, experience level, and location. Use CareerCheck's Know Your Worth tool to see your market value and gap analysis - it shows exactly how far above or below market you are. If you're 15%+ below market, you're likely underpaid.

What factors affect how much I should be paid?

Key factors: (1) Years of relevant experience, (2) Specific skills and technologies, (3) Your location and cost of living, (4) Industry and company size, (5) Management/leadership responsibilities, (6) Education and certifications. Generic salary tools miss most of these - personalized tools like CareerCheck factor them all in.

Should I negotiate salary if I don't know my market value?

No - you'll either ask for too little and leave money on the table, or ask for too much without justification and lose credibility. Always check your market value FIRST (takes 60 seconds with CareerCheck), then negotiate with data: "Based on market rates for my experience and location, I should be at $X."

How often should I check my market salary?

At minimum: (1) Before annual reviews, (2) When considering a job change, (3) When you get a job offer, (4) After gaining new skills or certifications, (5) Once a year to stay informed. Markets shift - your worth might increase faster than your salary if you don't check.

Can I trust salary data from job postings?

Partially. Job postings increasingly hide ranges or post wide ones ("$70K-$150K"). Use them as one data point, but don't rely on them alone. CareerCheck aggregates data from multiple sources (postings, surveys, offers) to give you a more complete picture of market rates.