Salary Market Research for Tech Recruiting

Conducting salary market research for tech roles can indeed be challenging, especially without direct candidate contact. Here are some strategies and tools that can help you gather more reliable data:

1. Utilize Salary Research Websites:

• Payscale and Salary.com: These sites offer detailed salary reports based on job title, location, and experience level.
• Levels.fyi: Particularly useful for tech roles, it provides salary information across various companies, often including equity and bonus information.

2. Industry Reports:

• Look for annual salary reports published by consulting firms like Robert Half, Hays, or Glassdoor. These often contain aggregated data that’s more reliable.
• LinkedIn’s Economic Graph: Even without premium access, insights from LinkedIn’s reports can provide trends in hiring and salary data.

3. Networking Groups and Forums:

• Participate in industry-specific forums, Reddit communities (like r/cscareerquestions), and professional groups. Engaging in discussions can sometimes reveal salary expectations anonymously.
• Join local or online meetups for tech professionals; these can be informal sources of salary insights.

4. Job Boards and Listings:

• Websites like Indeed and SimplyHired often have salary estimates listed in job postings. You can aggregate this data to find trends.
• Use tools like Glassdoor’s Job Search to cross-reference salaries with specific positions.

5. Salary Benchmarking Tools:

• Compdata or Comptryx: These offer benchmarking solutions that can provide comparative salary data based on industry and geography.
• The HackerRank or TechCareers platforms might have features to help you gather competitive salary data.

6. Surveys and Polls:

• Conduct your own anonymous salary surveys if you have a network of professionals. Sites like Google Forms can be useful for this.

7. Professional Associations:

• Join organizations like the IEEE or ACM, which often conduct salary surveys and publish the findings.

8. Use Social Media:

• Follow tech industry influencers on platforms like Twitter or LinkedIn; they often share insights on salaries and hiring trends.
• Engage in discussions on platforms like Discord or Slack channels focused on tech careers.

9. Review Company Reviews:

• In addition to Glassdoor, check out sites like Comparably or FairyGodBoss that focus on company culture and salary reviews.

By leveraging these resources, you can create a more comprehensive understanding of salary expectations in the tech industry without direct outreach to candidates. Good luck with your market research!