How to Check Your Market Salary Before Your Next Interview

"What's your expected CTC?" is one of the most expensive questions in a job search. Answer too low and you may leave lakhs on the table for years, since future raises usually build on your starting salary. Answer far too high without evidence and you may be screened out. The fix is simple: know your market range before the conversation.

Why a single salary website isn't enough

Every salary source has blind spots:

• Self-reported sites (Glassdoor, AmbitionBox, Levels.fyi and similar) depend on who chose to submit. Some roles and cities have few data points, and old entries linger.
• Job postings with salary ranges are real offers, but many companies don't publish them, and ranges can be very wide.
• Recruiter and consultancy reports are useful for trends but often cover broad role families.
• Friends and colleagues give the most honest numbers, for a tiny sample.

A reliable estimate combines several sources and looks at how much they agree.

How to benchmark your salary, step by step

1. Define the role precisely. "Software engineer" covers a huge range. Note your level (SDE-1, SDE-2, senior, lead), your stack, and the kind of company (product startup, large product company, IT services, MNC captive).
2. Fix the location. Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Gurugram and Chennai pay differently from smaller cities, and remote roles may pay by company location. In the US, compare by metro area.
3. Collect at least three sources for the same role, level and city: a salary site, recent job postings with ranges, and one or two people in similar roles.
4. Compare like with like. In India, check whether a figure is fixed pay or total CTC including variable pay, bonuses, ESOPs and benefits. In the US, separate base salary, bonus and equity.
5. Note the spread. If sources agree within 10–15%, you have a solid range. If they're far apart, you need more data, or the role varies a lot by company.
6. Check the date. Tech salaries can move quickly; prefer data from the last 12 months.

Turning a range into your number

• Aim for the upper half of a well-supported range if your skills match the role closely.
• Anchor on the role, not your current salary. You're being paid for the new job's responsibilities.
• Give a range when asked, with the bottom of your range at a figure you'd be happy to accept.
• Know your walk-away number before any call.

How to answer "What's your expected salary?"

"Based on what I've seen for [role] roles at this level in [city], the range is around X to Y. Given my experience with [two key skills from the job], I'm looking at the upper part of that range, but I'm open to discussing the full package."

This shows you've done research and keeps the conversation on the role's value.

Using RURU Salary Check

RURU Salary Check runs a live search of salary data for a role and place and shows the range together with its sources and a confidence level. If the sources don't agree well enough, it says so rather than inventing a precise-looking number. Results for the same role and place are kept for 30 days, so repeat checks are instant.

It's included in the free plan with a few checks a month, and in Pro with many more.

After the number: prepare for the interview itself

Knowing your range is only useful if you get to the offer. Prepare your answer to "Tell me about yourself", and practise behavioural questions with the STAR method.