Developer Salary Negotiation: Where to Check Your 'Market Value'?
I'm a backend developer with 3 years of experience, currently preparing to change jobs. I have no idea what market value I should use as a baseline when starting salary negotiations. Recently I've heard about companies offering 90–100 million won, but that's probably only at large corporations or well-known startups...
If anyone knows freelancer salary statistics or relevant sites, I'd really appreciate it if you could share your experience. I'm particularly curious about what conditions to check when negotiating for stock options instead of a higher salary.
9 answers
Agreed. Salary negotiation is the hardest.
Freelancers are a bit different, but Wanted's salary stats are pretty useful.
Well, honestly, 90–100 million is the top 5% story. For a typical 3-year experienced person, I think 60–80 million is the reality.
Stock options are often just worthless pieces of paper lol. It's really important to check the equity percentage and the share quantity.
I had similar concerns when I was in my third year. Before salary negotiations, I recommend checking Jobplanet reviews and the team atmosphere first. Even if the salary is high, the total value drops if you're working late all the time.
Got a source? 90 million to 100 million isn't typical, is it?
After reviewing salary information on Wanted, Programmers, and Jumpit, asking directly on LinkedIn is the most accurate approach compared to Naver Knowledge iN.
In my experience, it's better to negotiate for a signing bonus or base salary rather than stock options. You should keep in mind the possibility of not receiving the stock at all. And of course, if you're betting on growth potential, compromise at a reasonable ratio.
There's a limit to only looking at salary. From changing jobs three times, I've learned that the title and tech stack you can leverage at your next move matter more. If you're not used to negotiating, going through a headhunter is also an option.