How much should you expect to be paid?
Compensation is set by the market for the scope of the role, not by what you earned last. Value the whole package — base, bonus structure, benefits, pension, vehicle, vacation and severance terms — and give a researched range rather than a single number when asked.
For candidates
What makes up a senior package
- Base salary, and when it is next reviewed.
- Bonus: target percentage, what triggers it, and whether it has actually paid out.
- Benefits, pension or matching, and vehicle or allowance where relevant.
- Vacation, flexibility, and notice or severance terms in writing.
How to answer the salary question
Give a researched range for the scope of the role and say what it is based on. A single hard number early in a process either caps you or removes you, and both happen quietly.
What actually moves a number
Scarcity of your specific experience, evidence of outcomes at similar scope, and a competing process. General enthusiasm does not move a number. Neither does what you need personally.
Working with a recruiter on compensation
A retained recruiter knows the band before you enter the process and has no interest in placing you below it — a candidate who resents their package leaves. Be direct about your expectations early so nobody's time is wasted.