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The Praxy Journal
Straight talk on resumes, interviews, salary, promotions, and the job market. No fluff.
Salary and leverage
How compensation conversations really move when you do not have a perfect hand.
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Showing posts for salary negotiation.
Clear themedata analyst salary
Data Analyst Salary and Career Path: Why the Best Move Is Sideways
A data analyst salary runs about $65K to $110K in the US and ₹4 to ₹15 lakh in India. The move that raises it most isn't data science. It's sideways.
Read →exploding job offer deadline
The Exploding Offer Is a Pressure Tactic, Not a Deadline
An exploding job offer deadline rarely expires. Candidates punish them 5-6x more than open offers, and they win no extra hires. Here's how to buy time.
Read →how to negotiate salary after job offer
How to Negotiate Salary After a Job Offer: The 48-Hour Playbook
66% of people who counter get more than the first offer, yet most never ask. Here's exactly how to negotiate salary after a job offer in your 48-hour window.
Read →is an mba worth it
Is an MBA Worth It? Run Your Breakeven Before You Apply
Is an MBA worth it? A top US program costs about $500K all-in once lost salary counts. Here's who it pays for, by school tier, target field and market.
Read →job interview red flags
Job Interview Red Flags: When to Walk Away From an Offer
33% of new hires quit within 90 days. The job interview red flags that actually predict that regret, the ones that don't, and the questions that surface them.
Read →salary history question
Salary History Question: Banned in Nearly Half the Country, Still the Cheapest Way to Underpay You
22 states ban the salary history question, yet a quarter of candidates still volunteer it. How to answer it without anchoring your next offer to your old pay.
Read →counter offer
Counter Offer: Should You Take It? The Stay-or-Go Decision Table
People who take a counter offer stay just 1.7 years on average. Use this decision table to see what a raise can fix, plus scripts to accept or decline.
Read →total compensation
Total Compensation: The Number Recruiters Use to Make Less Money Look Like More
In Levels.fyi's own example, 40% of the total compensation quote is unvested equity. Here's what total comp includes, and how to price what's guaranteed.
Read →when not to negotiate salary
When NOT to Negotiate Your Salary. Yes, Sometimes You Shouldn't.
Hiring managers withdraw only ~6% of offers over a career, yet learning when not to negotiate salary saves the deals where pushing costs more than it pays.
Read →product manager salary
Product Manager Salary by Level: Where the Money Actually Moves
Product manager salary jumps at rungs, not years: Amazon's Director level nearly doubles Principal pay. Here's US and India PM pay by level, sourced.
Read →negotiate remote work in offer
Stop Negotiating Salary. Negotiate the Thing They Can Actually Say Yes To.
Workers value 2-3 remote days at 7.2% of pay, yet few negotiate remote work in an offer. Base is fenced by equity rules. Flexibility isn't. Here's the ask.
Read →prestige vs pay career
Prestige Is a Salary You Pay the Company, Not One They Pay You
Prestige vs pay: why dream jobs underpay by design, what the discount really costs over a career, and three questions to ask before you take one.
Read →non compete agreement
Non-Compete Agreements: Enforceable, or Just Cutting Your Pay?
Is your non-compete agreement enforceable? 95% of firms cite trade secrets, yet only 6% often enforce. Your state and salary decide. Check the rules here.
Read →full stack developer salary
Full Stack Developer Salary: The Real Numbers, and the Ceiling
Full stack developer salary: about ₹9-10 LPA in India and a $138K median in the US, but AI/ML and cloud specialists earn $51K more. How to break the cap.
Read →should i become an engineering manager
Becoming an Engineering Manager Is a One-Way Door Most People Don't See
Should you become an engineering manager? It's sold as a promotion, but it's a one-way door. The honest math on skills, salary, and the five-year clock.
Read →ai productivity worker pay
AI Made You Twice as Productive. Your Salary Didn't Notice.
AI productivity gains don't raise worker pay by default. Here's where the surplus actually goes, and the narrow window to capture some of it yourself.
Read →h-1b sponsorship
H-1B Sponsorship: Chasing It Broadly Is Why You're Not Getting Sponsored
Only 2.6% of Handshake listings now offer visa sponsorship. H-1B sponsorship lives with a few employers and wage bands. Here's how to aim at them.
Read →remote salary location based pay
"We Pay Local Rates" Means the Company Captured Your Arbitrage
Remote salary location based pay isn't a fairness policy. It's a cost strategy that pockets your arbitrage. Here's how to read the offer and negotiate it.
Read →job searching while employed
Unemployed Candidates Get Penalized. So Don't Become One First.
Job searching while employed gives you more callbacks and higher offers. The data on why quitting to focus on the search backfires, and what to do instead.
Read →tsenta alternative
Praxy vs Tsenta: The Fastest Application Isn't Always the One That Gets Hired
Looking for a Tsenta alternative? Tsenta's auto-apply speed vs Praxy's free coaching on fit, interviews, and offers. Where each genuinely wins.
Read →runner up job candidate
Being the "Strong Number Two" Is a Real Position. Play It Like One.
Being the runner up job candidate isn't the end. One in three accepted offers fall through, and recruiters call the shortlist first. Here's how to be that call.
Read →salary history ban
Salary History Bans: They Worked, and That Tells You How Pay Really Gets Set
Under a salary history ban, job-changers earned 3.9% more, women 6.2% and non-white workers 5.8%. Here's what that proves about how your pay really gets set.
Read →cost of living adjusted salary
That San Francisco Salary Is Smaller Than Your Hometown Offer
A cost of living adjusted salary flips the math: a $150k San Francisco offer can leave you poorer than $105k in Austin. Run the real number first.
Read →gender pay gap negotiation
Gender Pay Gap Negotiation: Women Ask as Much as Men. They Just Get Penalized for It.
54% of women MBAs negotiated offers vs 44% of men. The gender pay gap in negotiation isn't about asking; it's who gets a yes. Here's what closes it.
Read →target bonus vs actual payout
Your "Target Bonus" Is Marketing, Not Compensation
Your target bonus vs actual payout rarely match. See the data, the formula companies hide, and how to negotiate base so the bonus is pure upside.
Read →software engineer salary by country
Why the Same Job Pays 4x More Depending on Where You Sit
Software engineer salary by country swings up to 4x for identical work. Here's why geography prices the offer, and how to target the tier that pays more.
Read →job switching vs staying salary growth
The Mid-Career Trap: What Your Salary Does Between Year 2 and Year 10
Job switching vs staying salary growth: why staying quietly costs you, how the loyalty tax compounds, and the one number to track before it calcifies.
Read →should you accept a counter offer
The Counter-Offer Is a Pay Cut in Slow Motion
Should you accept a counter offer? It's a market correction extracted at maximum leverage, and it anchors every future raise to a number your boss conceded.
Read →salary band
Salary Band: Why It Caps Your Offer (and Where the Room Is)
Your offer is capped by a salary band, not the budget. Here's how a salary band works (min, midpoint, max, compa-ratio) and what moves when base won't.
Read →does salary negotiation actually work
Salary Negotiation Is Mostly Decided Before You Open Your Mouth
Does salary negotiation actually work? Mostly the band, level, and company decide the number before you ask. Here's the 80% you can move earlier.
Read →salary negotiation without competing offer
How to Negotiate Salary Without a Competing Offer (2026)
No competing offer? You can still negotiate. The exact number to ask for, the one-ask script, and what to say when they claim the band is fixed.
Read →who should name salary first
Whoever Says the Number First Doesn't Lose. That's Outdated Advice.
Who should name salary first? The old never-go-first rule costs you money when you know the band. Here's the two-question test for when to anchor.
Read →tech sales vs engineering salary
Tech Sales vs Engineering Salary: The Highest-Paid Person in the Building Is Often in Sales
Tech sales vs engineering salary: top AEs earn $600K to $1M+, past the $457K staff-engineer band, yet average quota attainment is 43%. The honest math.
Read →job search funnel benchmarks
You Can't Control the Offer. You Can Control the Denominator.
Job search funnel benchmarks show one tech offer can take 100-300 applications. Here's why you quit too early, and the denominator you can actually control.
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