The moment an offer lands in your inbox, you feel a mix of excitement and relief. And hopefully a lil bit of pride!
But then the creeping question rears its head: is this good?
Most early-career women accept or decline offers without a framework, just a feeling. They don’t have any insight into the actual compensation expectations for their current role. And most of the time (even though it shouldn’t be), salary transparency in the workplace is looked down on.
We’re here to change that. The numbers below come from RTC members who told us what they earned: women handing each other the information the market would rather keep quiet.
This guide gives you the framework to make a clear decision, as well as the exact salary expectations that your role as a woman in tech demands. And yes, that includes how to negotiate your salary offer with confidence.
What’s the Difference Between Base Salary and Total Compensation?
Base salary means the guaranteed amount that your employer will pay you. It does not include bonuses, equity, relocation assistance, health insurance, or other perks.
Total compensation, on the other hand, includes everything, including signing and annual bonuses, benefits, remote stipends, PTO, and 401(k) match.
It’s important to factor base salary and total compensation while you’re weighing your offer, especially when you consider:
- 74% of surveyed RTC members received a signing bonus (2025: ~67%)
- 53% of surveyed RTC members received relocation assistance (2025: ~55%)
- 47% of surveyed RTC members received equity (2025: ~50%)
The takeaway: the offer with the lower base salary can still come out ahead once equity and bonuses are counted. Weigh the whole package, not just the first number.
How Do You Know If a Job Offer Meets Your Compensation Expectations?
Short answer: an offer meets your expectations when you can hold it up against real numbers for your role.
When evaluating a job offer, you have to consider your compensation expectations. Do you know what the median earnings are for your role? Have you looked into what companies are offering as benefits?
We surveyed RTC members who graduated in 2026 with a full-time position and put together this resource by role type as a benchmark that you can actually use while evaluating offers.
| Role | Median Salary | % Receiving Equity | Median Equity | % Receiving Sign On | Median Sign-On | % Receiving Relocation | Median Relocation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering – Other | $129,000 | 55% | $90,000 | 70% | $17,500 | 70% | $7,900 |
| Full Stack Software Engineering/SDE | $131,500 | 56% | $102,500 | 72% | $20,000 | 53% | $8,250 |
| Backend Software Engineering/SDE | $146,500 | 74% | $93,750 | 84% | $20,000 | 79% | $7,650 |
| Data Analytics | $88,000 | 23% | $10,000 | 50% | $10,000 | 19% | $5,000 |
| Product Management | $109,000 | 40% | $50,000 | 53% | $15,000 | 40% | $5,000 |
| Devops/Infrastructure Engineering | $100,000 | 62% | $117,500 | 46% | $6,000 | 46% | $4,350 |
| Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence | $100,000 | 46% | $40,000 | 23% | $25,000 | 31% | $8,000 |
| Data Engineering | $120,000 | 40% | $17,000 | 50% | $7,000 | 40% | $3,000 |
| Security/Cybersecurity | $89,000 | 29% | $58,000 | 57% | $6,250 | 43% | $5,000 |
| UX/UI Design | $132,000 | 29% | $150,000 | 71% | $12,000 | 43% | $5,000 |
| Frontend Software Engineer/SDE | $125,000 | 50% | $111,000 | 50% | $20,000 | 50% | $7,000 |
| Mobile Development | $129,000 | 67% | $67,000 | 67% | $35,000 | 50% | $10,000 |
Note: ‘Software Engineering Other refers to roles outside of frontend, backend, and full stack
If your exact position isn’t mentioned here or you want to dig deeper, supplement this information with external tools such as Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and LinkedIn Salary. Levels.fyi, though self-reported, is a great tool to see the potential growth of your position, especially at larger companies.
How Do You Compare Two Job Offers Without Losing Your Mind?
You have two job offers from your two dream companies, and you’re trying to compare the two, but it’s feeling overwhelming. We get it!
Even if you don’t have two offers, it’s important to take a look at your job offer and evaluate it. You have to ask yourself: can I actually work for this company?
The best thing when comparing two job offers is to create a simple side-by-side comparison. Some of the things you might compare are:
- total compensation
- base salary
- growth trajectory
- benefits
- culture signals
- (if applicable) relocation expenses
- (if applicable) remote stipend
If there are other things that matter to you (like location and travel requirements, etc.), make sure to list those, too! Not everything will be quantifiable, but it’s still helpful to write out what each company offers.
If you’re still struggling to see what offer to accept, ignore both of them and write out your dream answers for each of the above listed items. Then, take a look at the offers. Which is closest?
We need to mention before we close out this section that reneging on your job offer is something we warn against. We have an entire article as to why you shouldn’t that you can read, but the tl;dr is that recruiters remember and move to other companies. You do not want to burn bridges.
→ Read: So you’re thinking about reneging
-> Read: How to Search for Jobs that Align with Your Personal Values
How Do You Actually Negotiate a Salary Offer?
You might be thinking to yourself, okay so maybe this offer is great, but I have to move from Pennsylvania all the way to San Francisco, and that is expensive. Can I even afford it?
This is where negotiating a salary offer comes into play.
Before the how, one thing worth naming: a lot of us were taught that asking for more is pushy or greedy. That hesitation isn’t a personal flaw. It’s something women are conditioned into, and it quietly costs us over the course of a career. Naming it is how you move past it.
First things first, you can always negotiate. Even if you don’t need money to move cross-country. Maybe you just think the salary is a little low. Maybe you can’t start on the day they want. Maybe you want more remote flexibility.
Negotiation is often expected. It’s not considered aggressive.
Recruiters have put in so much time and effort that they do not want to lose you. They’re often willing to negotiate.
But how do you negotiate your salary offer?
First thing, decide what would make you accept. If you have another offer, you really have an easier time of it. You can utilize your second offer as a bargaining chip.
But if you don’t have another offer, you need to be clear about what you want.
When talking to a recruiter, the basic script should be to express enthusiasm and gratitude for the offer, name your specific number or what you want to negotiate on, give your reason for wanting it, and that’s it. Don’t ramble on. Just leave it there.
Listen, they might say no. That they can’t offer more remote flexibility or relocation expenses. That happens. And it’s okay! If their reasoning is sound and you’re okay with that, then you accept it.
But you also have to know what your “I won’t work without this” space is. If they are unwilling to budge, you have to be strong, too.
What Should You Do Before You Say Yes?
The number one thing that you should always do with any offer is ask for time, even if you’re willing and ready to accept.
You’re going to want to read through everything in the offer letter, ask any questions you have, and make sure you understand any at-will clauses, non-competes, and bonus vesting schedules.
Another thing we recommend is talking to a mentor or a trusted peer about your offer. Sometimes you look at things with rose-tinted glasses. It’s helpful to get a second (or even third) opinion.
You don’t have to evaluate or negotiate an offer on your own. The numbers in this guide exist because women shared them, and the advice exists because women who went first passed it back.
And we’re here for you the whole time.
Bring your offer to the RTC Slack and let women who’ve been there weigh in before you sign.