Research the average salary for your role and location
Use specialised salary websites such as:
Glassdoor
StepStone Gehaltsreport
Gehaltsvergleich.com
Kununu
Enter your job title, city or region, and years of experience.
You will usually see a salary range (e.g. 3,200–3,800 € per month for a full-time position).
Factor in your personal profile
Degrees and specialisations (the more qualifications or specialised courses you have, the more confidently you can ask for a higher salary).
Years of professional experience (each additional year usually strengthens your position).
Special or rare skills (languages, programming, team leadership, international work experience …).
Level of responsibility in your role (how many people you manage, size and budget of the projects you lead).
Calculate local living costs
Big cities (Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt) tend to offer higher salaries than small towns, but living costs are also much higher.
Consider your basic needs (housing, transport, health insurance, family obligations).
Monitor competitors’ offers
Look up similar job ads in the same sector and note the salary ranges being offered.
You can also ask colleagues or friends in the same industry in an informal way about current market salaries.
Assess the company’s situation
Large or international companies often pay more than very small firms.
If the company operates in a high-demand sector (IT, engineering, nursing, etc.), you can set your expectations a bit higher.
Define your “minimum” and “ideal” salary
Decide on the absolute minimum salary below which you will not accept an offer.
Define an ideal salary you would like to reach (ideally within the realistic range you found during your research).
Practical example:
You searched on StepStone and found that the average salary for an IT Support Specialist in Hamburg is 3,300–4,000 € per month.
You have 4 years of experience, speak good English and hold a special certificate.
You decide:
Minimum: 3,400 €
Target range: 3,600–3,900 €
Official salary request in your application: 3,800 € gross
Summary:
Research average salaries carefully.
Evaluate your experience, skills and strengths realistically.
Don’t ask for less than a reasonable minimum, and stay realistic with your upper limit.
Be prepared to negotiate and always state your salary as a gross salary (Bruttogehalt) per month or per year.
The editorial team of this website strives to provide accurate information based on thorough research and multiple sources. Nevertheless, errors may occur or some information may be incomplete or not fully verified. Please treat the information in this article as an initial reference only and always consult the relevant authorities or professionals for definitive guidance.
