A salary figure pulled from a single online survey rarely survives the first “we don’t have budget for that.” A defendable range is built from three layers: role evidence, personal constraints, and package trade-offs.
Role evidence
Collect comparable titles in your industry and city or remote policy. Prefer ranges tied to responsibility level (team size, budget ownership) over headline job names alone.
Personal constraints
Know your floor: rent, commuting, childcare, or relocation costs that make a number unsustainable. The floor is private; the walk-away line you share in negotiation may sit slightly above it.
Package trade-offs
German offers often move on vacation days, remote flexibility, or a signing payment when base salary is sticky. Map which non-cash items actually change your life before you concede on base pay.
In salary negotiation preparation we write these three layers onto one page so you can answer “why that number?” without improvising under pressure.