Or does it just telegraph that you don’t believe in your skills?
I am speaking about the “expected salary question” during my first job negotiation, specifically. I don’t care much about the salary for that one, I just want to get started on the path.
I am not sure where you are from, but you should look for sites dedicated to IT workers communities in your region. Lot of the times they have salary polls and statistics, that show averages and min\max rates for different positions in your country\city.
If you are not as worried about it but do not know what number to name, you can just look on those stats and name number from lower point of statistic for that kind of position.
So I would say first thing you should to do is to find your local IT sphere community\news site, and stay in touch with it to understand current trends etc.
I don’t think so. In the end, the company will make an offer (or not) based on your skills. You could price yourself out of the market, but you can’t price yourself in. In other words, a company is not going to be more interested in you just because you are cheap, if you don’t have the skills. Just find out the average junior developer rates for your area and quote a range. The quickest way is to ask a few recruiters.
Check out Salary Negotiation Tips From White Men in Tech: Part 1.
This is some of the best negotiating advice I’ve read.
Price yourself honestly according to your skillset and the job requirements. Don’t ask for more or less. But most importantly, be honest with yourself about where you are vs the job that you want and then decide on a margin.