Rasime.lt · job market and career
Set salary range for a new position
Published 2026-10-15
Determination of salary range for a new position, it starts with the job content, not the chosen title. Describe functions and responsibilities, find external analogues, compare the value of the job with other positions in the company and check the budget. Then justify the minimum, middle and maximum separately and agree in advance on which evidence of the candidate's abilities a specific offer will be selected. Not having a direct internal analogue does not preclude a consistent, documented decision.
- Compare jobs, not titles: positions with the same title may have different responsibilities.
- Unify the data: separate the basic gross pay, the variable part, the workload and the period.
- Evaluate the market along with internal justice: the external proposal is not the only basis for the decision.
- The interval must have logic: each part of it must meet a defined level of readiness.
- Resolve the budget discrepancy by changing the solution: not by masking it with vague bonuses.
Setting a Salary Range: Start with the value of the position
Prepare a brief job description before posting. In it, specify what problem the employee will solve, what results he will be responsible for, and what decisions he will be able to make independently. Separately mark the necessary skills and those that can be learned on the job.
Use consistent criteria for job evaluation: skills, qualifications, effort, responsibility and working conditions - these aspects of job value evaluation are discussed VDI information on labor payment.
In practice, write down whether the employee will only carry out the established process or create it; whether he will answer for his tasks or for the results of the work of others; whether managing budget, customer relationships or operational risk. The word "specialist" does not reveal these differences.
The internal counterpart does not necessarily have to be of the same department
If you are creating your first data analyst position, there may not be another analyst in the company. However, you can compare the complexity and responsibility of her decisions with finance, quality or process management positions. It's not a direct market price comparison: it's how you test your place in the company's overall compensation structure.
Attach a work sample to each criterion. "Great responsibility" is not enough; more clearly would be "independently approves decisions affecting departmental costs." Such a description is easier for the manager, the HR specialist and the candidate to understand equally.
How to collect comparable market data
Select external counterparts based on function, level of experience, and scope of responsibility. You can find it in Rasime.lt section latest job postings can be a starting point for comparison, but read each selected position: the title of the search result and the reward line are not enough.
The remuneration offered in the advertisement is not proof that the employee has already been accepted for it. Therefore, refer to these data as advertised offers and not actual salaries paid by companies. This avoids drawing too strong a conclusion from limited material.
| Comparison field | What to write | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| Functions | Main tasks and expected result | Reject positions with similar names but different content |
| Responsibility | Decision-making, team, budget, risk | Separate executive and managerial work |
| Experience and skills | Necessary knowledge, independence, specialization | Compare offers for employees with similar training |
| Location and work pattern | Workplace, distance, shifts, travel | Assess whether there is competition for the same pool of candidates |
| Position and period | Workload, hourly or monthly pay | Do not compare different sizes as equivalent |
| Basic gross pay | Lower and upper limit without bonuses | Compile a set of comparable base compensation offers |
| Source and date | Link, publication or revision date | Check the relevance of the data and restore the basis of the decision |
Consider additional context separately. The indicators of wages and labor costs of the sector are published State Data Agency, and provides overviews of demand and the regional situation the Employment Service; these are sources of context, not a price list for a specific job offer.
Before using a statistical table, read its period: the tables of the salary structure of occupations in the study are for 2022 year, so they cannot be presented as rewards for current ads.
What to do when there are few comparable ads?
Expand your search one attribute at a time: first look for other titles with the same functions, then for related fields of activity or other areas. Write where the comparison is accurate and where the assumption is based. In the case of a remote position, consider the actual search area for candidates, not just the location of the company's registration.
If the data is sparse, do not show the alleged accuracy. Provide well-matched analogs and weaker landmarks separately. Also ask to justify the evaluation of the recruitment company: on what functions, period and compensation components is their offer based on?
Mixed position: do not add salaries, but determine the core
Hypothetical example: the company is looking for someone to administer customer inquiries, maintain the CRM system and prepare performance reports. First, find out if it's a customer service position with additional tasks or a process management position where customer inquiries provide data.
Choose your primary counterpart based on the most important result and responsibility, not just the most time-consuming task. Use additional analogs to test whether rare technical ability or higher risk justifies a higher reward.
It should not be necessary to mechanically add the salaries of individual professions or calculate their average. Better to write down what autonomy is needed in each function group. If you expect both strategy, systems development, and day-to-day support, check whether the scope of work is generally implemented in one position.
How to justify minimum, middle and maximum
The following is a practical scheme for internal planning, rather than a statutory remuneration formula. It helps to link money with clear expectations and not leave the offer just for the impression of negotiation.
Minimum: required preparation
The lower limit should correspond to a candidate who has the necessary abilities and can perform the contracted work with the intended input. Write down which areas help is acceptable and which functions the person needs to take on right away. The minimum should not mean an indefinite "apprentice" position if you are looking for an independent specialist in the ad.
Middle: Independent performance of the entire position
Use the middle as a guide for someone who independently implements the full scope of the intended functions and reliably achieves the agreed upon results. Explain how its preparation differs from the minimum. If you use a mathematical midpoint, check separately whether it makes sense for the content of the work.
Maximum: The strongest level of the same position
Relate the upper limit to the ability to solve the most difficult situations assigned to this position. If it already requires leading a department or taking on another level of responsibility, you're probably describing a higher position, not the top of the same range.
The range can cover a wider range of employee development than a specific selection budget. Before publishing the offer, decide whether you will publish the full position range or the actual recruitment range, and clearly describe the terms and conditions that apply. A candidate shouldn't just find out at the end of the interview that the cap is out of reach for a new hire.
Budget and candidate place in the range
In the budget review, separate the base gross compensation offered to the employee from the employer's overall spending plan. In the latter, include applicable employer contributions, anticipated bonuses, measures and other planned expenses; combine actual calculations with accounting.
If comparable offers do not fit into the budget, choose a clear change: narrow the functions, reduce the level of responsibility, drop unnecessary requirements or revise the financing. Less time alone does not solve the problem if you leave a full-time workload.
Base the candidate's proposal on the same criteria you used to describe the position. During the interview and practical task, gather evidence of independence, complexity of decisions and ability to perform essential functions. Advance salary or aggressive negotiation should not replace the evaluation of the work's value.
How to present the reward interval in the ad
VDI clarifications instruct to publish the amount or range of basic remuneration, and if a range is selected, to present both limits and additional payments separately from the basic remuneration - see VDI Frequently Asked Questions.
Fillable template: "Base Salary: [lower limit] - [upper limit] EUR gross per month, working [workload]. Specific offer will depend on [clear job-related criteria]. Variable: [payment terms and guarantees]. Additional benefits: [separate list]."
Before completing the template, review the reward concepts and comparison principles salary guide. The wording of the ad should be consistent with the approved proposal, not an optimistic future scenario.
Practical checklist and conclusion
- Confirm the purpose, functions and decision boundaries of the position.
- Complete the comparison table and mark the weaker analogues.
- Check the value of the job against other positions in the company.
- Describe the minimum, median, maximum, and evidence of candidate evaluation.
- Reconcile the proposal budget and the total planned costs.
- Write down the author of the decision, the assumptions and reasons for the revision.
- Check the advertisement for clear pay limits, workload and bonus terms.
Determination of salary range is reasonable when you can explain each limit with work content, comparable data and a realistic budget. The next step is to fill in the table for a specific position, confirm the offer, and only then post a job ad.
Frequently Asked Questions
With what to compare the new position, if there is no analogue in the company?
Compare not just job titles, but key functions, decision-making autonomy, responsibilities and skills required. Look externally for positions with similar job content and within the company for positions of similar work value, even if they belong to a different department.
How to determine the minimum, middle and maximum of a range?
Associate the minimum with the necessary preparation to perform the agreed work, the middle - with the independent performance of the entire position, the maximum - with the greatest competence and responsibility assigned to the same position. Check limits against comparable market data, internal equity and budget.
What if the market reward exceeds the budget?
Review scope of functions, level of responsibility, prerequisites or work organization. If you cannot change the content of the position, decide on a larger budget or later selection. Do not present a non-guaranteed bonus as a guaranteed base reward.
How do you distinguish between base salary and bonuses in an ad?
Please provide the basic gross salary separately, clearly indicating the period and workload. Describe the variable part on the next line: what it is for, under what conditions it is paid and whether it is guaranteed. If you choose to publish an interval, specify both of its limits.