Collect comparable offers, not vibes
Compare the same level, city rule, and role family. A remote band and an on-site Bengaluru band are different products. Note fixed vs variable. Ignore unofficial screenshots without a date or level.
On JobBucket, read the salary field when employers publish one. That is a disclosed band for that vacancy — not a national average. Pair it with the India salary report explainer so you do not treat one post as the market.
Translate CTC into a decision
Use the CTC vs in-hand guide to separate monthly cash from benefits and variable. Write down your floor: rent, loans, and the commute the vacancy implies. An offer below that floor is a no, even if the title is flattering.
If two offers look close on CTC, compare notice, joining bonus clawbacks, and when variable is actually paid. Hiring teams typically negotiate more easily on joining cash than on rewriting the whole grade.
If you set pay as an employer
A published range reduces junk applies and awkward first screens. Put the band on the JobBucket vacancy before you publish to the portal and apps. Start free; paid ATS plans from ₹1,499/mo.
Recruiting spend is not the candidate’s CTC. SHRM’s 2025 nonexecutive average cost per hire of $5,475 is an ops benchmark — use the cost-per-hire calculator for that math.