Thanks 12:25. I definitely plan to look at the full picture. I am creating a spreadsheet to compare each aspect of the package including the value of staying put.

Make sure to ask how much health insurance costs. That can be very expensive and some companies don't have very good plans.

OP here - I am kicking myself for speaking up first and for putting my lowball number out there. It was all moving so fast and I didn't start the research on salary negotiations until afterwards. I also thought that the recruiter was going to handle that part and that they wouldn't ask me directly so I wasn't prepared. *Sigh* Thanks for the responses so far. I like the response, "after further researching the market...."

Agree with PP that it's not just money but the whole package - do the math to "annualize" your salary based on how many holidays, time off and even other costs like commuting etc if those are different between where you are now and the two companies.

Don't accept any of the offers right away - hopefully you will have two that are similar and can perhaps use one to leverage the other higher, for the place you actually wish to work most.

Good luck! Nice (potential) circumstances to be in, congrats.

yeah don't start with the minimum next time. Start with the higher end of what you would expect and have room to work your way down as slowly as possible. never throw out the first number if you can.

Use glassdoor and salary.com as reference points.

whatever they come back with, immediately ask for a day or two to think it over so you have time to think of what you really think of the offer and don't say anything stupid.

also think of the WHOLE package when it comes to salary. Everything: base, bonus, vacation time, ability to work from home (this is huge!), hours, commute time, retirement benefits, health benefits, etc. These are also negotiable or to be considered as part of the whole job acceptance decision.

You don't have an offer yet.
Just go back and tell the recruiter (or company) that after further researching the current market, you wouldn't move for less than $145k.
Feel free to point to any data points you may have. Its a valid argument, and if they really feel you are a strong candidate, they would negotiate on the $10k.

I work in a niche industry where my skill set is in pretty strong demand. I am working with a recruiter interviewing with two companies. I am in my final rounds with both and all signs are hopefully pointing to two offers. However, I feel like I am selling myself short and not really negotiating the way that I should. The feedback from both companies and the recruiter seems to be that I am a strong candidate in terms of both soft skills and technical knowledge plus industry engagement through speaking and writing. Industry slalary studies show that for my position/experience, the average for this position in this metro area is $145k. I am currently making $115k. When asked about salary expectations, I said my minimum to move companies would be $135k. This was conveyed to both companies either directly or by the recruiter. Now, I am lamenting that decision and feel like if I am really a strong candidate, I should have asked for the industry average of $145k regardless of my salary history. As a woman, I already feel like I am fighting an uphill battle for wage equality and don't want to muddle this opportunity to get market value. If I stated a minimum, will they offer me just that? Is it too late to present industry information regarding salary? Should I just leverage the two offers towards one another for a potential bump? I am not an expert at negotiation dynamics but want to try to get it right if possible. I thought my recruiter would provide more guidance/advice but seems to just be following my cues in terms of what I expect salary wise but did confirm that he is seeing $145k as market value. Any advice/experience is helpful.