Why your friend's salary from 3 years ago is almost useless as a benchmark
by Fadzli Noor·May 23, 2026
The most common salary research mistake I see: asking friends what they make and using that as a reference point.
The problem: your friend joined their company 3 years ago at market rate for that time. They've gotten increments that may or may not have kept up with market. Their company may pay above or below average for their sector. Their role may not map cleanly to yours.
Better benchmarks: recent job postings with salary ranges (increasingly common), salary survey data from Hays, Michael Page, or Robert Walters Malaysia (published annually), and salary data shared by people who were hired in the last 6 months.
The benchmark you need is what companies are willing to pay right now for someone like you — not what your friend negotiated years ago in a different market.