Salaries - Just How Much Are You Worth
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Regardless of income, job, background or education, nearly everyone thinks
they are entitled to more money than they are getting. Salary negotiation,
however, has to be based on realistic expectations within the current
marketplace and, like investments, ‘what you are worth’ in an employer’s eyes
can go up or down.
At one time, trying to get hold of salary information proved quite a difficult
task. As employers are wont to pay as little as possible, while still trying to
keep their employees reasonably happy, they liked to ‘play their cards close to
their chests’ for fear that expectations might rise and their bank balances
might suffer. Nowadays, however, it is much easier to find this information
because the Internet has effectively empowered employees, who now know where to
go to get this information.
While data naturally varies from site to site, there is a huge range of anything
from salary surveys to customized compensation analyses available online. Here
are just a few which will help to give you an idea of what others in your line
of work are receiving, or what it might be reasonable to expect in a different
field.
1. Salary.com allows you to input or select from a range of job titles to find
out the US national average for that particular role, such as National Account
Manager. Insert your zip code and you can learn what percentage of all National
Account Managers is employed in your region, as well as the median salaries for
the region. You can even check out the educational levels within a profession
and the variation in salaries depending upon the size of the employer. By going
a step further, inputting a few straightforward details about your company,
industry, job title, pay and performance and education and the site will give
you access to your own ‘You vs Market’ Report, as well as providing you with
monthly updates on your salary ranges and notifications of any job postings in
your area.
2. Payscale.com is another site which provides accurate, real-time reports based
on your job title, location, education, skills and experience. It gives you the
opportunity to evaluate a job offer or raise, evaluate your salary for your
current job or check out the salaries for a job that you may be considering for
the future.
3. Indeed.com has a link to its own salaries page, providing the average
salaries for jobs according to zip code, as well as historical trends within
particular professions.
4. Vault.com holds a comprehensive range of salary surveys on major companies,
industries and professions, although it has to be said that when I tried it,
many of the links were unavailable and some information is only available to
Vault Gold Members.
5. America’s Career InfoNet at http://www.acinet.org offers salary information
on a wide range of occupations, either nationally or by area. There are yearly
and hourly wage charts, as well as a 2007 wage table which is useful for
comparative purposes, for each occupation.
6. The United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics provides a
wealth of current and historical surveys and statistical data, as well as all
that contained within its Occupational Outlook Handbook and Career Guide to
Industries.
Of course, especially in a tough economic climate, there may appear to be a huge
gulf between what you think you are worth and what employers are willing to pay
(see my post dated 20 April concerning how employers are putting the squeeze on
workers), but doing your research and going into the marketplace with even a
rough idea of what is reasonable is certainly better than completely
‘outpricing’ or undervaluing yourself.
The other thing to remember is that salary ranges are all very well, but the key
to maximizing your compensation is about clearly demonstrating the benefits that
you can bring to an organization. A well-documented performance which provides a
prospective employer with quantitative results and shows him how you solved
problems or accomplished tasks is pretty tough to argue with!
I am committed to providing people quick access to job search and career
information. Over 20 years of experience in the HR and Career Coaching field has
given me a vast amount of information and resources to share with you. My
natural curiosity and desire to be on the leading edge of EVERYTHING, brings
value to you as a blog participant because I will keep you informed of updates,
changes and innovations that will assist you in finding the job.
http://www.integritycareertransitions.com/blog
