Salaries - Just How Much Are You Worth?

Salaries - Just How Much Are You Worth?
by: Todd Bavol



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 (Link:
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!

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About The Author
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