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Let’s be honest, money is an important part of why we work. “No way,” you say money is not the driving factor for me, it’s all about the experience”. So maybe that’s true, but unless you are independently wealthy, you still need money to pay the bills and put food on the table. After you find your job, the one that really motivates you, the money comes next. And, if you are like most people, you want to be paid what you’re worth. Most times, we are only worth what the market will bear. Unless we are so unique as to command an amazing salary (and if you were you would probably not be reading this article).
So what are you worth? Do you know? Well, you should know before you get the job offer. Some guides and salary search tools are included below. Like everything on the web these days, you could spend days (maybe weeks) researching salary. After a few tries at the resources listed below, you should be able to get the basic information you need without spending days looking for it.
Consider the Following
- Evaluate Your Skills: Assess your qualifications, experience, and expertise relevant to your field.
- Research Industry Standards: Investigate salary benchmarks for your role in your industry.
- Consider Location: Account for the cost of living in your area, as salaries vary by region.
- Factor in Experience: More years of experience often lead to higher pay.
- Review Job Market: Analyze the demand for your skills in the current job market.
- Ask Colleagues: Seek input from colleagues in similar roles for salary insights.
- Use Online Tools: Utilize salary calculators and websites to estimate your worth.
- Consider Benefits: Account for additional perks like healthcare, retirement plans, and bonuses.
- Negotiate Wisely: When offered a job, negotiate your salary with confidence based on research.
- Consult HR: Speak with your company’s HR department for guidance on salary expectations.
Start first with – Suggested Reading:
Begin getting paid what you're worth---today!
The latest guide in the top-selling, easy-to-use Perfect Phrases series gives you the correct vocabulary to use to get the best salary.
Salary Surveys & Guides:
Technology Salary Guide – This salary guide provides trends and salaries by IT job category. There are 15 or so job functions where you can see the salary ranges year over year. The beginning of the guide provides a brief overview, along with salary trends, hot industries, and emerging markets followed by some strategies. The guide also includes technical skills and certifications.
What are you worth? Do you know? Well, you should know before you get the job offer. Some guides and salary search tools are included below.Click To Tweet- JobStar Salary Surveys – This link to surveys, from JobStar.org, provides links to over 300 salary surveys. They start with a very long list of career types, followed by a link to general salary surveys. You should be able to find your functional role from this list and get a rough idea of what your salary might be in this market.
- Salary Guides by Robert Half – Another great resource from RHI, there are links to industry / functional role-specific surveys such as Legal, Technology, Finance & Accounting, and Office Team (to name a few). Click the link that interests you and you are led to a page where you can sign-up for the surveys.
Salary Calculator and Wizards:
- Salary Calculator – One of many salary calculators (way too many to list here), this one is offered by calculator.net. Type in your title put in your zip code and you are all set to go. Fairly generic, but should give you a rough indication.
- PayScale Salary Calculator – This one is from, you guessed it – PayScale.com. Same deal here – job title, city and state, and off you go.
- Search Salaries – This one is from our friends at indeed.com. In addition to the salary, you can take a look at salary samples and related articles from the links on the right-hand side of the page.
- Salary.com – As the name implies, the site includes links for salary info, personal salary reports, job search, education, and career development. Take a look at the bottom of the page where there are a ton of links.
