How to find salary information Learn what you're worth in the job marketplace

Knowing how much you're worth is very important when searching for employment, or when discussing a possible raise with your boss.  Without an accurate understanding of your worth, you could easily end up with less salary than you deserve.

In theory, what you're worth depends upon what the employer believes you're worth and is willing to pay.  However, you can influence the employer's thinking by knowing what other individuals in similar positions with similar qualifications earn.

Employers routinely conduct research to discover what workers are paid by other employers and then use that data to set their own salary guidelines.  You can use the same strategy to determine what you're worth!

Directions:

1. Note the resources listed to the right.  All of these resources contain information on salaries arranged according to job titles.

2. Review a number of these resources and identify salaries paid for your occupation.  Review as many of these sources as possible to get the most accurate information.

3. Determine the following:

Range: what is the lowest to highest salary paid for your occupation?

Average: what is the average salary paid for your occupation?

How to use this information:

Experts in salary negotiation will tell you that you should ask for 20% higher than the top of the range knowing that the employer will try to negotiate you downwards.  Therefore, the higher you start, the more likely you'll end up with more salary.

Demonstrating to the employer that you have data on the salary paid by other employers is half the game.  The other half is convincing the employer that you're worth the higher salary (20% above top of range).

If you're a job seeker, you need to convince the employer that if hired you will bring great value to the company more than the average worker in your position.  If you're currently employed with a company, you're job is to convince the employer that you have accomplished more than the average worker in your position.

Click here for more information regarding how to negotiate a salary or raise.