LOCAL Jobs
Resumes
Career Guides
Salary Info
Hidden Jobs
Ask Electra
Search Site
CALIFORNIA
- Los Angeles
- Sacramento
- San Diego
- San Francisco
About JobStar
Privacy Policy
Contents
 |
|
 Your Salary I.Q. |
1. Salary information is easy to find.
2. Companies establish a salary schedule and everyone knows what everyone else makes.
3. Salary information is useless unless it exactly matches your position title, company size, geographic location and industry.
4. Only executives get to negotiate their salaries.
5. You should accept any job offer no matter how the initial salary offer measures up.
1. Salary information is easy to find.
FALSESalary information isn't easy to find. You'd think this would be easy, wouldn't you? After all, the government measures everything and wages and salaries are easy to measure.
When the government (federal or state) collects information on salaries the results are too general to apply to specific cases. Using government reports you may be able to find wage levels in manufacturing (rarely more specific than that) for a county or a state, but the ranges (from $1,000 to $4,000 a month) are almost useless when it comes to setting an individual salary level.
There are folks called "compensation specialists" that work in the Human Resource Departments of larger companies. They often work with commercial vendors who collect salary data and sell that information to the employer. None of this information is available to the applicant--and almost never to the employees inside the company.
The commercial services are limited to "member companies" only and quite expensive. See, for example, American Electronics Association Salary Surveys or Radford Associates. They are never never (never) sold to libraries.
For the jobseeker the most useful salary information comes from trade and professional associations that survey their members on a regular basis. If you're lucky there will be a geographic breakdown that highlights your area or a company breakdown that distinguishes between larger and smaller companies.
Because this info is so hard to get at--and because it is so important--business and trade publications often feature articles on typical salaries and benefits for a limited range of job titles.
Sometimes the best salary information--though you wouldn't want to make a federal case out of it--comes from other people who do what you do. PLEASE, don't ask people, "What do you make?" Instead ask them, "Does this range sound right for this kind of job in this kind of company?" Chances are they will say either: "WOW! What's the name of the company?" or "Well, it sounds a bit low for someone with your experience and the level of responsibility." When you combine their feedback with the salary information you already have, you'll have a better idea of how you want to approach the salary offer.
[To explore links to 300+ salary surveys on the Web, visit JobStar's Salary Surveys page.]
2. Companies establish a salary schedule and everyone knows what everyone else makes.
TRUE and FALSECompanies establish a salary schedule but everyone doesn't know what everyone else makes. Most companies (and government agencies and nonprofit organizations) have established a salary structure for their organization. That is, they have a "range" in mind for any specific job. Government agencies and nonprofits are often up front about who makes what. You can go into the personnel office or take a peek at the budget and find out what others make. Private businesses rarely (as in almost never) let this information get around. Employees may even be warned: "Never tell anyone else what you're making."
It's the salary "range" you should focus on. Is the employer gonna offer you the top of the range right away? Nope. It's to their advantage to sign you in at the low end, saving money and giving you an incentive to work your way up.
The major trick--from your point of view--is to avoid establishing how high or how low in the range you are too early in the interview process. If pegged too early--before the employer has decided that you are the perfect candidate--you may be eliminated as either too cheap ("Obviously not up to our standards.") or too expensive ("Let's find someone who will work for less.") See the resources in Salary Negotiation Strategies to learn how to position yourself successfully.
If you've been asked for a Salary History early in the application process, you have some decisions to make. This Ask Electra column discusses the ins & outs of salary histories from both the job seeker and employer's perspectives.
3. Salary information is useless if it doesn't exactly match your position title, company size, geographic location and industry.
FALSESalary information is useful even if it doesn't exactly match your position title, company size, geographic location and industry. You'll almost never find a salary survey that exactly matches your situation! And even if you did, it's not likely the employer is going to revamp their offer in light of it.
The point here is to be informed about what is reasonable and standard in your profession and your industry. You also will want to know whether you are bringing any extraordinary skills to the position--skills your employer may value and compensate as "extra." While many companies are stepping away from the concept of "job descriptions," in salary negotiations those old descriptions still have some value. If you are a receptionist and, because of your extraordinary skills with computers, you will also be updating and modifying the company's web pages, you may be able to make a case for a new position description--and a new salary.
[To explore links to 300+ salary surveys on the Web, visit JobStar's Salary Surveys page.]
4. Only executives get to negotiate their salaries.
FALSEExecutives are not the only ones who get to negotiate their salaries. While it is expected that an executive or senior manager will actively engage in salary negotiations, your failure to try to work out the best deal may end up costing you thousands of dollars a year. Most non-executives find this kind of negotiation uncomfortable! You've just been offered a great job and now you're going to bargain about money? Yes you are.
Sometimes when you get to this stage an employer will ask you to "name your figure." You want to be ready by knowing your value to the employer and presenting your best case. "Negotiation" means that you both want to work out the best deal for both parties--a win-win solution. This takes preparation and more than a little self-confidence and skill. See Salary Negotiation Strategies to learn how to make your best case and work out a friendly agreement.
Your paycheck isn't the only item on the bargaining table. You may be able to work out a better deal in terms of benefits, working hours, timing of performance reviews and raises, bonus plans and other important elements of your new working relationship. Even in more inflexible environments--like civil service or government employment--you can negotiate (and win) important agreements about your new job.
5. You should accept any job offer no matter how the initial salary offer measures up.
FALSEYou shouldn't accept any job offer no matter how the initial salary offer measures up. This is where other kinds of information come into play: What are your minimum requirements? Are your expectations reasonable? Is there true growth potential at this company? How critical is your present financial condition? What other leads or possibilities do you have?
If you are prepared to negotiate you might be able to turn a low initial offer into an acceptable offer. Or you may not be considering the most appropriate company for your needs. Do some research into the company. Are they growing? Or is their position shaky at best?