Salary negotiations are tough! Your employer naturally wants to pay as little as possible (though good employers are willing to pay for talent). And, of course, you want to make as much money as possible. You’ll be in a much stronger negotiating position if you take some time to figure out what you’re worth. Here are a few tips.
Use Online Calculators
Many websites, such as Glassdoor and PayScale, offer tools where you can input your location, job title, and years of experience to get a rough idea of your market value. And the United States Depart of Labor maintains a searchable database of over 800 occupations where you can see average salaries for those jobs. These tools are an excellent jumping-off point, but remember that the numbers are rough. They don’t necessarily reflect your individual situation.
Consult with Your Network
One of the simplest ways to find out the going rate for a particular position is to talk to other people with similar jobs. Not everyone is willing to disclose their salary, but pay transparency has become a hot topic. Asking around will likely net you at least one or two people who are open to telling you how much they make. Or you could phrase the question to focus on yourself: “With my job title and X years of experience, how much should I be earning?” Be sure to talk to both men and women, from a variety of backgrounds, to get a better sense of real world pay rates.
Check Job Postings
More and more employers are now listing salary ranges in their job postings. Read several postings for similar jobs, but remember that pay rates are often location dependent. If you’re in a big city, look for postings in big cities. If you’re in a rural area, check job descriptions in similar areas.
Think Outside the Box
Don’t forget that pay is just one component in an overall compensation package. If you aren’t able to get the base salary you want, perhaps you can make it up in another way. Bonuses, commissions, or other benefits can push your overall compensation higher than the base pay would indicate.
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