How do you know you’re getting a good salary?
As you start the new year, you’ve probably already know your financial picture for 2008. You received your performance review, you got whatever bonus you’re going to get, the percentage of your salary raise is about to be factored in to your first paycheck of the year…
And how do you feel about it? Do you think you should be getting more? Are you dissatisfied with all or part of what you’re getting? Or just vaguely uneasy, thinking that you could be doing better, but you’re not sure how to resolve that sensation?
Well, to answer those kinds of questions, I put myself in your shoes and started putting in Google searches. I tried “salary audit,” and discovered that unless auditing is your vocation, that’s not the search to be making.
After more searches, though, I couldn’t really find something simple and straightforward about evaluating whether you’re getting paid what you’re worth, so – what the heck – I’ve just decided to give you the simple steps here:
1. Head over to Salary.com. You can afford a personal salary report, so go ahead and get one.
2. Check with your trade group, licensing body, or industry association. It’s likely these groups are tracking average salary information in your field, so reach out and get some more info from them.
3. See what the government has to say. The Bureau of Labor Statistics at the Department of Labor has a whole passel of information to share with you. Gotta get something back for those tax dollars, right?
4. Ask your network. Sure, money’s not a subject everyone likes to talk about. But if you’re forthcoming and have some good relationships with other professionals in your field, you’ll likely be successful in gathering more information.
5. Don’t forget the benefits. Some make a tangible difference in the total value of your job. You’re more likely to get useful information out of your network on this one.
How’s that for a good start? Got any other advice for evaluating your salary situation? Share it here!
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