Oh man!  Just like networking, here is another difficult career topic: salary.  Salary is difficult to talk about for several reasons.  First, we are taught it is rude to talk about money, so the fact that you even have the guts to read this blog is a great first step.  Second, it is difficult to define your value and therefore it is hard to set a price on an undefined value.  Third, it is usually unclear what a salary or salary range is for a specific job unless the employer has placed this information in the job description.  Lastly, all these reasons make it difficult for the interviewee to even bring up the subject let alone go through the negotiation process.  Here are a few places you can go to conduct salary research before you take a seat at the negotiation table.

Resource #1: You and Your Value

When you enter a negotiation, it is important to outline one to three aspects of the offer you are interested in negotiating.  For each aspect, you should identify exactly what you want and why you are asking for a change.  The “why” piece is directly tied to your value, or what you are bringing to the table.  For example, if you are asking for a $5,000 increase in salary you should in the same breath explain what you are bringing to the table that will make an immediate impact.  You might have worked on a similar project and exceeded expectations, or maybe you have five years more experience than the position requires and therefore you are bringing a more senior perspective to the role.  Whatever the case may be, outline what you want and support your ask with information about your value.

Resource #2: Online Salary Resources

Another piece of information that can complement your value is industry-specific salary data.  Below are four of my favorite salary sites.  When I am preparing for a negotiation, I visit each of these sites to see what is recommend and then I come up with a figure that meets my needs, is reasonable for the company’s budget (asking for $20K over the offer, no matter how strong your value statement is, will not turn out well for you), and falls within the industry-specific data I learned about during my research.

Salary.com

Payscale.com

LinkedIn– ***Disclaimer: this is a relatively new resource, so the salary information that is included on LinkedIn is strong for certain industries and nonexistent for others.

Glassdoor– Warning with Glassdoor.  This site features self-reported information, whereas the two listed above include data that has been researched.  I still think Glassdoor is a valuable resource for salary information because it provides you with that self-reported perspective.

**Disclaimer: you will have to create an account for each of these sites to view your salary results

Resource #3: Your Network

Remember how I said talking about money is considered rude?  This is my third resource because although it could provide you with the best information, you might not have someone in your network with whom you are comfortable enough to speak about salary.  Remember your network includes previous colleagues, previous supervisors, a mentor, and/or someone who works for the company whose offer you are analyzing.  If you can’t think of a person in your network who can shed some light on your salary negotiation, this resource is not for you.

When speaking to a network contact about salary, you obviously would not want to frame this conversation by asking your contact “How much do you make?” or “How much did you make when you worked at ABC Company?” or “How much do you think I should ask for?”  Instead, start by explaining your offer and your thoughts about your offer and then ask your contact for his or her feedback.  It is also a good idea to use the resources outlined above before starting this conversation, so you can inform your contact about your findings and solicit an option based on the inside knowledge s/he possesses about the company or industry.

I hope learning about these resources have removed some of the mysteries that surround salary and give you the confidence to ask for what you want.

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