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Salary Guide

Will you be paid what you're worth?  How do you find out the "going rate" for a job like your applying for with the degree you've earned?  When is it appropriate to negotiate salary, and how do you do it effectively? 

 

Salary can be a sticky topic.  This page is here to help you become more knowledgeable about typical salary ranges for your field, and how to negotiate to ensure a fair compensation package.  This is by no means a comprehensive listing of salary resources - it is simply designed to get you started.

 

Remember:  IF YOU'RE GOING TO TALK SALARY, MAKE SURE YOU'VE DONE YOUR HOMEWORK!

Check these great resources for knowing current salary figures in your field of interest:

 

      1)  Manchester Majors Salary Guide

      2)  Salary Information (a service of jobweb at NACE)

      3)  Salary Wizard (a service of careerbuilder.com )

      4)  JobStar Central

      5)  Salaries Review

      6)  Salary Expert

 

 

Guidelines for salary research:

• Remember that compensation varies by industry and geographic location.

Privately-owned, for-profit companies tend to pay more (on average) than non-profits and governmental agencies.  

 

$35,000/year may afford a comfortable lifestyle in Indiana, but will leave you searching for a second job if you move to New York City.  Use a relocation calculator to compare city-to-city cost of living.

 

 

• Pay attention to how the salary statistics were gathered.  Many books and websites contain national salary figures, which may include wide variation from state-to-state.  Remember how an average/mean is computed, and keep in mind that outliers (especially high or low figures) can skew an average.
   
• Keep in mind that reported salary figures are usually not entry-level unless they say "Starting Salary Offers" (such as the survey chart to the right).  Just because the average salary for a Social Worker in your target area is $31,000, don't expect to start there.  Unless labeled "entry-level," expect salary stats to include people with 10+ years of experience.
   
• Look at several sources of information.  You would never rely on only one source for a research paper.  The same holds true for your salary research.  Statistics have limitations - using several sources will give you a more accurate picture.
  
  

Here are some great places to begin your salary research on the web:

 

Jobweb - links to sites containing:

• Salary Survey
• Hiring Projections
• Job Market Information
• Other Employment Information
• Links to Cost of Living, Negotiating Salary, Salary Surveys
  
  

Economic Research Institute

• Salary information by geographic location