Career Q & A
By Alan Kearns
January 4, 2005
I'm trying to find out a proper salary range for what I currently do. How do I find out what the market value is for my skills?
The first thing that you've got to do is establish the salary range for someone with your background and skills. Once you've done that, figure out where you fit into that range. Consider your experience and credentials, and the scope of the projects that you're currently working on.
So, your question is really about finding sources that will help you to determine your worth. There are several places that you can turn to:
- Internet. There are many web
sites that will help you to establish the monetary value that an employer
places on your skills. You can gain quick access to them by conducting
straightforward searches on one of the many search engines. Make sure
that you're searching for information for the right country, state/province,
and city (if it will let you get that specific).
- Job Listings. Make a habit of screening job
postings in your field. Large or national organizations will often
post the salaries with the position description.
- Recruiters. Recruiters can be an excellent source for salary information. If the company searches for people with your skill set, don't hesitate to give them a call. Be frank with them and let them know that you are trying to find your market value.
- Occupational Guides. Books are another excellent source for salary
information. Most libraries or bookstores should have occupational guides
that list salary by industry and location.
- Friends and Colleagues. Call up colleagues from your industry and ask them if they can offer any insight into what someone in your industry with your skill set should expect in the way of compensation. Building a strong network is valuable for many reasons!
- Government Employment Office. Call your local government employment services office. They should be able to provide you with some good information about current salary levels.
- Professional Associations. Are you a member of a professional
association in your industry? Do you know of any that exist in your
field? If so, give someone there a call. They will typically be quite
happy to assist you in getting this information.
There are more ways to go about finding your fair market value, but these methods are among the most accurate and easily accessible. Using a combination of these on an ongoing basis will help you to determine the salary range that you fit into.
Alan Kearns is the Head Coach and the Brand Champion! of CareerJoy.
He is one of Canada's foremost experts on all things career. With more than
14 years of experience coaching people through successful career changes,
he brings an intimate knowledge of the entire transition process to all of
his clients. To contact Alan about paid professional services, e-mail alan@careerjoy.com
or visit his web site www.careerjoy.com.
To submit a question for a future column, please e-mail it to careercoach@charityvillage.com. No identifying information will appear in this column.
