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Are You Being Offered Fair Compensation?

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When going into a job interview, it can be challenging to estimate how much is a fair wage for the position, based on your experience and credentials, among other factors. Before accepting a position, it is crucial that you fully understand how you are being compensated and if it compares to other opportunities around you.

Check Glassdoor or similar websites.

Websites like this can give you a good insight into what someone with your experience may be making in your geographical area. Because salaries are very dependent upon the cost of living, minimum wage, etc. in your area, it is important that you compare your salary with the right population. Glassdoor allows you to search for wages based on a multitude of factors. Make sure to search not only based on the job title but also on the responsibilities of your position. A company may call a position with director-level responsibilities a “specialist.” When in doubt, base the compensation off of responsibilities, not a job title.

Speak with other professionals in your area.

It can be helpful to talk with others in your profession about their own compensation or the compensation of others in their company at your level. Speaking with other real people about their experiences in the field can set reasonable expectations for your own compensation.

Consider benefits and perks.

Benefits and perks (or lack thereof) can contribute to what your final salary would end up being. When comparing what other companies in your area are paying employees, make sure to take their benefits into account. The preference for more benefits vs. more salary is more of a personal choice if they are equal in value. Make sure that you are being compensated comparably to others in your position.

Use the resources around you to set reasonable expectations to make the best decisions when it comes to accepting compensation. Set yourself up for success—fairly compensated success!

Are you currently on the job hunt? Check out JSG’s open positions here!

S is for Salary: How to Find Your Worth

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find your worth

Have you ever wondered whether you are being fairly paid? At some point in our careers, we have all wondered this phenomenon. However, most of us don’t know how to check whether this is true or not.

If you believe you are underpaid and want to do some research before negotiating a raise with your boss, here are some resources to help you find your worth.

Know Your Worth

You need to do a little research to get an idea of what you’re worth. Glassdoor’s Know Your Worth tool is a great place to start. This tool is a personalized calculator that provides a custom salary estimate based on the following details:

  • Your job title
  • The type of company you work for
  • Your location
  • And your years of experience

The best part of this Glassdoor tool is that it will reveal your market value and how it has trended over time. It will also help you know how your value compares with similar workers in the same industry.

If you punch all your information into the tool and you find that you are significantly underpaid, this will be a great first step in your negotiation process.

Salary Wizard

Don’t worry about awkwardly asking your peers what they make to get an idea of what you’re worth. Similar to the Know Your Worth tool, Salary.com has a tool called Salary Wizard, which offers pay ranges with over 4,000 different job titles in just about every industry.

This tool establishes a range of what you could be worth, and ultimately, what you should ask for in your next salary negotiations!

Self-Assess Your Experience

You need to reflect on your professional experience and see how far you’ve come from your first day on the job to today. Make a list of the things you’ve accomplished and briefly explain how they’ve helped progress your career and how they’ve benefited the companies you’ve worked for.

If you’ve completed extra classes to help improve your skills at work, helped cut expenses for your department, or even just have spent years doing volunteer work that makes you a better person, these are all things to help you calculate your value.

Everyone has unique experiences and they should be factored into your evaluation of your worth. Sure, calculators and other tools (like the ones discussed above) can give you an idea of what you are worth; however, you’re the one who ultimately evaluates your personal worth.

At the end of the day, all these factors contribute to your worth!