Pay Rate & Salary - How Much to Expect

It can be hard to know how much you can expect to earn at a certain job.  It is nice to have a general idea of how much to expect when applying for a job so that you are not completely surprised when the topic of payment comes up.  Additionally, you may occasionally be asked what pay rate you would like during an interview or when you receive a job offer.  In that situation, you should have a general idea of what is appropriate to ask for. 

Here’s how to figure out generally what to expect: 

1. Find out the typical pay range for your job:
   
   You can do this by doing some research on the internet. There are many websites that offer typical salary ranges for different jobs. Salary ranges will also differ depending on what region of the country you live in. You can choose the city or zip code to narrow the range when doing online searches. These websites include SalaryExpert.com, Payscale.com, and Online.Onetcenter.org.
   
   Here are some additional places to research typical pay range:
   
   
   • The company to which you applied.
     
     
   • Professional association websites affiliated with your type of job.
     
     
   • Public educational institutions also offer published salaries of their employees online.
     
     
2. Compare your skill set to others in the same field. Your "skill set" includes:
   
   
• Your educational background (highest degree earned, area of study)
  
  
• Related work experience
  
  
• Related work skills
  
  
• Related knowledge
  
  
• Related trainings and certifications

How do you compare your skill set to others?  

• By examining the minimum educational and experience requirements of the job you are applying for.   Do you just barely meet the minimum requirements?  Or, do you far exceed the requirements?
  
  
• By examining other similar job postings and their minimum requirements.
  
  
• By reviewing other people’s resumes that are publicly posted online.
  
  
• By reading employee profiles/biographies publicly posted on your potential employer’s website.

If you have a lot of experience and a unique skill set that you can offer to your employer, they will be more likely to hire you compared to someone else who doesn’t have these skills. However, you will want to ensure that you don’t overvalue yourself at the same time! For example, if you are requesting a salary that is $30,000 more than your competition who doesn’t have as much experience, then the employer may think that it is simply too expensive to hire you, regardless of your knowledge and skills.

Read more about figuring out how much money to expect.