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Did you know employers sometimes pay a premium
for the right education and experience? Or that you might be able to earn
more by doing the same job in a larger company? In fact, these could be some
of your strongest negotiating points in your next performance review, job
interview, or request for a promotion.
Employers typically adjust their market data
when determining how much to pay a specific employee to do the job. In other
words, they price the "space" - the position in the organization - before
they price the "face," or the person doing that job. After they determine
the value of the position by researching the data on pay practices for
comparable jobs at comparable companies, they adjust the data to reflect the
employee's background and experience.
Employees now have access to the same
caliber data as HR departments, including data that reflects salary secrets
like the eight things that can boost your pay.
Finding the Best Data
The data in the Salary Wizard is a great
starting point for determining what employers are paying for a specific job
in a specific location. The salaries are national averages to which an
adjustment has been applied to account for broad geographic differences in
pay. The Salary Wizard starts to put a value on the space, but not the face.
The next step is to dig deeper into the
numbers. In addition to geography, other factors have an influence on how
much a job pays, including the size of the organization and the industry in
which the employer does business. Geography, company size, and industry all
affect the value an employer puts on the "space." The
Personal Salary Report provides data pertaining to jobs in a specific
combination of industry, geography, and company size.
Eight Things That Can Boost
Your Pay
The value of the "face" - the person doing the job - is the value of the
"space" adjusted for characteristics known to have an influence on an
individual's pay. Salary.com calls these "personal variables," adjusting for
eight personal variables in the Personal Salary Report.
 They
include the following.
- Years of experience
- Education
- Performance reviews
- Boss
- Number of reports
- Professional associations and
certifications
- Shift differentials
- Hazardous working conditions
Years of experience
Typically, more experience results in higher pay � up to a point.
Similarly, if the position calls for someone with 10 years of experience in
a particular occupation, and you don't meet those requirements, you may find
yourself on the lower end of the pay scale. Negotiation tip:
emphasize your years of experience if you have slightly more than what's
required; if you have too much experience, you may be overqualified.
Education
The match between your education and what's normally required for your
job usually affects your pay. Plus, the quality of education can affect
salary. Earning a degree from a top program typically has a positive
influence on pay, while earning a degree from a school that's considered
weak in a particular field may decrease your earning potential.
Negotiation tip: emphasize your education if it is more than what's
called for in the job - and it's relevant.
Performance reviews
Since most employers base their pay decisions at least partly on
individual performance, this is an important variable when being considered
for a pay increase or promotion. Even when applying for a new job, this
information may be important to your prospective employer, as it gives a
more complete picture of your abilities. Negotiation tip: performance
has a significant impact on pay, especially incentive pay.
Boss
The more discretion and latitude you have in relation to your company's
success, the more directly your decisions and actions will affect the bottom
line � and your own. And if your boss is higher on the corporate hierarchy,
his or her recommendations concerning your pay have less chance to be
overridden in the cycles of review. Negotiation tip: in the interview
process, find out who the position reports to, along with the position's
potential for growth.
Number of reports
The more employees you manage, the higher your pay in certain jobs. Of
course, your level of success is also based on the performance of the
employees you manage. Negotiation tip: emphasize the successes of
those who report to you or who reported to you in your previous position.
Professional associations and
certifications
Certifications and memberships in professional organizations or trade
associations can have a positive effect on pay. However, if a job calls for
a certification you don't have, you might not get the job or your pay might
be set at the lower end of the range. Some employers require employees
without certifications to work toward them. Negotiation tip: if you
have a certification that is optional, but considered a plus, that means you
can expect to earn a little more because of it.
Shift differentials
In certain jobs, workers may be expected to perform tasks during less
favorable shift times. These employees are typically paid a premium due to
the higher social and physical costs involved in working outside "normal
work hours." In jobs that don't normally operate on more than one shift, the
differential is negligible and usually only taken into account when a
nonsalaried employee works overtime or on a special project. Negotiation
tip: you can expect to earn a little extra for working the second or
third shift.
Hazardous working conditions
In certain jobs, workers are expected to perform tasks under dangerous
working conditions. Dangerous working conditions can be defined to include
anything from handling dangerous chemicals in a research facility to walking
a police beat in a dangerous section of town. Jobs that fall into this
category are usually regulated by outside authorities, including labor
unions and the government. Negotiation tip: ask for hazard pay if you
are put on a temporary assignment in a dangerous location.
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