Salary
The first thing people think about when they hear the word
"compensation" is salary--and for good reason. Your
paycheck will influence everything from where you live to
what kind of car you drive and where you go on vacation.
Even if you know what others at the same company are receiving
for the position you've been offered, that won't tell you
if your potential salary is high or low for the industry or
the area of the country in which you'll be living. Other sources
for getting comparative data:
- Your school's career center (which should have salary
surveys and other information)
- Private career counselors (who will likely charge for
the service)
- Online databases, such as JobStar,
JobTrak,
or Network
World Fusion Salary Calculator (the do-it-yourself approach)
- The classifieds (general guidelines)
- The library (where the research librarian can help you)
- Industry or professional organizations (which usually
perform yearly salary surveys and will provide results free
of charge)
Once you know what the average is for the position you've
been offered, you can use cost-of-living
comparisons to determine how much more (or less) it costs
to live in your area of the country. This is information you
can use when you begin negotiating
with your prospective employer.
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Salary
