• Working with Recruiters


• Job Search Better and Smarter Than Your Competition


• Harnessing the Power of the Internet in Your Job Search


• Background Checks on Job Applicants


• Disclosing Salary Information to Potential Employers


• When a Job Search Takes Too Long

Disclosing Salary Information to Potential Employers

It is imperative to good career management that you always know what you are worth in the marketplace. This is true whether you are looking for a job or not. If you are searching for employment, you can't effectively negotiate your salary, or even know if an offer is fair, unless you know the going rate. For those not seeking greener pastures, you are still wise to avoid complacency about your salary. Falling below market rate is a problem that gets compounded over time and becomes more and more difficult to fix.

Concurrent with a job search you should do salary research. The web site, jobstar.org/tools/salary/index.php links to an extensive number of salary surveys on the web. Another site, www.salary.com is a good resource as well. You may also want to contact professional or trade organizations in your field since they frequently conduct salary surveys. Headhunters are another good bet for up-to-date salary information.

If a job advertisement asks for your salary requirements, think twice before complying. Employers ask for this information as a way to screen out candidates. It makes their job easier by helping to narrow down the applicant pool through the elimination of candidates that are too high priced as well as those with low salary requirements (these applicants will be deemed underqualified). Unless you know what the typical salary range is for the position under consideration, you should skirt the issue. You can do so by making a statement to the affect that your salary requirements are somewhat flexible and you will be happy to discuss them in person.

Note to editors and publishers: M J Feld, President of Careers by Choice, Inc. hereby authorizes the reprinting of the content from Career Central. If you wish to do so, please provide the proper citation as follows: This content was provided by M J Feld, a master's level career counselor and certified professional resume writer. Additional career advice can be found on her website, www.careersbychoice.com.