Develop a Salary Range

You need to know what you are worth in the marketplace.

  • If you are working with a recruiter, they may require an expected salary range
  • You may be requested to supply salary expectations when you apply for a job
  • When networking, your contact may ask what you expect to earn
  • And, most certainly, once a company has made an offer, you need to be prepared to negotiate your salary and other benefits

You can start with places like

Professional Associations are another good source for information – call the national office and ask if they do salary surveys.

You want to develop a RANGE for the position.

Then you want to check/confirm by talking with people in the field who are doing the kind of work you want to do (“My research indicates that salary range for this type of position is $ X – Y.  Is that in the ballpark?  High?  Low?”).

Next add $ 5-10,000 to the range.  Finally, you want to be sure you provide a range that you would be OK with.  For example, if your research indicates a salary range of $ 30,000 to 70,000, and you would not take a job for less than $ 50,000, your range is $ 55,000-75,000.

See the resources at www.quintcareers.com/salary_negotiation.html