In the initial years of our career, we often are not in a position to negotiate our salaries. Especially, with little experience, it can get difficult to find a job which has the right mix of salary, growth opportunities, and right fit of work culture. Getting all the factors right or finding the dream job can be very fortunate. But you can at least find out what your skills are really worth in the job market.
Image Credit: TV Series – The Big Bang Theory
So how can you determine your worth? And more importantly, how do you go from knowing it to actually receiving it?
Research About Your Skills
Kalpesh Desai, Executive Director at Bohiyaanam Technology, says, “Your intellect, natural talent, skills, training, experience decide what you bring to the table. You must check what the job market rewards each individual skill and what is the demand. Maximum aggregate worth of your skills may be identified by the rewards achievable in given a time frame.”
Value in the hiring market is defined by a combination of experience, skills, and market demand, and to get what you deserve, you need to know what price you could put on each of these pieces. You could use a salary calculator app, or research about some major companies that publish salary guides for main job verticals. You can also speak to friends and peers from other organisation to understand the salary trends in your industry and specialty areas.
Honesty About Salary Goals
If you are honest about your salary goal from the get go, you will eliminate potentially difficult negotiations and disappointment down the road. Going through an extensive interview process is time-consuming, and takes energy away from applying to other opportunities. So, if a company’s salary limitations are too low for you to make it work, it is best to find that out before either side has made a major investment of time.
Be Smart During The Job Offer Process
After you know what your skills and experience are worth, be smart about negotiating a salary when taking up a job. If you have multiple offers, consider leveraging one against the other. You should also talk about other perks about the job. If still, the offer entails lower than expected salary, see what it involves in terms of career growth and learning opportunities.
It can be daunting to find out what your skills are worth, and trying to get the same at a job, but it is important as this could mean a lot in achieving your career goals.
Read Also: The Most Wanted Skills For 2018
