How to Research Salaries for your New Job 

One of the most important steps toward getting that new job is finding out what kind of salary you deserve—and should expect. Researching salaries before you even walk into the door for your interview is crucial for guaranteeing your long-term happiness in your new position.

Luckily, there are several helpful resources out there that can offer you a window into asking for a competitive, reasonable salary. You’ll be able to research salary ranges by occupation and region, see what the top earners in your field are making, and go into your interview knowing exactly how much to request.

Way #1: Using Online Salary Websites

Online salary websites such as CareerGlider are useful tools for breaking down your industry and region and discovering the diverse range of careers your experience and skill-set allow you to pursue. For example, while you may have a commercial construction certificate, you may not know that your degree allows you to apply for civil engineering, architecture, and surveying positions, and that commercial construction is on an upward trend, with more jobs being created daily. That’s important information for you to know before diving into your first career or switching career later in life.

With these nifty pages, you can also research salary averages, learn what kind of future your chosen career path has in store, and find schools that offer degrees in that field. CareerGlider and similar sites are all-encompassing databases of relevant information for your career and job search, and contain just about everything you need to know to get started.

In addition, the majority of online salary websites blogabout important topics for people looking to switch or start their careers, and contain even more in-depth analysis of degrees, careers, and applicable schools than you might find on the individual pages. These blogs are incredibly useful resources full of relevant information to help make the jump to a new career easier.

Way #2: Using Salary Calculators to Calculate Salaries

A salary calculator sheds some light on compensation requirements by breaking down your profession by state, region, occupation, and relevant experience, and gives you an approximate idea of what people with your background should expect.

Calculating salary is an important first step if you’re considering changing locations or careers. Using the following links, you can decide before your move if the decision is financially viable for your new location, or if a specific increase or decrease in salary is worth changing careers.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers has a great tool for calculating salary for employers, colleges and job seekers. Fill in a few forms with your experience, position, and location, and it will bring up median salaries, top earners, the number of people employed in that position and location, and an estimate of what you should be making.

Automatic Data Processing, Inc. has a handy page for discovering your gross pay if you’re compensated on an hourly basis, as well as a W-4 assistant, 401(k) planner, and an employee stock option calculator. These are important numbers to know when evaluating the entire compensation package, not just the raw salary you’ll be offered.

Way #3: Using Salary Comparison Tools

A salary comparison tool is a great way to directly compare two positions and decide which is best for you. If you’re having difficulty deciding between two job offers, or you’re trying to decide between multiple career paths, a free salary comparison tool will allow you to see them side by side to help make the decision easier.

Indeed offers a basic tool where you can type in a position and location, press add comparison, and stack multiple jobs against one another. For example, a copywriter living in Brooklyn, New York makes on average 78% more than the same position offered in Lexington, Kentucky, making a decision on which state to live a no-brainer.

Adecco’s system offers a free salary comparison tool that breaks chosen salary information down into a visual chart that’s simple to read. Measure up two positions against one another or check on your salary in another region, and you’ll be presented with multiple statistics that are viewable in a bar chart or a table, with different statistics depending on the company size.