How to Find Out What a Job Pays Before You're Hired

Find out how much your dream job pays before you get the job offer.

If salary is a deal-breaker for you, use your investigative skills, ingenuity and resourcefulness to find out what your dream job pays. Find information through online research and by making a few telephone calls. Salary information for private sector and public sector jobs is out there -- you just need to exhaust all the possible resources.

Instructions

1. Ask the recruiter for the exact job title and a copy of the job description for which you've applied. In addition, ask the recruiter if she'll give you the salary range for the job. Private-sector employers generally keep their salary information confidential. However, salaries for public-sector jobs are typically in the public domain due to Sunshine laws which disclose information based on the public's right to know. Glean information from public records to arrive at salary estimates for private-sector jobs.

2. Compare the essential functions of the job to your qualifications. Ensure you meet the criteria for that specific role. If the job description isn't available, read the job advertisement or the online job posting. Be sure the job title is specific and reflects the exact level that matches your skills and qualifications. For example, a Senior Analyst job requires a greater level of experience than a Junior Analyst. Likewise, a Paralegal II position may be a higher level than a Paralegal I position.

3. Access the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) website for information on your desired job title. BLS compiles data related to thousands of positions, including mean and median wage rates as well as information based on geographic location, seniority and occupation level differentials. Sites like Salary.com and Payscale.com are helpful, provided you study the information carefully to ensure the data sources are relatively current and reliable. Other online clearinghouses for wage, interview and salary data are Glassdoor.com and Vault.

4. Contact competitors' employment specialists and inquire about their job titles, responsibilities and salary levels. Using a clandestine approach to obtain the information you want is tempting; however, you increase your chances of getting more precise salary data by being honest about the reason you want salary information. Use your negotiation skills to get the information you want. Offer to exchange information about the job you applied for with information about competitors' salaries.

5. Call independent recruiters and compensation analysts to obtain salary data for comparable positions. Recruiters are an excellent resource; they have specific data on the company's compensation practices,as well as historical data about the company's salary, which you can adjust annually for inflation. Compensation analysts and consulting firms often produce annual salary surveys, which contain a wealth of information about area salaries and wages.

6. Search your own list of contacts for experts who might have networks with compensation and benefits specialists. Ask colleagues in similar jobs if they are comfortable sharing wage information with you.

Tips & Warnings

• Missouri's state employee salaries are contained in an official state publication called The Blue Book, accessible online via the secretary of state's office. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management publishes annual salary tables for federal jobs.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Overview of BLS Wage Data by Area and Occupation
• Student Press Law Center: Using Open Records: Public School Salary Information Can Lead to Better Stories; March 2007
• Top-Colleges: What To Know About Your Salary
• Missouri Secretary of State, 2007-2008 Official Manual: Chapter 10 - Personnel

Resources

• Jackson Wabash: 2011 Salary Information
• U.S. Office of Personnel Management: 2011 Salary Tables and Related Information