What You’re Worth: Three Tools to Research Job Compensation

Whether you’re evaluating a new job offer or seeking to negotiate your existing pay, it’s important to enter the conversation with the employer armed with evidence. No longer is salary information a secretive topic—many websites now collect and share this information, making it easy to see where you stand.
Here are three websites you can use to see what people similar to you are earning in your region:
PayScale.com
PayScale.com boasts more than 54 million salary profiles, spanning 15,000 job titles across 350 industries. You can use their free service to evaluate how the pay you’re receiving in your current job—or one you’re considering—compares to individuals working in similar professions.
After completing a multi-step questionnaire and providing information about your position, your geographic location, your education and skills, and other information, you’ll receive a free personal salary report showing how you rank against people who are similar to you. The site also shows you how additional education could increase your pay, and provides links to relevant job openings for people with your skill set.
Glassdoor.com
Glassdoor.com features more than 8 million company reviews, ratings, salary reports, interview reviews and related job details. Information is contributed directly by employees, and you can search salary information by job position, company and location. Access to the site is free once you contribute salary information for either a current or former job.
Salary.com
You can use Salary.com to search for job titles by location and discover the average years of experience, education level and salary received for those working in similar fields. The site also provides an overview of job responsibilities someone in that field usually performs, and links to job openings in that industry. A personalized salary report is available—but for a fee.
What additional resources or recommendations do you have for researching salary information? Share your suggestions in the comment section below.