Gather as much factual information as you can from other employees, before deciding on what salary request you want to make. Industry-specific salary data can help you prove that you deserve a raise. Please consider your location when checking salary data, due to variable costs of living. Always begin by expressing genuine interest in your position and the organization, and offering to compromise on other areas, such as longer hours and travel. Be prepared to defend your reasons for a higher salary with meaningful, work-related benefits to the employer. The best time to use salary information to request a raise is at review time, or following a job interview, as that’s when your employer is focused on your impact on the company.
It is sometimes more comfortable for employees to make an initial salary request in writing, and plan a face-to-face meeting later to iron out differences. You’ll need to be assertive at this point even though you may feel vulnerable. Sometimes the employer will be surprised at your salary suggestion, but stand firm, but encourage them to think about it for a day or two. Don’t rush the process simply because you feel uncomfortable making demands. The employer may be counting on your discomfort and use it to stall the negotiation.
There are other things you can ask for besides a higher salary. For example, benefits can add thousands of dollars to your compensation package. Traditional benefit packages include health insurance, paid vacation and sick days, but companies may offer further benefits such as child care, elder car, or use of company vehicles for family emergencies. Other benefits include disability and life insurance, retirement plans, and discounts on the company’s products and services. Finally, some organizations may offer investment and stock options, relocation reimbursement, and tuition credits for continued education.
Business Job Listings: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Accountants | $60,670 | $84,050 |
Actuaries | $67,810 | $91,810 |
Advertising Managers | $65,140 | $125,140 |
Advertising Sales | $51,370 | $71,280 |
Appraisers Of Real Estate | $51,110 | $86,140 |
Bill Collectors | $30,640 | $53,930 |
Bookkeeping | $31,780 | $46,020 |
Budget Analysts | $63,920 | $93,080 |
Business Managers | $74,070 | $124,070 |
Cashiers | $17,930 | $27,210 |
Chief Executives | $120,600 | $224,000 |
Claims Investigators | $42,750 | $79,170 |
Commercial Divers | $45,410 | $75,770 |
Couriers And Messengers | $32,580 | $47,680 |
Credit Analysts | $60,190 | $80,280 |
Editors | $53,220 | $87,400 |
Employment Specialists | $46,060 | $90,030 |
Executive Secretaries | $39,160 | $59,740 |
Financial Analysts | $71,240 | $118,000 |
Financial Managers | $60,800 | $120,380 |
Hotel Clerks | $25,480 | $37,030 |
Human Resources | $32,200 | $48,320 |
Insurance Appraisers | $49,980 | $68,420 |
Insurance Sales | $58,450 | $85,090 |
Loan Officers | $61,930 | $97,040 |
Marketing | $67,610 | $107,610 |
Property Management | $52,290 | $85,170 |
Public Relations | $40,670 | $79,880 |
Purchasing | $43,730 | $78,650 |
Receptionists | $23,810 | $33,750 |
Retail Salespersons | $27,200 | $42,930 |
Sales Managers | $62,730 | $112,730 |
Secretaries | $28,460 | $41,550 |
Shipping Clerks | $27,480 | $40,590 |
Tax Preparers | $33,160 | $56,640 |
Telemarketers | $24,190 | $58,430 |
Tellers | $34,900 | $56,610 |
Title Examiners | $40,660 | $63,650 |
Transportation And Logistics | $45,370 | $75,310 |
Wholesale And Retail Buyers | $51,010 | $83,080 |
Medical Job Openings: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Anesthesiologists | $74,340 | $114,340 |
Athletic Trainers | $38,860 | $67,580 |
Audiologists | $61,110 | $89,160 |
Chiropractors | $67,760 | $91,070 |
Clinical Psychologists | $66,110 | $92,730 |
Counselors | $28,340 | $57,800 |
Dental Assistants | $35,850 | $47,040 |
Dental Hygienists | $30,430 | $41,530 |
Dental Lab Technicians | $30,500 | $45,950 |
Dentists | $87,930 | $145,100 |
Diagnostic Medical Sonographers | $36,090 | $68,520 |
Dietitians | $34,450 | $63,250 |
Emt, Paramedics | $29,390 | $65,280 |
Family Medicine | $78,850 | $108,320 |
Fitness Trainers | $31,710 | $56,750 |
Home Health Aides | $30,100 | $57,030 |
Internists | $58,860 | $70,860 |
Licensed Vocational Nurses (Lvn) | $54,480 | $84,780 |
Marriage Counselors | $44,700 | $69,050 |
Massage Therapists | $33,000 | $62,670 |
Medical Assistants | $26,980 | $37,140 |
Medical Laboratory Technicians | $30,550 | $59,260 |
Medical Records Technicians | $29,140 | $45,260 |
Medical Transcriptionists | $30,660 | $43,920 |
Mental Health Counselors | $26,550 | $46,370 |
Nursing | $37,760 | $74,130 |
Occupational Therapist Assistants | $42,110 | $58,270 |
Occupational Therapists | $66,010 | $87,330 |
Opticians | $42,220 | $69,630 |
Orthodontists | $74,220 | $123,280 |
Pediatricians | $82,920 | $116,940 |
Pharmacists | $65,950 | $80,450 |
Pharmacy Technicians | $30,180 | $46,600 |
Physical Therapist Assistants | $41,410 | $56,220 |
Physical Therapists | $58,050 | $94,810 |
Physician Assistants | $41,270 | $62,230 |
Physicians And Surgeons | $92,220 | $182,220 |
Podiatrists | $78,500 | $108,500 |
Psychiatry | $86,990 | $129,990 |
Psychologists | $50,360 | $77,840 |
Public Health | $92,250 | $92,250 |
Radiation Therapists | $47,580 | $62,110 |
Radiologic Technicians | $52,110 | $77,160 |
Registered Nurses (Rn) | $49,730 | $83,440 |
Rehabilitation | $49,350 | $72,940 |
Respiratory Therapists | $68,610 | $94,190 |
Respiratory Therapy Technicians | $39,860 | $56,220 |
Skin Care Specialists | $25,300 | $48,510 |
Speech-Language Pathologists | $46,990 | $68,690 |
Surgeons | $104,150 | $184,150 |
Surgical Technologists | $39,680 | $73,630 |
Therapists | $45,070 | $72,640 |
Veterinarians | $81,490 | $133,150 |
Veterinary Assistants | $21,060 | $39,510 |
Vocational Counselors | $49,760 | $75,920 |
Law Enforcement Jobs: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Correctional Officers | $29,850 | $42,810 |
Court Reporters | $48,370 | $77,770 |
Criminal Justice | $35,400 | $65,990 |
Detectives And Criminal Investigators | $60,390 | $92,590 |
Fire Fighters | $42,370 | $63,140 |
Inspectors | $41,740 | $69,450 |
Law Clerks | $44,200 | $74,920 |
Lawyers | $85,360 | $155,360 |
Legal Secretaries | $39,670 | $58,770 |
Paralegals | $38,090 | $59,260 |
Police Dispatchers | $32,590 | $67,190 |
Police Officers | $48,410 | $72,450 |
Private Detectives | $38,290 | $64,380 |
Probation Officers | $43,540 | $67,180 |
Security Guards | $24,120 | $45,370 |
Teaching Jobs: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Art Teachers | $48,250 | $64,270 |
Biology Teachers | $62,110 | $82,110 |
Business Professors | $64,220 | $90,620 |
Chemistry Teachers | $65,100 | $86,910 |
Computer Science Teachers | $65,000 | $88,780 |
Education Administration | $57,410 | $94,960 |
Elementary School Teachers | $48,700 | $62,720 |
Engineering Teachers | $52,080 | $89,610 |
English Teachers | $57,320 | $74,290 |
History Teachers | $43,200 | $71,530 |
Kindergarten Teachers | $40,480 | $65,420 |
Math Teachers | $46,010 | $72,040 |
Physics Teachers | $49,950 | $77,540 |
Secondary School Teachers | $41,150 | $61,100 |
Special Education Teachers | $52,550 | $80,170 |
Technical Job Listings: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Aerospace Engineers | $89,260 | $124,550 |
Agricultural Engineers | $67,810 | $96,270 |
Air Traffic Controllers | $54,270 | $73,270 |
Aircraft Mechanics | $39,300 | $71,780 |
Airline Pilots | $70,380 | $130,380 |
Anthropologists | $52,900 | $81,490 |
Architects | $69,760 | $104,970 |
Architectural Drafting | $43,900 | $63,310 |
Biochemists | $70,900 | $129,510 |
Chemical Engineers | $71,600 | $108,670 |
Chemists | $66,040 | $106,310 |
Civil Engineers | $72,120 | $104,420 |
Computer Programmers | $75,500 | $106,610 |
Database Administrators | $35,770 | $55,090 |
Economists | $63,500 | $86,550 |
Electrical Engineers | $78,900 | $115,240 |
Engineers | $81,750 | $120,610 |
Environmental Engineers | $72,590 | $106,230 |
Geographers | $63,720 | $93,930 |
Industrial Engineering | $70,630 | $100,980 |
Locomotive Engineers | $49,560 | $82,510 |
Mathematicians | $44,060 | $80,520 |
Mechanical Engineers | $63,230 | $94,690 |
Network Analysts | $65,230 | $90,460 |
Physicists | $65,580 | $93,570 |
Sociologists | $48,300 | $65,770 |
Sound Engineering | $52,520 | $78,020 |
Statisticians | $32,440 | $54,200 |
Surveying And Mapping | $23,640 | $43,140 |
Technical Writers | $60,850 | $91,720 |
Urban Planners | $58,940 | $86,880 |
Zoologists | $56,120 | $84,580 |
Design Job Vacancies: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) |
10 Year Salary (up to) |
Actors | $32,900 | $84,650 |
Artists | $48,890 | $88,430 |
Broadcasters | $56,910 | $86,000 |
Camera Operators | $46,150 | $84,500 |
Choreographers | $38,320 | $64,070 |
Coaches And Scouts | $33,290 | $58,890 |
Commercial Designers | $59,340 | $92,970 |
Craft Artists | $41,450 | $63,210 |
Dancers | $28,640 | $55,970 |
Designers | $36,120 | $75,040 |
Fashion Designers | $23,540 | $64,760 |
Film And Video Editors | $58,100 | $91,720 |
Fine Artists | $47,100 | $89,390 |
Graphic Designers | $43,830 | $69,730 |
Interior Designers | $48,000 | $88,760 |
Multi-Media And Animators | $31,850 | $65,580 |
Musicians And Singers | $35,260 | $97,080 |
Photographers | $31,830 | $76,640 |
Producers And Film Directors | $68,380 | $115,410 |
Radio And Television Announcers | $36,120 | $68,600 |
Reporters And Foreign Correspondents | $44,520 | $76,610 |
Set And Exhibit Designers | $21,680 | $47,730 |
Writers And Authors | $58,080 | $97,700 |
Skilled Trade Jobs: (click below) | Starting Salary (up to) | 10 Year Salary (up to) |
Animal Trainers | $29,920 | $46,630 |
Automotive Body | $38,230 | $59,720 |
Automotive Mechanics | $36,070 | $56,620 |
Bakers | $23,710 | $35,380 |
Barbers | $26,540 | $42,770 |
Bartenders | $23,540 | $44,210 |
Brickmasons | $44,370 | $67,450 |
Bus Drivers | $25,130 | $38,630 |
Butchers | $28,310 | $43,260 |
Cabinetmakers | $28,760 | $53,060 |
Cargo Handling | $39,440 | $55,040 |
Carpenters | $48,930 | $73,330 |
Carpet Installers | $38,280 | $64,710 |
Cement Masons | $35,630 | $56,310 |
Chefs | $47,880 | $65,730 |
Concierges | $55,410 | $80,260 |
Construction Workers | $36,930 | $57,320 |
Cooks | $23,590 | $38,020 |
Drivers | $37,030 | $54,750 |
Electricians | $50,840 | $73,200 |
Farming | $21,810 | $35,780 |
Farmworkers | $18,630 | $35,120 |
Fishing | $28,510 | $45,480 |
Flight Attendants | $56,150 | $95,300 |
Florists | $23,040 | $53,650 |
Food Services | $18,710 | $28,720 |
Forest Workers | $29,950 | $42,630 |
Gaming Dealers | $67,340 | $104,070 |
Hairdressers | $38,340 | $69,180 |
Interpreters | $39,750 | $64,290 |
Janitors | $19,730 | $33,060 |
Jewelers | $33,300 | $74,940 |
Landscaping | $33,250 | $58,190 |
Laundry Services | $18,890 | $26,210 |
Lifeguards | $18,410 | $25,440 |
Locksmiths | $33,560 | $51,170 |
Machinists | $35,810 | $52,640 |
Mail Clerks | $33,510 | $50,840 |
Maintenance Workers | $25,300 | $41,930 |
Metal Workers | $23,730 | $39,850 |
Motorcycle Mechanics | $32,000 | $58,480 |
Painters | $36,230 | $65,680 |
Plumbers | $65,830 | $112,360 |
Postal Carriers | $41,070 | $69,570 |
Real Estate Sales | $30,350 | $51,500 |
Refrigeration Mechanics | $31,110 | $50,790 |
Roofers | $32,350 | $55,140 |
Security Alarm Installers | $26,410 | $43,830 |
Sheet Metal Workers | $22,340 | $42,860 |
Short Order Cooks | $24,870 | $42,840 |
Small Engine Mechanics | $37,990 | $71,610 |
Stonemasons | $31,440 | $44,850 |
Tailors | $32,590 | $54,970 |
Taxi Drivers | $35,860 | $55,610 |
Tile And Marble Setters | $38,220 | $56,940 |
Tour Guides | $22,310 | $54,630 |
Travel Agents | $31,460 | $46,270 |
Truck Drivers | $27,520 | $44,160 |
Umpires | $27,450 | $45,430 |
Upholsterers | $28,500 | $41,950 |
Waiters And Waitresses | $32,760 | $52,160 |
Welders | $36,760 | $53,950 |
Woodworkers | $30,540 | $53,330 |
Source: Occupational Outlook Handbook, Bureau of Labor Statistics.