What you should be paid

You should already have a good idea about the salary range for your particular job.  However, if you do not know you can call Human Resource departments, or employment agencies, or by visiting the local public library and looking it up in American Almanac for Jobs and Salaries, Occupational Outlook Handbook, and any trade journals or other publications related to your field.

A good rule of thumb regarding salary is to look around you to see what similar positions are yielding.  By looking at the number of years of experience you have, your degree(s), and other factors (geographic location, etc.), you can get a fair idea. 

There is excellent information on salary negotiation tips at ResumeMaker which can be found at www.resumemaker.com. 

Other important employment benefits

Many US corporations offer their employees a benefits package.  The benefits can include, but are not limited to the following – medical insurance (see “Health Insurance”), 401k, IRA, a pension plan (see “Investments”), tuition matching, and stock options.

Explanation:  

• Medical insurance usually means your employer will pay or contribute to the health needs of its employees, either through an HMO, PPO, or some other method.  Health insurance can be costly and is a special benefit to look for when evaluating companies for employment.
  
  
•    A 401k plan is designed to supplant the shortfall between Social Security and pension plans; used by the employee to save money for retirement that the employer will oftentimes match with a percentage of what you save.  See www.401k.com for a detailed explanation.  To check on your pension plan see US Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration at www.dol.gov/dol/pwba/public/pension.htm
  
  
• An IRA is a type of tax-free savings.  See www.ira.com for more.
   
• Tuition matching is a very important benefit.  Companies that offer to send their best employees back to university for a graduate degree are oftentimes companies that value their human investments highly.  What’s more, once you have that degree, it’s yours! 
  
  
• Stock Options are a way for you to earn money according to the value of the company’s stock.  The value of this varies greatly depending on the company and how well it is performing financially.  Many times a company will offer its employees stock options in place of a higher salary in the hopes that they will save money, and their employees will earn more in the long run.  Always research this benefit thoroughly before agreeing to it.  The stock option allows an employee to buy stock in the corporation at a fixed price for a certain number of years.  You should clear up the following issues:

  o     At what time can you exercise your option?

  o     When will the option come to an end?

  o     What percentage of the stock option deal can be acquired each year and at what purchase price?

  o     Also note that if you do not exercise your options in the time set out you can lose them. 

  o    Check out the National Center for Employee Ownership- www.nco.org for more information.

  Deductions from your paycheck

You can expect a few things to be deducted from your paycheck:

ü     Social Security (FICA) 7.65%

ü Federal Income Tax

ü  State Income Tax

ü State Disability Insurance. 

If the company has a pension plan and medical insurance you may have deductions in these areas.   

Explanation – Social Security deductions are the mandatory deductions the government takes as part of its plan to give us a retirement when we reach age 65.  Federal and State Income Taxes are taken directly out of your paycheck as well. State Disability Insurance is taken out in the event that you become disabled.

Types of Employment

All employment in the US (except for Montana) is “at will”, meaning you can be fired at any time.  There are some legal protections so employees cannot be unjustly fired, but workers must do a good job, produce well, and get along with colleagues.  (This can be varied by contract.)

There are a few main types of employment: Full time – 40 hours per week or more, Part Time – usually less than 30 hours per week, Temporary – being employed by a temporary agency to fill a position for a limited amount of time, and Independent Contractor – doing projects for a company without being affiliated with that company.  In addition there are other Seasonal jobs – many in retail – that cater to high school and college students with their summers free to work.  One of the major seasons is the holiday season (Nov.-Dec.) in which a majority of retail sales are made.

Telecommuting is a way of working from home – usually sending work in to the office via the Internet. If you like an organized, structured work environment, the telecommuting idea may not be for you.  However, for people who work well with the distractions of home, telecommuting may be a great way to work!

Independent Contractors

You cannot just call yourself an Independent Contractor.  There are special rules in determining whether you are in fact one.

Independent Contractors set their own hours; make the rules for how and where the work will be done; furnish their own tools and equipment; have a workplace that’s separate from the employer’s premises; can work for other companies; are paid on a per-job or commission basis, send invoices for their services, and sign a written “independent contractor” agreement between worker and employee.

There may be possible immigration and IRS problems by defining yourself as an Independent Contractor, when you are in fact an employee.

Some Workers’ Rights

As an employee, you have certain rights that are protected under the law.  A few of these are: non-discrimination according to race, sex, or religion.  Also, if you have a disability the employer is held responsible for making special accommodations to you to make the workplace “workable”.  In addition, you may be entitled to certain other rights including Sick Pay, Vacation, Maternity Leave (for female or male), and other rights that usually depend on the employing company.

Women in the Workplace

If you are a working mother you may be interested in checking the hundred best corporations for working mothers.  Check out www.workingmother.com.   The site also provides other ideas and suggestions for working mothers.

Another site we like is www.womenswire.com. 

www.free-resume-tips.com offers a comprehensive description of how to build your résumé from scratch. It does a very good job at providing easy-to-use solutions for making quick improvements as well.

www.collegegrad.com is a great site for the recent college graduates looking for a jobs.  We particularly like this site because it offers advice not only on how to get a job, but also how to improve interviewing skills, your résumé and your cover letter.

www.salary.com is an outstanding source of information that relates to salary issues, negotiation, and salary strategies.  You can also input your job and region into their salary calculator to tell you what you should be making.

www.fidelity.com and www.401k.com are websites that detail all of the pertinent information regarding investments for retirement, college, and investing in general.

www.snaid.com contains helpful information on immigration issues.

www.6figurejobs.com - If you are a top executive check out this site.

www.careershop.com - You tell them what type of job you are looking for and this site searches other sites for appropriate positions.  They then E-mail you with what they have found. 

www.careermosaic.com -Here you can put the pieces of the puzzle together by searching for a job by title, company, or location. 

www.careerpath.com - Here you can check out classified advertisements of major newspapers. 

www.studentadvantage.com - While this site is geared towards college graduates there is great information on office culture and behavior.