Business & Career Librarian Goizueta Business Library, Emory University Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Benchmarking compensation as a job seeker is difficult, and the current pandemic-changed inflationary environment has increased this challenge. Working with both new graduates and experienced hires as they prepare to navigate conversations regarding salary expectations with potential employers and recruiters has led me to research strategies and resources to guide this frequent job seeker question. This poster will provide insights on how job seekers can effectively respond to offers and engage around negotiation. Strategies include identifying timely resources to build a well-supported case in the negotiation process, monitoring market rate compensation trends in a fast-changing labor market and looking beyond negotiating pure salary figures to evaluate other compensation benefits. Self-reported salary websites can be limited in credibility when brought to an employer; reviewing government sources, library subscriptions to market research data, consulting firm white papers, and “hidden web” open salary data and benefits trends provide the job seeker credible resources to bring to a compensation discussion. Thoughtfully considering the entire package is important as job seekers' value of flexibility and non-financial criteria has increased in the past few years. A candidate who brings well researched data to negotiations with an employer will increase their odds of a mutually agreeable outcome and utilizing library resources can help position candidates for success.
