- Your achievements
- Your strengths
- Your weaknesses
- Your ideal salary/perks
- Your bottom limit on salary
Can You Fight Salary Stagnation?
Will you ever hit a point where your earning potential begins to fade? According to researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the answer is yes: Earnings tend to level off when people hit their 40s. (Hat tip to The Atlantic for breaking down the data.) And that’s a problem, because a leveled-off salary is subject to the ravages of inflation. For many tech pros, such discussions about earning potential highlight the need to secure as large a salary as possible, as soon as possible. It should also inform any strategy regarding the minimum salary a tech pro is willing to accept for any particular job. When negotiating salary with a prospective or current employer, it’s always good to know your limits. If you’re a valuable member of the team, chances are pretty good you’ll be able to secure a higher salary and an improved grab-bag of perks simply by asking; but playing games, or dragging out negotiations, can quickly try a company’s patience and put you at risk. Before engaging in any sort of salary talk, sit down and list the following: