Career Salary Expectations | Are Your Salary Expectations Too High?
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In Corporate America, salaries vary widely. There are many factors that influence salary, among them: experience of the job candidate, the industry and the needs of the employer. When you're transitioning out of the military, be sure to keep these things in mind when considering your salary expectations.
Moving from the armed forces to civilian life is already a big change, as you begin your job search be sure that you don't shoot yourself in the foot with unrealistic salary expectations.
In the private sector, your compensation package (salary and benefits) rewards your economic value to your organization. This value depends on years of experience (much like years in grade in the military) but it also depends on your technical knowledge or your sales ability. So are your post military salary expectations in line with reality? Here are a few facts on what workers are being paid in the private sector:
- The average hourly salary for a US worker is $16.62 per hour (that's a little more than $32K per year).
- The average salary for veterans is about $33K (stats include retired veterans who are living on fixed incomes).
- Eighty percent of US workers earn $50K or less.
- Executives earn more in the private sector than the Federal government; their compensation can range to well over $1 million.
Career advisers suggest that in order to keep your salary expectations in line you should prepare to answer the salary question by first researching the job and common salaries and then rehearsing your answer a few times with a friend. Ask yourself, "How much should someone with my skills and experience command?" Then check out what the average salary is for comparable positions to the one you are applying for. If you want some help analyzing your skills, check out AnalyzeMyCareer, they'll help you figure out your skills and your worth in the workplace.
Finally, there are just some things that money can't buy. Regardless of your salary expectations, in order for your second career to be worth it you need to make sure it's going to be a job that you don't mind getting up and getting excited for everyday. |
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