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5 Signs You’re Underpaid - Career - Nairaland

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5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 9:10am On Jul 14, 2017
Everyone could use more money, but how can you tell when you’re really underpaid?


The answer isn’t to poll your coworkers or friends and compare your salary against theirs. For starters, you can’t be sure that everyone you talk to will be 100 percent truthful. Also, it’s impossible to know whether you’re comparing apples to apples — they might have certifications you don’t know about, or job experience that bumps them into the next pay bracket.

But of course, you also don’t want to just sit around hoping for the best, while your salary stagnates. To find out if you’re really underpaid, watch out for these signs that you’re overdue for a raise.

1. The PayScale Salary Survey shows that you’re underpaid

The single best way to determine if you’re being paid appropriately for your work is to compare your pay to vetted market data. Take PayScale’s Salary Survey, and get a free report with a salary range based on your job title, experience, education, skills and location. Because our survey results are based on hundreds of thousands of user responses, the results are a lot more reliable than just asking around. (Also, it’s a lot faster — a few minutes versus hours of listening to your cubicle mate brag about his raise.)

2. You got caught in the salary history trap

Hiring managers love to ask candidates for their salary history. That’s a shame, because your past pay should have no bearing on your next job offer.

That’s not to say that you’ll always be able to get out of giving your salary history. PayScale’s report, “Is Asking for Salary History … History?,” shows that women who refuse to answer the salary history question actually earn less than those who disclose it when asked. (Although the opposite is true for men.)

But regardless of whether you’re forced to fess up or not, the fact is that your salary should be based on the role under consideration, not what you made at your last job. If you must answer, try to reframe the question so that you’re focusing on this job.

3. You didn’t negotiate your starting salary

Research compiled for PayScale’s Salary Negotiation Guide shows that 57 percent of workers have never asked for a raise in their current field. A whole lot of people out there are taking what they’re given, no questions asked.

That’s understandable — salary negotiation can feel confrontational, especially if you’ve never done it before. But if you don’t negotiate a new job offer, you’re almost certainly leaving money on the table.

“Rarely will recruiters make their best offer as their first offer,” Lee E. Miller, author of “Get More Money on Your Next Job,” tells Monster. “They expect job candidates to negotiate.” And remember: You can negotiate salary, benefits, a signing bonus, equity or a flexible schedule.

4. You’ve been at the same job for years, and have never received a raise

Real wages are 7.4 percent lower than they were in 2006, due to the fact that the price of goods has risen faster than incomes. As a result, if your salary has held steady for the past few years, you’re actually earning less than you were.

If your company is making money, and you’re exceeding your goals, but your pay hasn’t increased, it’s time to sit down with your manager and ask for a raise.

5. You’re underemployed

When surveyed for a PayScale report, 46 percent of respondents said that they were underemployed. What does this mean? Either that they were working part-time when they wanted to be working full-time, or that they were working at a job that didn’t use their education and skills.

“If you know that you’re capable of performing a higher-level job than the job you have, don’t panic — most of us have been there!” writes Liz Ryan at Forbes. “Keep your survival job and back up and think about what you want to do next. You may need to rebrand yourself for the jobs you want. If you can show how you’ve solved bigger problems and had greater impact than you do your current role, you can get a job interview and move up to a higher-level job.”

Ryan suggests consulting, to build your confidence and remind yourself of your talents. Doing so could help you develop skills while creating a brand that will get you hired by an employer who’s willing to pay appropriately for your talents.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/5-signs-youre-underpaid/

1 Like

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by rodeo0070(m): 9:51am On Jul 14, 2017
Issookay...
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by froz(m): 10:44am On Jul 14, 2017
ok
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by fpeter(f): 7:39am On Jul 15, 2017
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.

5 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nbote(m): 7:43am On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.

Gbaaam... Infact most employees in dis country are actually paying their various employers at d end of d day considering they spend more on transportation and feeding alone than dey are paid at d end of the month...

5 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 7:45am On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.
exactly. Ive never seen sufferhead anywhere like in this country before. Ordinary high School students doing parttime jobs earn monthly in the US what some graduates earn yearly.
God punish buhari and politicians sha

7 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by olumaxi(m): 7:48am On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.
except d politicians
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Humility017(m): 7:49am On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.
And the private firms will still be threatening these innocent staffs wit sack every time....
Many have gone derode the confidence of these workers with these constant threat...as some employees have come believe that there is no better job elsewhere or not good enough and the company doing them a huge favor for employing them...as a result they can't confront the management as regard their salariesfor fear of being fired

5 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by deepwater(f): 7:50am On Jul 15, 2017
Kao
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by tkondscreen(m): 7:50am On Jul 15, 2017
Just like me. But I pray to God to help me as I float my business. My service will surely be needed.
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 7:51am On Jul 15, 2017
tripleY:
Everyone could use more money, but how can you tell when you’re really underpaid?


The answer isn’t to poll your coworkers or friends and compare your salary against theirs. For starters, you can’t be sure that everyone you talk to will be 100 percent truthful. Also, it’s impossible to know whether you’re comparing apples to apples — they might have certifications you don’t know about, or job experience that bumps them into the next pay bracket.

But of course, you also don’t want to just sit around hoping for the best, while your salary stagnates. To find out if you’re really underpaid, watch out for these signs that you’re overdue for a raise.

1. The PayScale Salary Survey shows that you’re underpaid

The single best way to determine if you’re being paid appropriately for your work is to compare your pay to vetted market data. Take PayScale’s Salary Survey, and get a free report with a salary range based on your job title, experience, education, skills and location. Because our survey results are based on hundreds of thousands of user responses, the results are a lot more reliable than just asking around. (Also, it’s a lot faster — a few minutes versus hours of listening to your cubicle mate brag about his raise.)

2. You got caught in the salary history trap

Hiring managers love to ask candidates for their salary history. That’s a shame, because your past pay should have no bearing on your next job offer.

That’s not to say that you’ll always be able to get out of giving your salary history. PayScale’s report, “Is Asking for Salary History … History?,” shows that women who refuse to answer the salary history question actually earn less than those who disclose it when asked. (Although the opposite is true for men.)

But regardless of whether you’re forced to fess up or not, the fact is that your salary should be based on the role under consideration, not what you made at your last job. If you must answer, try to reframe the question so that you’re focusing on this job.

3. You didn’t negotiate your starting salary

Research compiled for PayScale’s Salary Negotiation Guide shows that 57 percent of workers have never asked for a raise in their current field. A whole lot of people out there are taking what they’re given, no questions asked.

That’s understandable — salary negotiation can feel confrontational, especially if you’ve never done it before. But if you don’t negotiate a new job offer, you’re almost certainly leaving money on the table.

“Rarely will recruiters make their best offer as their first offer,” Lee E. Miller, author of “Get More Money on Your Next Job,” tells Monster. “They expect job candidates to negotiate.” And remember: You can negotiate salary, benefits, a signing bonus, equity or a flexible schedule.

4. You’ve been at the same job for years, and have never received a raise

Real wages are 7.4 percent lower than they were in 2006, due to the fact that the price of goods has risen faster than incomes. As a result, if your salary has held steady for the past few years, you’re actually earning less than you were.

If your company is making money, and you’re exceeding your goals, but your pay hasn’t increased, it’s time to sit down with your manager and ask for a raise.

5. You’re underemployed

When surveyed for a PayScale report, 46 percent of respondents said that they were underemployed. What does this mean? Either that they were working part-time when they wanted to be working full-time, or that they were working at a job that didn’t use their education and skills.

“If you know that you’re capable of performing a higher-level job than the job you have, don’t panic — most of us have been there!” writes Liz Ryan at Forbes. “Keep your survival job and back up and think about what you want to do next. You may need to rebrand yourself for the jobs you want. If you can show how you’ve solved bigger problems and had greater impact than you do your current role, you can get a job interview and move up to a higher-level job.”

Ryan suggests consulting, to build your confidence and remind yourself of your talents. Doing so could help you develop skills while creating a brand that will get you hired by an employer who’s willing to pay appropriately for your talents.

SOURCE: https://brandspurng.com/5-signs-youre-underpaid/



All these things apply abroad, Not in Nigeria. For example ask for a raise n get sacked. 1 thousand fools have queued behind u to do the same work @ half the amount.

4 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Humility017(m): 7:53am On Jul 15, 2017
PrecisionFx:




All these things apply abroad, Not in Nigeria. For example ask for a raise n get sacked. 1 thousand fools have queued behind u to do the same work @ half the amount.
My boss keep telling us that all the time...
That they're many doing much tasking job for a less pay out there.....
Where as our pay is not even something to talk about for a graduate
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 8:01am On Jul 15, 2017
Humility017:

My boss keep telling us that all the time...
That they're many doing much tasking job for a less pay out there.....
Where as our pay is not even something to talk about for a graduate


That's what happens wen a nation has a useless labour union.

That There's unemployment doesn't mean citizens should become slaves.

Nigerians really need to start rejecting job offers en mass. Our poor education system failed to teach us that too...

2 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Donjcco(m): 8:02am On Jul 15, 2017
My fellow nairalanders pls show me some love...
I was recently nominated for two big award categories BEST SUG EXECUTIVE and FUPRE MOST POPULAR STUDENT in the upcoming students week

pls vote DON J / DON JCCO for the various categories... "With you, My testimony is guaranteed'

http://fupresug17..pe/2017/07/fma-17-votings-commences.html?m=1
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by AHCB: 8:07am On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.
You can say that again. But the funny thing is the companies who underpay their workers make millions. It's all about making too much money in Nigeria albeit, the world.
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by FitnessDoctor: 8:12am On Jul 15, 2017
Let me put this through. Nigerians are not underpaid because of the economy or because they are underskilled, but they are underpaid because they are gullible.

Imagine you drop a job of just 30k(and you have only your B.A) and someone with a master degree will happily take that job. This has led employers to believe that there are many hungry Nigerians who will are ready run after any job available on the market no matter the pay.

I remain your favorite health blogger Paul Samuel FitnessDoctor
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Alexbrain(m): 8:26am On Jul 15, 2017
Discovering your talents and building up your skills with be a very productive way to tackle unemployment and become an entrepreneur.
Check out this free online book that will help you with that
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/657738
http://okadabooks.com/book/about/talent__the_bomb/12751#
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by lebete3000: 8:32am On Jul 15, 2017
FitnessDoctor:
Let me put this through. Nigerians are not underpaid because of the economy or because they are underskilled, but they are underpaid because they are gullible.

Imagine you drop a job of just 30k(and you have only your B.A) and someone with a master degree will happily take that job. This has led employers to believe that there are many hungry Nigerians who will are ready run after any job available on the market no matter the pay.

I remain your favorite health blogger Paul Samuel FitnessDoctor

But there are actually many Hungry Nigerians, so it's not a believe it's a fact.

2 Likes

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Humility017(m): 8:34am On Jul 15, 2017
PrecisionFx:



That's what happens wen a nation has a useless labour union.

That There's unemployment doesn't mean citizens should become slaves.

Nigerians really need to start rejecting job offers en mass. Our poor education system failed to teach us that too...
my brother to be honest wit you...It saddens me sometimes make me depressed after making a good 2.1 from the university..... some employers will still make one look useless....
some believe you've no potentials at all
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by FitnessDoctor: 8:39am On Jul 15, 2017
lebete3000:


But there are actually many Hungry Nigerians, so it's not a believe it's a fact.

Yes

Hope you have already done your early morning stretches
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by lonelydora: 9:00am On Jul 15, 2017
All the points applies to most companies
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by generaluthman: 1:01pm On Jul 15, 2017
Now I see
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by ZEPHYREN(m): 1:35pm On Jul 15, 2017
fpeter:
Almost everyone in Nigeria is underpaid.
Except the politicians
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by djjosh(m): 1:47pm On Jul 15, 2017
NANSENSE!!!NANSENSE!!!NANSENSE!!!
Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 6:36pm On Jul 15, 2017
Donjcco:
My fellow nairalanders pls show me some love...
I was recently nominated for two big award categories BEST SUG EXECUTIVE and FUPRE MOST POPULAR STUDENT in the upcoming students week

pls vote DON J / DON JCCO for the various categories... "With you, My testimony is guaranteed'

http://fupresug17..pe/2017/07/fma-17-votings-commences.html?m=1
what did u say?

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by Nobody: 6:36pm On Jul 15, 2017
Donjcco:
My fellow nairalanders pls show me some love...
I was recently nominated for two big award categories BEST SUG EXECUTIVE and FUPRE MOST POPULAR STUDENT in the upcoming students week

pls vote DON J / DON JCCO for the various categories... "With you, My testimony is guaranteed'

http://fupresug17..pe/2017/07/fma-17-votings-commences.html?m=1

Re: 5 Signs You’re Underpaid by calculator123(m): 10:46am On Jul 26, 2017
An employer would only pay you just what you can survive on..Most people in Nigeria are either underpaid or not paid in some cases added to the constant threat of sack and what not...I just want to be my own boss

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