1. Review this brief article on How to Set a Salary and Create Pay Grades from ZipRecruiter. (Links to an external site.) Pay special attention to the selection criteria to determine which firms will be part of your benchmarks for salary survey data. Organizations usually have 10-12 other firms that will comprise that "market". Do you know which organizations your current/former employer considers to be part of that "market"? Is it clear what criteria HR/executive team uses to select these firms?
2. Consider your current/former role or your desired position. Which factors were/are considered compensable? For example, the University of California-San Fransisco (Links to an external site.) considers independence, accountability, specialized and technical knowledge. Other factors may include frequency of contact with outside agencies, budget responsibilities, whether your job is considered hazardous, etc. Knowing what is important for someone in this role will help you better understand the pay level and also determine how to better market yourself and bring more value. How can you go about demonstrating knowledge of such skills, experience, and high levels of responsibility? What should you do to improve your prospects of getting higher pay?