Leading up to Salary Negotiation Week, we surveyed more than 1,000 people on several different topics related to salary negotiation. We had readers answer some questions regarding their experiences asking for raises, and what they're afraid of when it comes to negotiating salary. Here is input from an actual Salary.com reader, and our subsequent advice.Job Title: Senior Web DesignerCity: SalemState: NHCurrent Salary: $72,000Last Raise: 09/2010Company Size: 8What is motivating you to ask for a raise? It’s been long enough between raises and friends in the industry are making more than me.What c... view article details

Q. I had five years of experience as financial accountant in private industry in the United States before moving to Hong Kong last year. My annual earnings as a manager were US$43,000. The staff accountant job I hold in Hong Kong equates to US$28,000. Besides the job title, the salary difference is also because of the different living standard, tax rates, and salary trends between the United States and Hong Kong. After taking these considerations into account, I estimate my salary in Hong Kong to be equal to US$40K.Now I am returning to the United States and my low salary looks awkward on my r... view article details

Q. I've been in this job for five months. I started out as a data entry clerk and was promoted to project manager in the first six weeks. At the time, I was promised a salary increase after a trial period of two months. But it hasn't happened yet. I was also supposed to get a three-month review, should I ask for that also? I love my job and love to come to work every day.A. First of all, a project manager is a very general job title, so ask your manager to come up with a more definitive title.I would strongly urge you to send an email to your manager reminding him or her about the agreement to... view article details

Q. I've been in this job for five months. I started out as a data entry clerk and was promoted to project manager in the first six weeks. At the time, I was promised a salary increase after a trial period of two months. But it hasn't happened yet. I was also supposed to get a three-month review, should I ask for that also? I love my job and love to come to work every day.A. First of all, a project manager is a very general job title, so ask your manager to come up with a more definitive title.I would strongly urge you to send an email to your manager reminding him or her about the agreement to... view article details

Q. I was hired four years ago as a desktop technician for a Fortune 500 company. Since then I have skyrocketed up in the company, and I have been getting spot bonuses (of $1,200) and salary increases of about 9 percent a year.However, since I was hired as a desktop tech and was given a competitive salary for that field, I've since become a major software/Web developer for the company. For the past two years I have been doing client/server development, but for the salary of a highly paid desktop tech, which is much lower.My manager just walked into my office and told me I was now classified as ... view article details

So you've got a job interview. The only problem is hundreds of other people are going for the same position. So how do you stand out?William Arruda says the answer is personal branding.Arruda, a personal branding expert and author of Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand, is this week's guest on Salary Talk, and tells Aaron and Wendy the fastest way to separate yourself from the pack is to figure out who you are, what you're good at and maximize your strengths. While most people think of branding as creating a fake image, Arruda says the key to personal branding is 'permission t... view article details

Ensure Proper Job MatchThere are a number of reasons your current pay could fall in the bottom quartile range. Be sure to verify that your benchmark job title is at least a 75 percent match to the responsibilities of your current position. The closer the match, the better your analysis will be. If your actual role includes lesser responsibilities, then you should adjust the benchmark salary range down accordingly. Also, be sure that the company and personal factors are as accurate as possible.Performance and ProficiencyIf you've correctly matched all factors, assess your performance and profic... view article details

When it comes to your career path, sometimes "up" isn't the only direction in which to travel. A sideways or "lateral" move -- defined as a move either within your current company or to a new organization with similar title, pay, and responsibility -- can often pay off in the future. Here are 14 reasons to make a lateral move. Reason #1: You want to enhance your value and be more marketable A lateral move often gives you the opportunity to gain additional skills and knowledge. Reason #2: You'll work with a better boss or supervisor Sometimes making a lateral move is a good way to cement ... view article details

 Closing TimeClosing is the last step in buying a home. Unless you are paying cash for the house, you cannot buy without backing from a lender, which comes in the form of a commitment letter. The lender will require that you have a homeowner's insurance policy on the property, so you will need to arrange this before the closing.At closing you will be asked how you want to hold the title, which basically refers to ownership. If you alone will own the house, it's sole ownership; joint tenancy applies when two or more people are purchasing, but each holds the right to dispose of his or her share.... view article details

With the overwhelming number of applications and resumes received on a daily basis, recruiters must do all they can to manage the flow -- thus resume filtering software.What follows here varies by company and position, but for now let's work from this premise: In the larger (and not so large) companies, your resume/application is not initially viewed by a 'real human person' but is scanned and graded by a piece of software and then archived until those results are called up. What this means is that only those resumes that 'made the grade' (literally) will rise to the top of the pile to be revi... view article details