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rshuey,
Don't be misled by the various salary ' dot ' com type of sites. While some
of those sites ARE good references, every jurisdiction is different and will
try to get the most for the least amount of monies.
Essentially, the person being interviewed will have to negotiate the very
best salary [ or hourly rate ] that they can. Naturally, the best time
to find out your perceived value is during the interview process. If you
have a lot of certifications and other marketable skills, you may want to
ask for more money, or you may want to settle for less money to be
located in a certain area or to be near family. Essentially, you have to
know what you are willing to settle for before you even apply for a position.
In today's uncertain economy, almost everyone is going to be hard pressed
to get a raise, or even a small raise. I am like you in that I haven't had
a raise in 3+ yrs. & lots of duties, but I am [ currently ] employed.
Even mentioning a raise gets people ticked off [ `round here anyway ].
My experience [ in our ' line of work ' ] is that most employers aren't
going to do anything until they are forced to. But be forewarned, if you
start asking for a raise, your employer might just think that they can get
along without you and find someone else to do your job(s), ...cheaper!
It's very tricky minefield asking for raises, ...especially these days.
As a suggestion, get all of the training & certifications that you can. My
employer will not pay for any certfications or tests, so rather than do nothing,
I choose to pay for all of my certs. & testing. Also, [ if possible ] do
some other jobs in your neighborhood. Handyman type of jobs, ...plus, there
is always a need to help those that are less fortunate than yourself.
One last thing! I seriously doubt that any of us [ in the gub `mint sector ]
are making the salary amounts that may be listed on those ' dot ' com sites.
Hope this helps!
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