What do we work for? I’m not going to say that labour is one of the natural human needs, that’s another subject. Of course, we work to have something to live on, keep ourselves and our families, meet our needs. In other words, we have to sell our labour to the employer in exchange for the corresponding compensation. However, if you like your job, it is interesting. And this interest may tern into love, habit, passion, and even addiction. What many employers are glad to use.
Let’s consider this question in detail.
Suppose you are a young specialist. Should you ask your employer a large salary? Yes, because you WANT all at once! Well, try it, maybe you’ll get lucky.
But I would advise you to keep down your appetite. At this stage your aim should be to get the working experience which is required on almost every position. Otherwise, it may “scare off” a good employer. Or, even worse, you may run into scams on the labour market since there are many rogue employers. You can lose a real chance to get a job in a good company or a good boss, and more than once.
Choose an interesting prospective job, where you can learn a lot, gain skills, relationships, and possibly make a career. Big earnings will follow later on.
Now let’s consider another situation. Suppose you have been working for a few years in some company. You’ve gained considerable experience, GROWN UP with this company, you like the team. But here, as sometimes happens, your salary is stagnant, and the management does not even think to increase it. Even if your remuneration is not that bad but far below the market, there is a serious reason to think.
I guess that during the years that you’ve been working for that company you’ve so much accustomed to it that cannot imagine your future without it. You regularly stay too long at work, take your work home, do your work at home on your initiative, think about the work before going to sleep, come to work at weekends (because you LOVE it so much!) .
Wait a minute! Aren’t there in the world some decent companies where you would like to work in and the work would be interesting or even exciting? Come on in the world! In your city, district, an office building…
Not so few, I tell you. But there are a great many companies where salaries are not increased for years. So if you leave the company you will not probably lose much.
Check salary rates in the offerings on job-sites; send your resume to a few employers and recruiting agencies.
Go to job interviews. Try to make employers indicate salaries. And it may happen that those amounts will amaze you. It turns out, you “cost” much more! And for such a professional like you it is not difficult at all to get a job. Even during the crisis. And there are people ready to offer you good money! Wow…
The bottom will be knocked out of your world and you will look at yourself differently. So was it worth it – to have been working for nothing?
In any case, there are different situations and it’s up to you to decide. But take into account that employers will not change (including timely wage indexing) as long as the realities of life will push them to do so.
I wish you to find the job of your dream and a successful career!
