Are You Paid What You're Worth?

Scout industry publications.

You know what you make, what your partner earns, and maybe what a few friends take home—but that's about it. Unfortunately, most professionals aren't transparent about their financial earnings, making it an uphill battle to determine the average salary standards. One effective way to begin your research is through industry publications or entities that run salary surveys, according to Pretkel.

You can look for associations, journals, membership groups, or job boards specific to your industry and analyze their results. Using the information provided, reach out to the leaders of these organizations for clarity and to determine the nitty-gritty of the research procedures.

For example, what a marketing executive earns in New York City isn't the same as one in Des Moines. Location, experience level, and plenty of other factors influence the range. Your goal is to figure out what another version of you in your town is paid in your role.

Contact recruiters in your field.

If you haven't worked with a recruiter before, here's the 101 on their role: They're paid by companies to deliver the best-of-the-best talent. When they place someone who's a stellar addition to a team, they bring home a flat rate or a percentage of the hire's salary, which gives them every incentive to fight hard on your behalf.

Perhaps you don't want a new job, but just know you're in desperate need of a raise. A recruiter can be supremely helpful to you, and eventually, when you're ready to move on, he or she can be there to score you a killer new gig, Pretkel says. The trick is to find a recruiter who specializes in your industry and has a pulse on salary ranges.

Contact HR.

If you feel comfortable and trust the human resources team at your current job, Pretkel suggests setting up a one-on-one meeting to discuss your salary inquiries. In some cases, she says, there are dedicated compensation specialists who are there to explain the opportunities for advancement you may not know are available to you. It could also be a time to ask about the promotion and raise schedule and how to prepare for the review season when these discussions will typically take place.

Use the web to your advantage.

Ever find yourself going down an internet rabbit hole looking up the most minute details of a celebrity's life or a true crime conspiracy theory? Use that same sleuthing energy to research your career and salary projections. Pretkel recommends searching for ranges across the internet, but be mindful of the sources you trust.

She recommends Glassdoor.com, since it invites users to enter their salary information upon registration and offers a built-in cross-section of data for your industry, based on location. The same is true with PayScale and Salary.com, which utilize crowdsourcing information across the country.

Hansberger also suggests LinkedIn as a comparative resource. Once you figure out the average take-home pay in various locations, you can use this professional social networking app to find others near you in similar job functions. Then, you can connect with them and start to build your networking circle.

Talk to friends, peers, and mentors.

Pretkel says a critical component of knowing your worth is a longer-term effort: It's vital to surround yourself with people you trust, can grow alongside, and can always confide in. "It's important to build a network of mentors and/or people you can lean on throughout your career when you want advice or a second opinion," she says. "Networking within your industry is essential—you can build up a peer group that can support you with something like this."

Many workplace conversations are casual and friendly, but for whatever reason, money remains an awkward, even taboo topic. As Hansberger notes, some people think talking about money and salaries is rude or tacky, while others are afraid to bring up number-focused chats. But our hesitation to lean into financial conversations is largely why pay gaps and compensation inequities exist.

It's important to step up, swallow your fears, and confide in professional peers you trust. This isn't the time to cold-ask almost-strangers; Take salary questions and concerns to someone you know and respect and whose perspective you find valuable.

"Start with a warm relationship and keep it super casual," Hansberger says. "A great way is to ask for help. Tell them you [you're concerned you're] being underpaid and ask if they'd be willing to give you advice to make sure you're not being taken advantage of. You might say: 'They pay me $X. Is that fair for a position like ours?' or 'Is that less than you?'"

Come armed with information when you negotiate.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of professionals who have never negotiated their salary. In fact, many people have always taken the first offer. This is a mistake, since, hey, if you don't ask, you'll never get a "yes." If at the end of your research, you determine you're underpaid, Pretkel advises you make sure to come prepared to support your case.

"You should thoughtfully present why you think you should receive a higher salary and package," she says. "Succinctly and clearly highlight the impact you've made in your career, the impact you can make in your new role, and demonstrate why you believe you're worth an increase in the offered salary."

Don't leave out how you've benefited the organization with clear data points that backup your message. By illustrating your effectiveness as an employee and leader, as well as market standards, it's tough for a company to decline your request since they know the chances you'll hit the road are higher if you aren't paid what you're worth.

RELATED: How to Ask for a Raise If You're Underpaid—and Actually Get One

If your employer doesn't budge, start your search.

If your request for a raise gets declined, Hansberger says it's vital to understand exactly why. Do they not have the funds to support it? Are they going through a reorganization? Are they waiting on investors to come in? If you decide to stay, Hansberger recommends asking for ways they can improve your job in other ways with fringe benefits. Maybe it's an extra week of paid vacation, more flexible working hours (four-day work week!), remote working options, a bonus, or other changes that would make you feel valued.

And if you're still not happy? Don't forget: You can use all your industry salary research while interviewing for a new job at a different company. "If you go in knowing what the benchmark is, you'll know if their offer is too low, and you'll have facts and insights to support why you should make more," Hansberger says. "Be honest about your salary goal. Ask for a specific number in the high range, so you have wiggle room."