Don't accept that job offer so quickly!

Do not be afraid and leave money on the table. If you are an employee in the private sector, negotiating a salary when accepting an offer is your opportunity to add thousands to your salary and earnings over your career. It's your biggest chance. Once hired, unless you get a large promotion you can only expect a 2-5% increase annually. And that's if the economy is good AND the company is doing well! Those things are out of your control.  Otherwise, you are lucky you have a job in their eyes. That's what your employer will think.

Negotiating a raise at your current job

You can also use this information negotiating a raise. I have! Using these tactics you can fight for that large raise when you know you are underpaid and undervalued. You deserve to be paid well for your what you provide. Unfortunately, an employer will not do that automatically since it is their job to save expenses. You are just an expense.

Do your homework before accepting an offer

There are plenty of articles out there these days. When you apply for any job, you should already have an idea of the salary range.  This information is easy to find on indeed.com or salary.com. This question is going to come up in the first phone call or interview.  "Based on my research I expect this position to be in this salary range." Then as you proceed through the interview you can see what they are actually looking for and what YOU ARE WORTH in this case.

Read this book about Negotiating a salary

In my experience, this book is a great choice. I read it, used it, and benefited from it many times in my career. I also paid for phone consult with the author. What a great investment!

Negotiating your salary: $1000 a minute

The Good Job Offers

You should always be shopping for a new employer. What are they offering and why are they better?  Larger companies are always looking for new employees and to replace or cut employees just as fast as they hire them. To be fair, there are some good stories of employers paying decent wages these days to stay competitive. Here is an example noted on Saving Advice about Costco and their wages. Please remember that you are interviewing them just as much as they are interviewing you. Know what you are worth and don't be afraid to ask for it.