RE: STC Salary data collection

["Pinkham, Jim" <Jim -dot- Pinkham -at- voith -dot- com>]

At some level, I'm skeptical of the whole premise of a salary survey
being useful or relevant. Perhaps as a lowest-common-denominator
threshold to keep back of mind while negotiating. Perhaps not.

But that's the key word. The salary-setting process is a negotiation. It
should be unique, or close to it, in most cases. It doesn't matter what
Joe Smith across town gets paid, or what the average tech writer in my
locale with a job description that at least superficially mirrors mine
gets paid. What matters is what skills and ability and background I
bring to the unique parameters of the job in question -- and how much I
am willing to sell them for and how much my employer, based upon the
need on that end, is willing to pay. 

I realize this is HR heresy -- but I am far from convinced that most HR
personnel want salary data chiefly in order to make sure I get paid what
I should be paid, even assuming that the data could really tell them
that. There's an intrinsic interest on their end in containing cost and,
as an ancillary benefit, making HR look good by doing so. (For much the
same reasons, I'm skeptical of providing salary history to prospective
employers, even assuming confidentiality were not an issue. I don't wish
to be pigeon-holed based on what was historically relevant at another
time and place and situation.)

Depending on the unique circumstances of the time and place where the
employer and I are meeting, I might be willing to accept a little less
or demand much more than what the salary survey data would seem to
indicate (assuming these data are valid, reliable, and representative to
begin with -- which may not be a given).

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+jim -dot- pinkham=voith -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Pro TechWriter
Sent: Sunday, November 18, 2007 9:38 PM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: STC Salary data collection

I am MORE than a "little" angry, and am thinking of not renewing at all.
Especially after the e-mail I got about having to be a member who "has
committed to membership" by keeping a membership in force for five years
in a row....when I have been a member (off and on) since 1983! But took
a couple of years off here and there to feed kids, and then kids with
grandkids, when times were hard.

Now I have to pay extra for the salary information, which has been my
main reason for joining up and ponying up $175 (what I have paid the
last few years)?

I don't think so. I'll pay salary.com the $50 or however much it is
(much less than an STC membership) instead and forgo the rest, thanks.

[Thinking seriously about whether the membership cost is worth the small
return in value to me]

PT

On Nov 15, 2007 4:28 PM, Stephen Arrants <steve -at- mbfbioscience -dot- com>
wrote:
> I just received an email about the upcoming Salary Seminar. I'm a 
> little angry that in addition to increased dues, we're supposed to pay

> $90 for the full report.  It should be available to members without 
> additional cost.
>
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