Department of Labor

[thongd4me 69]

Wage STATS

You can browse their stats in any number of combinations.

We saw an online rumor (unconfirmed) that the job my wife will be interviewing for today

might come with a salary offer of around $8/hr. We found in the dept. of labor stats that

the median wage for this job is around $20/hr at the low and around $36/hr at the high.

This way she has a reasonable argument for a starting salary between $13 and $15 which

is around twice the minimum wage, NOT just under ONE dollar above it.

The job is a very responsible one and she had a long uninterrupted work history in a job that was very responsible, in a supervisory position.

Edited August 18, 2010 by thongd4me

[rsn 135]

Wage STATS

You can browse their stats in any number of combinations.

We saw an online rumor (unconfirmed) that the job my wife will be interviewing for today

might come with a salary offer of around $8/hr. We found in the dept. of labor stats that

the median wage for this job is around $20/hr at the low and around $36/hr at the high.

This way she has a reasonable argument for a starting salary between $13 and $15 which

is around twice the minimum wage, NOT just under ONE dollar above it.

The job is a very responsible one and she had a long uninterrupted work history in a job that was very responsible, in a supervisory position.

I looked at the DoL stats. They are not very detailed and I wouldn't base any pay negotiations off of that data. Use something like Payscale.com, for example, instead. Also realize that employment history in Thailand is not nearly as useful as domestic experience, and rightfully so.

[thongd4me 69]

I looked at the DoL stats. They are not very detailed and I wouldn't base any pay negotiations off of that data. Use something like Payscale.com, for example, instead. Also realize that employment history in Thailand is not nearly as useful as domestic experience, and rightfully so.

The DOL stats are not perfect (those I found for her general job category, the one she was applying for were about a year old),

but I felt they provided a good springboard, a good reference, maybe not to present as evidence for actual demands but

just to get a ballpark idea of where to position yourself regarding the salary discussion. They also show differences for a

given occupation between regions & states. After all it's the government and it's not the best that it could be, but it was helpful.

I went to payscale.com and the input they ask for (years experience in job you are looking for) is not that helpful

for someone looking to do something completely different from a pervious career. If your responses don't

fit their standardized formula, then the process becomes less useful as it's only a robotic program.

The site also crashed my computer when I tried to print a PDF of the resulting graph they presented.

I just got a telephone call with very encouraging news. The interviewer said she probably wasn't a good fit for the

job she was applying for (something I told her to expect as this was just to get her foot in the door) but he was

very very impressed with her job experience history (education) and it prompted him to propose that they find

something better than the job she was interviewing for. It's a large retail store and he suggested sales as she

did have some sales experience in Thailand.

I'll have more info tonight.

PS - salary was not discussed at this initial stage of her interview.

Edited August 18, 2010 by thongd4me

[thongd4me 69]

The job interview was at a major retailer.

The interviewer was VERY impressed by her resumé and list of awards & honors in her previous career as a teacher.

She will have another interview soon and he is suggesting a more appropriate post, so we just have to wait and see.

She was very nervious because this whole process is new and she was approaching it almost like the consulate interview,

which I said was not applicable. The interview was very friendly and not adversarial. She is very relieved now to have that

behind her and feels more confident now.

[Nik+Heather 121]

The job interview was at a major retailer.

The interviewer was VERY impressed by her resumé and list of awards & honors in her previous career as a teacher.

She will have another interview soon and he is suggesting a more appropriate post, so we just have to wait and see.

She was very nervious because this whole process is new and she was approaching it almost like the consulate interview,

which I said was not applicable. The interview was very friendly and not adversarial. She is very relieved now to have that

behind her and feels more confident now.

Hey that sounds like good news, and I'm glad to hear that it sort of broke the ice for her and if this falls through, the next interview will be easier.