What should I do if my salary is too little?

Q: I am a computer consultant working at a company that assigns me to work at other companies. My salary is less than average in the region for people with comparable skills. I went to my boss and got an increase that's still less than I'm worth. I think they just tossed me a bone to quiet me.

I like this company even though they're underpaying me. What else can I do, apart from getting another offer and proving to them that the market values me more than they do?

NICK'S REPLY: I would not dangle another company's offer in front of your boss unless you're absolutely ready to take that offer. I've seen many companies usher people straight out the door for doing that.

You might want to tactfully approach management again and tell them you are still dissatisfied because you know you're worth more on the market. My guess is that they don't really care. Without knocking consulting companies in general, it's my belief that many of these "meta employers" aren't as motivated as regular employers to treat employees equitably.

Consulting firms are accustomed to pretty high levels of employee turnover, and they've got mechanisms for dealing with that. They may pay handsomely to bring you aboard, then keep your raises low while your market value goes up until you leave. In the interim they enjoy higher billing rates and increased profits while you decide whether to get up and go. Then the cycle repeats with the next hire. Of course, there are companies with more integrity. I know this sounds cynical, but remember that the consulting business is incredibly competitive.

My advice is to seek out a regular employer where the future might be a little more predictable and where the compensation program is more oriented toward holding on to good employees. You might find the culture more to your liking, too. The best companies are grappling with the issue of retention, or how to keep good people.

If you can't get satisfaction, move on.

THE HEADHUNTER TIP: Like the offer? Beware the people.

We all prefer to be surrounded by folks we get along with. So why do people accept job offers without checking whether people in the company get along well?

You can't ask whether people get along. You have to see for yourself. But, like job applicants, the employees doing the job interview are on their best behavior. So how do you get a peek at the company's true culture?

Try this, with as disarming a smile as you can muster: "I'd like to participate in one or two of your work meetings, to see how I would fit in. That would give you a chance to assess me in a work setting, too."

This is best done after the company makes you an offer. That's when they're most likely to comply with your request and show you what you need to see.

THE HEADHUNTER CHALLENGE

Are you coveted and rare?

The question on every job hunter's lips is, "How do I make myself stand apart?" It's a good question because it seems everyone and his sister apply for every job posted on the Net. The competition is deep and broad. How can a good worker stand out?

POLL

1. Use strong verbs in your resume and make sure your key words reflect the job description.

2. Get a degree from a top-tier school.

3. Get tutored by a guru and become a guru yourself.

4. Take your work to the next level: Reveal the art in it.

Read The Headhunter's expert opinion online at www.appealdemocrat.com. Keyword: headhunter

Write to Nick at P.O. Box 600, Lebanon, NJ 08833; or www.asktheheadhunter.com.

COMMENTARY

You might not like my answer because it's not an instant solution. It takes time to become one of the precious few who stand out. It's not about resumes or where you went to school. It's about how your work is regarded.

How would you like to be known as coveted and rare? That's the idea in an article by R. Colin Johnson that I keep on my desk as a reminder of what it means to stand out. It appeared in the May 27, 2008, edition of Electronic Engineering Times and it reveals three important characteristics that would make employers beg you to work for them.

Johnson's article discusses analog engineering. This discipline was the core of the electronics field for decades. The circuits that engineers designed prior to the 1980s were primarily analog electronics. Think about volume controls and tubes in old FM radios, heaters in toasters and the motor driving a table saw. As digital technology exploded on the scene in the 1980s, college engineering programs started cranking out digital engineers, and there has been a dearth of analog engineers since. The result is that good analog engineers are now almost priceless. So much for "not being cutting-edge," eh?

Johnson's article reveals three guideposts to standing out. First is art. You can't just follow the rules, apply your skills, and get the work done. You must find and reveal the art in it.

Take another profession: accountants. Any good one can follow the rules and run the numbers accurately. But the art of accounting involves using your skills to identify and capitalize on trends in your company's finances. Accounting becomes art when the practitioner develops the big picture and sees the business on a whole new level. Similarly, any engineer can design a circuit. A great engineer is an artist, because she sees how a design can be implemented at low cost for high-volume production to make more money for her company. That's art. Want to stand out? Advance the art in your work.

The second guidepost is mentoring. The company in Johnson's article is successful at hiring analog engineers in part because it has a mentoring culture that grows more of them. The rare analog guru mentors the next crop. Want to stand out? Get mentored by a guru.

The third guidepost is time. (See? I warned you that this might hurt.) Turning your work into an art might make you a guru, but that takes a lot of practice. The manager quoted in Johnson's article says, "Analog technology requires five to seven years of on-the-job experience before engineers can begin making significant contributions." Or before their expertise becomes coveted and rare.

Want to stand out? Want to be worth more than your competitors to an employer? Invest the time to get mentored and to hone your skills. Show the art in your work.