There are plenty of salary surveys available. Make sure you choose the right one for you.
- The sample size has to be large enough to ensure that the information is valid.
- Valid and useful surveys readily identify their key elements, including effective date of the data, term definitions, clarity of statistics, and position descriptions. Aggregate or summarized data also should be reported, and data collection, screening, and verification techniques identified to ensure that the survey was properly conducted and reported.
- Survey sources and sample sources should always be identified. Reputable organizations should be willing to reveal the source of their sample to show that the data is both valid and accurate.
- Be cautious when reviewing free online survey information. Numerous issues can affect the reliability and validity of the data reported. A key concern is how data is collected and reported.
- Make sure the data is current.
For more information, you cancontact World at Work’s Information Development Call Center at 877/951-9191 orby e-mail at InfoCenter@worldatwork.org;or check out its Web site, www.worldatwork.org.
Workforce,January 2001, Vol 80, No 1, p. 88 SubscribeNow!