As strange as it may initially sound, there are certain 
circumstances in which being overpaid, something that most of us might assume is a good thing, can actually damage your Salesforce career. In this blog, we want Salesforce professionals who aren’t entirely sure on what their earning potential might be to ask themselves three key questions in order to understand what they’re worth when it comes to market rate salaries.
What Are Your Skills?
Employers are always on the lookout for people they believe will bring something to the company and your professional skills are a great way of showing your worth. What skills do you possess that make you stand out from other candidates? Are they common skills or in high demand? In order to offer an attractive salary, an employer has to know that it’s worth it. If the skills you possess are common among other Salesforce professionals, you more than likely won’t be able to negotiate a higher-than-market-rate salary.
Where Are You Based?
Location is also very important when understanding what your worth is. Market rates for someone working in London will be higher than someone working in Portsmouth due to the cost of living. Therefore, if someone were to become accustomed to an above market rate salary, they may find it difficult to swallow the inevitable cut. In order to make the most of your potential salary and also avoid any damage to your career prospects, you need to understand how your location, or changes in your location could affect your expectation.
What Is The Market Rate?
It has been reported that individuals who have become reliant on an above market rate salary may find themselves struggling when it comes to finding work elsewhere. Most aren’t willing to take a pay cut in order to get involved with other businesses, therefore limiting their ability to move and increase their experience working in different roles. This can be a potentially frustrating situation to find yourself in and could potentially cause your career to stagnate. If you are unsure about whether you are being underpaid, or indeed overpaid, why not take our salary survey now to find out.
We also say to Salesforce professionals, beware of companies that appear to offer a much higher rate of salary then their competitors. Once you become locked in to a higher-than-market-rate salary salary, if you do decide the company isn’t quite right for you, or you want a fresh challenge, you will soon find that you will struggle to secure a future position and the options open to you will very quickly diminish. So remember, the importance of understanding how your skills affect your salary prospects cannot be overstated.
And, when you’re considering a job change, before rushing in to take a job offer, make sure you have an understanding of the reasons you are looking. There is nothing worse than accepting a job offer at a new company, only to end up looking again a few months later as it isn’t the right fit for you. Look out for our next blog: Things To Consider When You Have More Than One Job Offer