Employment Outlook and Trends (regional and national information)
Salary Information and Negotiation for Alumni
We offer confidential one-on-one consultation to NU alumni registered with UCS-Alumni Career Services seeking to discuss salary offers. It is important to be aware of the vast differences in salaries. Salaries/salary offers are based on a variety of factors. Some of these salary considerations include:
- Experience level
- Appropriateness and relevance of your background, degree(s), experience to the particular position and/or organization
- Geographic location of the position/cost of living for the area
- The level of competitiveness within that particular field. If there are many applicants with similar skill sets, the salary may not be as high as someone with very unique skill sets or if they are in a field where qualified applicants are scarce.
- Industry/Type of employer. Salaries within different industries will vary. It is important to keep this in mind if you look at general salary statistics.
- Benefit packages. It is important to look at the full package an employer is offering. This may make a significant difference in your total compensation package. For example, some employers may or may not offer the following: health/dental/disability insurance, life insurance, 401K or related retirement options, tuition reimbursement options, bonuses, opportunities for quick advancement including quarterly or yearly salary reviews/increases, free memberships to professional associations, travel reimbursement, etc.
- Signing bonuses. These are less common now and may be driven by economic issues and competitiveness of that particular position.
- Current Economic Issues.
Additional Resources on salary statistics and information for alumni:
Be sure to review information under Employment Outlook and Trends. Information on these and other related issues and factors which can help you evaluate your current salary or offer
We would be happy to help you either evaluate an offer or discuss whether your current salary is competitive. Below are some popular web sites that address salary statistics and information. Please continue to check this site for additional information. We also encourage you to check sites for your particular industry. These are often available through professional associations and societies. For information and resources on professional associations within your field, please consult or pages: Occupational Information and Resources by Industry/Career Interest Area (link to these pages)
How to respond to requests for salary history, salary expectations
Please contact us at: UCS-Alumni@northwestern.edu or email Cindy Graham directly at cgraham@northwestern.edu.
Job offer guidelines for alumni/What to know before you accept/What to do after you accept the job
Be sure to know your job title, what is expected of you on the job, who you are reporting to, (hopefully you have met this person(s) in advance of the offer being made), understanding of who you would be working with, where you will be located, office space/cubicle/etc, actual salary being offered, a general understanding of the benefits included, clear understanding of starting date, day-to-day responsibilities, etc.
Please contact us at: UCS-Alumni@northwestern.edu or write to Cindy Graham directly at cgraham@northwestern.edu to discuss this in more depth as well as general tips and suggestions as to what to do after you accept the job, thank you notes to send(and when), reporting your offer, and what to do after you start the new job.
Relocation Information for alumni
If you are considering relocating, Alumni Career Services can assist you with the strategies of a long distance job search to better prepare you for the challenges that are ahead. Below are a few web sites focusing on general relocating strategies and moving tips.
For additional information please discuss this with our staff. We can also discuss ways to stay connected to NU no matter where you are!
In the news! Articles and latest statistics of interest to alumni
Please continue to check this section for latest statistics and employment related articles in the news!
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